Both LinkedIn and alumni software offer companies, institutions, graduates, and professionals distinct benefits. But when it comes to LinkedIn vs. dedicated alumni platforms, what’s the best choice for your organization?
In this article, we take a closer look at what both have to offer, so you can make the best choice for your professional community.
The role of alumni networks in modern organizations
In the world of academia, a strong alumni network fosters connection and camaraderie among graduates and their alma mater. Strong alumni connections do the same for former employees and colleagues in the corporate world, retaining loyalty to their former employer after leaving the company.
But the role of alumni networks in modern organizations goes far beyond that. Alumni networks offer fundraising, mentorship, networking, and even business partnership possibilities. But to reap any of these rewards, you have to fully engage your alumni.
Why alumni engagement matters
So, why is alumni engagement important? When alumni are engaged, they feel recognized, appreciated, and validated. They view continued ties to your organization as worth the effort and are more likely to remain active members.
What organizations need from alumni platforms
An alumni platform can offer an alumni network many benefits. But what benefits can the organization behind the alumni program reap?
The secret to any successful network, including an alumni network, is communication. Alumni platforms allow targeted communication between organizations and their alumni networks. They also serve as a foundation for future talent acquisition, networking, and knowledge sharing.
What makes a successful alumni program?
To get the most from your alumni network, you need a successful alumni program. And the most successful alumni programs support alumni engagement.
Keeping alumni engaged boils down to offering them value. This means providing valuable content and more importantly, relevant content.
For best results, your alumni program should offer a mix of interesting news, industry trends, success stories, and alumni events. No alumni must get left out because of geographical distance, their new demanding work schedules, or other barriers. That’s why virtual events are gaining in popularity.
With the right alumni platform, all of this is possible.
Why LinkedIn isn’t enough for alumni engagement
LinkedIn offers graduates and professionals many advantages. Users can find job listings and apply for
vacant positions. They can reconnect with former colleagues and fellow students, and network with them. And they can promote themselves by listing their professional qualifications and expertise.
LinkedIn may offer your alumni all of three benefits. However, it simply isn’t enough for alumni engagement. Here are the top reasons why, in a comparison of LinkedIn vs. dedicated alumni platforms, there’s only one clear choice for alumni engagement.
Limited customization
LinkedIn offers little room for customization, whereas many alumni platforms are highly customizable. Alumni software can be tailored to meet the needs of the alma mater or former employer, as well as their academic or corporate alumni.
Minimal community-building tools
Community-building tools foster connection and boost alumni engagement throughout your alumni community. And whilst LinkedIn does offer a professional community, it lacks the wide array of community-building tools that alumni platforms have.
Data and branding challenges
While the typical alumni management platform allows special handling of specific datasets and opportunities for branding, this is not the case with LinkedIn.
Dependence on algorithms
Like other social media platforms, LinkedIn is dependent on algorithms. However, it works a little differently than on other social media platforms.
LinkedIn’s algorithms determine the order of the posts users see when they check their feeds. An alumni network platform will show users what is most relevant to them as members of the alumni community.
The superior benefits of dedicated alumni community platforms
Tracking and insights
One of the key differences between LinkedIn and a dedicated alumni platform is the tracking and insight opportunities they provide. With LinkedIn, organizations have limited visibility into the actions and engagement of their alumni community.
In contrast, dedicated alumni platforms like Aluminate for Enterprise offer far more robust tracking capabilities. Organizations can access detailed insights into member activity, preferences, and interactions, allowing for more personalized communication and strategic engagement. This level of insight is critical for building deeper connections and building an engaged alumni community.
Customization for your community’s needs
One of the top benefits of alumni management software is that it can be customized to meet your community’s needs. Whether you’re trying to keep recent graduates connected with campus life, or former employees engaged in professional networking, the right alumni software can help you achieve it.
As the world’s most customizable community platform, Aluminate for Enterprise is so much more than just an alumni database. It helps you to build alumni connections that stand the test of time, with modern features that keep them in step with the times.
Privacy and data ownership
Of course, wherever there’s data, there’s a need for data privacy and security. And dedicated alumni management software can offer you that. When you offer your alumni data security, you instill trust and loyalty and encourage further participation on the platform.
Targeted communication
The best alumni management software offers you multiple ways to engage your online communities through specialized communication channels. On Aluminate for Enterprise, users see what is relevant to them from the digital dashboard, from posts about career opportunities to upcoming alumni events.
Send out a regular digital newsletter filled with success stories and relevant news about members’ achievements. You can also celebrate individual members’ milestones or share them with the entire alumni community.
Higher alumni network engagement
There’s one thing that social media platforms excel at – engaging their users. But with the right alumni platform, you can have that too. A platform like Aluminate for Enterprise will allow you to not only build but also sustain alumni engagement.
Use Aluminate’s Groups module to segment your alumni community into special interest groups. This helps to build alumni relations and deepen connections between like-minded members of your alumni community.
Or use the platform as an enterprise social network that rivals other social sites. It’s a sure way to keep your community engaged.
Features beyond networking: Mentorship and boomerang hiring
When you invest in dedicated alumni management software, you have access to features beyond networking. Alumni networks are ideal for the knowledge sharing that successful mentorship programs are built on. And sometimes, the best future hires are hiding in plain sight in your alumni network.
Rehiring alumni as boomerang employees is good for business growth. Your former employees already have the skills and the experience you can rely on, to slip back into the fold with minimal onboarding and training.
Boomerang hiring cuts recruitment costs and gives alumni the chance to rejoin a corporate community they still feel connected to. With the right alumni software and the right alumni network strategy, both the organization and the alumni community win.
Fortunately, Aluminate for Enterprise is the solution here, too. Our platform is extremely customizable and versatile. It can be used not just for alumni management and engagement, but also as an online mentorship platform and talent management system.
The best of both worlds: Using LinkedIn and a dedicated alumni platform together
You don’t have to make a choice – you can have both!
Indeed, using LinkedIn and dedicated alumni management software together will give your alumni community the best of both worlds. Find former employees on LinkedIn, and then nurture those connections with a strong alumni network.
Aluminati, the team behind Alumniate for Education and Aluminate for Enterprise, is approved by LinkedIn to track changes in user data and keep it updated. This social data sync feature, which is enabled only with user permission, ensures that alumni community data is always accurate and up-to-date.
Invest in the best dedicated alumni platform: Aluminate for Enterprise
In the comparison between LinkedIn vs. alumni platforms, who wins? LinkedIn has many advantages for professionals. However, an alumni program offers so much more. Ideally, you can use both to build stronger alumni relations and meet the needs of your corporate community.
For an efficient and productive alumni program, you need dedicated alumni management software. And for the best alumni management software, you need Aluminate for Enterprise.
Request your free demo today.
