We're continuing a holiday tradition of revisiting our best articles of the past year. This post was originally published in February on our Broker channel.

The drum of how to use social media in real estate marketing keeps a steady, if repetitive, beat. Facebook has become such a shark tank for self promoting marketers that consumers are beginning to get aggravated. Facebook was never really intended for business, but it is what it is – a place for personal sharing and business sharing.

However, on the other side of the fence is LinkedIn – a website that is totally dedicated to business.

Sales professionals that do not take advantage of the latest tools for business development will stagnate today. Winning professionals maximize every opportunity to find new customers. LinkedIn is a great spot to connect with other professionals. Here are a few suggestions that you may want to keep in mind:

1. Advanced Search

LinkedIn has a great search tool. You can search for people by job title in your area – like all CEOs, Chief Marketing Officers, Vice Presidents, etc. You can also search by Lawyer, Doctor, and more to target those in upper income brackets. You can even search by company to see everyone that works for your area's largest businesses.

Tip: LinkedIn often offers free trials of their Premium subscriptions. Consider signing up for the trial to see the profiles of and gain the ability to contact those outside of your immediate network.

2. Curate Your Profile

Your profile on LinkedIn is your calling card and more. Make sure you have a professional photo, a clear but not overly written biography, and all of your contact information, including phone number and website.

But go beyond that. LinkedIn is a great place to publish market information on real estate. After all, customers may be searching for just that on LinkedIn. By sharing content, you ensure that you show up in search results more frequently.

3. Get Recommendations

Recommendations on LinkedIn come in two forms. One form is a testimonial. You can ask past clients to write a recommendation for you directly from inside of LinkedIn.

Endorsements are a second way to get recommendations. You can add Skills and Expertise to your profile. Select skills like luxury real estate, real estate investment, real estate marketing, real estate trends, real estate sales, etc. Put in a bunch of them. Your connections are invited to endorse you automatically.

Now that you have a few tips to get started, it's important that you find the time to use them. While you are on LinkedIn, be sure to connect with the RE Technology team!