Are you one of the 160+ million users of LinkedIn? Did you get involved to grow your business? Are you hoping to grow your business by growing your LinkedIn network? It's not going to happen if you're not going to work it! So, if you aren't willing to spend some time every single week on LinkedIn, stop reading now. Go do something you are willing to do. If you are, however, willing to spend some time on LinkedIn, every single week, here are a few strategies to help you grow your LinkedIn network.
Update Your Status Regularly and Consistently
This strategy is true for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and most other social networks. If people don't know you exist, they have no reason to connect with you. If you aren't providing them with regular value-add quality content on a consistent basis they aren't going to know you exist and they won't have any interest in connecting with you.
For these purposes “Regular” means at least once a week and “Consistent” means every week of the year. That's probably not enough, but it's a good start and once you get the hang of it you're sure to post more often. The more active you are, the more visibility you receive. The more visibility you receive, the more likely you are to develop credibility and influence. This leads to a bigger network and the growth of your business.
Join And Participate In LinkedIn Groups
There are many benefits to joining LinkedIn Groups and they let you join up to 50. Choose groups that make sense for you. Choose groups related to the business you are in. Choose groups your prospects are in. Choose groups in the region you live in.
Choose groups you are prepared to be active in. Remember, once in a group, you may ask any member of that group to connect with you. Joining a group is a great way to grow your network. But, remember, people won't want to connect with you unless they have seen you around. Are you a resource to the group? Do you participate in conversations started by other members of the group? Are you posting value-add material related to the group and not just focused on you and your business? Have you engaged in conversations with group members on a regular basis? These are the things you need to do to take full advantage of LinkedIn groups.
Make Yourself Known In The LinkedIn Answers Community
Credibility is the key to your success on LinkedIn and LinkedIn Answers is a great place to establish credibility. This is an opportunity to show you are a thought leader in your industry. Participate in Answers regularly and consistently. Pose questions when you have one and take the time to search for questions you have the ability to answer. This is a great way to give back to the LinkedIn community and build respect from your peers.
Build Your Network
Take time every week to build your network with quality connections. Connect with people in Groups. Use InMail to connect with people. Use the Advanced Search function to find people in your industry or region who have large networks and connect with them.
Don't send the standard LinkedIn invitation. This bears repeating. Don't send the standard LinkedIn invitation. Take a minute or two and write a personal note to the people you want to connect with. Look at their profile and mention something you have in common. Mention you are in the same Group or the same industry or region. Mention they are in your “Target Audience.” Say something that lets them know you took a minute to learn something about them and you sincerely want to connect with them. In any relationship you want to start off on the right foot. This is how you do it on LinkedIn.
Build these four strategies into your week and watch your network and your business grow! Let me know of ideas you have to grow your LinkedIn network. What are you currently doing that works? Let me know how these strategies work for you too! Connect with me and tell me you read this post!
I needed this reminder that I am wasting a valuable resource. I have been on LinkedIn for years but have not been following up recently. Thank you. I will get back on track! One thing I found valuable in the past was to send a reply when people ask to connect with me on LinkedIn rather than just clicking accept. If it has been a while since we talked/corresponded, I will give them an update on how my business is going and offer to help them with any ideas for theirs.
Yes! Sam, always send a personal reply when someone asks to connect with you. Use their first name and write a couple sentences. The same is true when you want to connect with someone else. It takes no time at all to write, “Hi Sam, we’re both in the Linked to Denver Group and I may know some people looking for a new home. Let’s connect on LinkedIn.” I am far more likely to connect with you after receiving this invite instead of the LinkedIn generated one. Now, get to work and tell you’re connections what you’ve been up to and find out what they’re doing too!