Twenty million people received a flattering e-mail from LinkedIn the other day telling them they had one of the most viewed profiles in 2012 (either Top 5 percent or Top 10 percent). Hurrah, you’re special. Pat yourself on the back. Tweet it out again. Are we done yet?

Well played, LinkedIn.

LinkedIn has been getting a lot of attention for its marketing strategy. But no one’s focused on the bigger question: Does profile visibility translate into business results?

It’s not about visibility; it’s about achieving business results.

There are a lot of ways to gain visibility. Be active in LinkedIn Groups. Start a group and regularly e-mail participants. Answer lots of questions (until LinkedIn eliminated its Q&A feature). Post status updates regularly. “Like” or comment on status updates. Share status updates. Be a LION.

We know it’s important to use LinkedIn. And being findable is important. But is there strategic value in being highly visible (and is working toward that goal a good use of your time)? I’d love to see a study that looks at this.

Photo by Abode of Chaos (Flickr).