To win at social networking, you need large numbers of friends or followers. This is true for many social networking platforms (Twitter Followers, Instagram Followers, Facebook Friends).
LinkedIn calls them Connections, and there is an exceptionally good reason for that. You want to be connected!
People make decisions based on emotion, not logic. Logic kicks in afterwards to justify their decision. You may be the best of the best. But if they don’t connect to you and your offer, being the best does not matter.
Build relationships
How do you do that? How do you build a relationship with someone you don’t know? Here are three ways to connect and start building relationships:
- Post content – Post engaging content – tips, questions or non-business-related information. Be of service. Start a conversation.
- Engage others – Engage the content of your connections. Liking something is good. Commenting is better. Share a connection’s content. Support each other. Start a conversation!
- Reach out – When you engage with new connections, ask open-ended questions. Learn more about them. Be curious. Be of service. Start a conversation!
Post content
Posting content is a great way to engage others, whether they are currently in your network or not. Ideally, post once per day. You can post with or without pictures. Repurpose your current articles or blog posts by adding them as articles on LinkedIn.
Engage with tips related to your industry. Ask open-ended questions. Share non-business-related information that allows your connections to get to know you.
Tip: Prepare your content for the week and use a service to post your content daily for you.
Engage others
Engage with the content of your connections. It can be as simple as commenting with “Thanks for sharing.” Or you can start a conversation around the topic of your connections’ post. Use their content to get to know who they are, what they are up to, and why they do what they do. Get to know them! Share their content. Give them exposure to your network without any expectations from them. Be of service.
Tip: When you share someone’s content, you present them to your network, and you are shared with their network too.
Reach out
When you choose to connect to someone, include a message. It can be as simple as “Hi (insert name), I would love to connect.” Do not pitch your product or service in your connection request, or the individual likely will ignore your request.
When someone accepts your connection request, follow up with a message. Thank the connection and ask an open-ended question. Start a conversation. It can be around something you notice on the connection’s profile. Be curious!
Tip: Look at a person’s activity. If he or she was active on LinkedIn in the past 30 days, the individual more likely will accept your connection request and engage in conversation.
Get connected
LinkedIn is a great way to build relationships, get connected and expand your network. Connect with your potential ideal client. Reach out to people who offer different services to the same ideal client profile. Collaborate with possible joint venture partners.
Every activity on LinkedIn is an opportunity to open a conversation, meet someone new and be of service. Build relationships. Get connected. Be curious. Be of service.