Monster.com launched a new site this summer, BeKnown.com, intended to make professional networking easier by integrating it with social media. They did this because Facebook boasts 700 million users and because it’s a more aggressive way for Monster to compete with networking kingpin LinkedIn and with up-and-comer BranchOut. While Monster used to be the marketing tool for job seekers, they’ve realized that the best jobs are born from cultivated relationships. And the best place for that is clearly online.

Here’s a quick breakdown of how BeKnown works….

1. Your post-signup dashboard works like any other. It showcases statistics, 
endorsements, companies you follow, along with offering recommendations.
2. Beknown lets you invite friends and colleagues to network with even if you’re not Facebook friends. You can also connect with Twitter and email accounts.

Part of BeKnown’s emphasis is in privacy, letting you control what you share and with whom. This is very different from LinkedIn, which only offers all-or-nothing modality. Now here’s how you apply it to your existing marketing efforts…

1. Step out of the frame of mind of a job seeker and into one of a competitive analyzer. Use BeKnown to follow your competition as well as those companies that are industry leaders. An added advantage is that by recommending other companies, you’ll likely be turned to new competition as well as companies you can partner with or learn from in some other way.
2. It’s smart not to automatically friend professionals/colleagues on Facebook. Think of how embarrassed you’d be when a friend posts that drunk photo of you from the weekend or a socially handicapped sibling blurts out an offense. It’s not a pretty sight and I’ve seen it happen too many times. Not everyone gets that Facebook can be used professionally, which is why you should keep your private page separate and use BeKnown’s ability to connect discreetly.
3. I also love that you can add your Twitter contacts. Most Twitter connections aren’t followed on Facebook or through email lists and they tend to be far broader as far as range and demographics go. This is a great idea that alone makes BeKnown worth it; you can cultivate distant Twitter connections into rewarding relationships. The whole underlying idea is to expand your network of colleagues and relevant like-minded companies – an idea that is underplayed when you look at BeKnown’s surface value.

In my opinion, these are really the only two (albeit very strong) reasons to incorporate BeKnown on a part time basis into your marketing campaign. Other than that, BeKnown offers the trending idea of rewards by allowing users to gain badges based on performance. It also, like its model competitors, offers endorsements and company profiles.

Company profiles are key because part of what makes you successful is giving customers a chance to peek in. Today’s consumer group wants in. They want to know all about your corporate culture, your causes and your workplace environment. This is another way to do just that.

However, unlike its competition, it allows you to plug in with Facebook. Let’s face it, for any social media platform to be relevant, it has to engage with Facebook. LinkedIn doesn’t do this. From a marketing perspective, you need to keep a close eye on what’s current and what’s adapting in a way that the competition isn’t. And when you spot something that shows promise, it’s best to get on board quickly so that you gain more social capital from it.