22 Mar Top 5 LinkedIn Alternatives

Social media statistics show that LinkedIn is 277% more effective than Facebook and Twitter at generating business and job leads. However, an article published at the social media blog, Social Media Revolver offers an additional five alternatives to grow your business social media empire.

1. BranchOut
   BranchOut is actually a Facebook app created in 2010. It’s designed for job hunting, recruiting, and general networking. The general idea is that it allows people using social media to leverage their existing Facebook network for opportunities.

1. Twylah
   Similar to BranchOut, Twylah leverages Twitter to perform similar job hunting, recruiting and networking opportunities. Twylah’s biggest advantage is that it gives you the ability to have a page with your own domain. This means you get another web presence as well as help branding your Twitter content.
2. Google+
   People who are regularly using social media often compare Google+ to Facebook. Similar to Facebook groups, there are Google circles that allow you to interact with specific groups of people. However, social media statistics show that the status updates in Google+ are more professional in nature than those on Facebook. This is useful for keeping things more professional.
3. VisualCV
   This site turbo charges your resume by allowing you to add graphics and video. It’s completely free to use and you get your own web site with it. With the url, you can share it with the world, keep it private or target a specific audience, such as potential employers.
4. Zerply
   Zerply is kind of like a hybrid of LinkedIn and VisualCV. It is also free to use, but there is a premium version that offers even more features.

Other than Google+, these alternatives are still tiny compared to the power that LinkedIn has. However, they each offer useful tools and any one of them can take off at any time and go head to head with LinkedIn. It’s recommended to at least try them out and see what each has to offer.