How to Improve Your LinkedIn Networking

As I outlined this post about LinkedIn networking, I became aware of several recurring themes in my blogs. One is that I’m not an “expert” on every topic I write about. I’m not as effective at LinkedIn networking as I could or should be. Wait—what? You may wonder why I would write a blog on any subject where I need to improve my skills. Knowing what to do and doing it isn’t always the same thing. Before I give the wrong impression, I’ve made valuable connections on LinkedIn, found like-minded people, added customers, and made new friends—I just need to do it more.

How to Improve Your LinkedIn NetworkingCreate a Professional Profile

LinkedIn isn’t Facebook. It’s a professional network. Don’t post an image of yourself at the beach—not appropriate. A professional headshot is the best, but if that’s out of budget, don’t omit an image. Put on your dress duds and have a friend take the best smartphone shot possible. Some will advise you to list all your work, internship, and volunteer experiences, and I would agree—if you’re looking for a job, but if you’re looking to attract customers, a more focused approach may be more effective. My point is to understand who you’re attempting to reach and share what best fits their interests.

Your business life is active, and your profile should be too; update your profile as often as your career and needs change.

Earlier, I said LinkedIn is a professional network, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t share a little about who you are. Listing your hobbies and interests may help you connect with businesspeople on a more personal level.

Add to Your List

Continue to develop connections. Remember when you added people from your contacts, email, and other networks? How many people have been added to those lists since you uploaded them to LinkedIn? Is it time to update?

At least once per month, review LinkedIn’s More profiles for you, People you may know, and Grow your network and then add the people you do know. Reach out to customers, vendors, and others in your industry and add them. Business in the 21st century changes fast. More than ever, today’s competitor may be tomorrow’s customer, and your contact at a small firm may end up as a decision-maker at an organization you’ve always wanted to connect with. Wouldn’t it be sad if you lost touch with them and didn’t know?

Don’t Spam

Please. No. Auto-responses. When you accept an invitation to connect, reach out with a personal message. (I’m not throwing stones here; there have been times I’ve been too busy to send a message, but I try to make it up with a personal touch later.) Thank them for reaching out, remind them of connections you share, and ask how you can help.

Groups are important, being in the right groups more so. Limit your group involvement to those fitting your business and personal interests. Just because somebody else joined a group or you were invited to join doesn’t make it a good fit. Joining too many groups limits your ability to contribute and participate and may be counterproductive.

In group discussions, talk to people, not at them. Don’t hijack the conversation, and try not to get on your soapbox (that’s a hard one for me).

Don’t use LinkedIn solely for promotion; take the time to like, comment, share, and converse with others. Be real. Never lie, and that includes misleading through exaggeration or omission.

If a friend requests a connection to someone you don’t know well or feel uncomfortable connecting, don’t do it.

LinkedIn isn’t the place to brag or humble brag too much. Let others do it for you. It is the place to announce milestones such as educational achievements or promotions. That’s not bragging; it’s sharing information.

Take it Offline

If you know anything about me, then you know I believe nothing takes the place of meeting face-to-face. It’s not always possible; I may never meet my LinkedIn friend from Tel Aviv in person, but when it’s doable, meeting in person adds another level of connection that’s difficult to replicate on the internet. Take the time to schedule a coffee, learn what events others attend and join in, or, if it’s appropriate, visit their workplace.

Networking on LinkedIn isn’t much different from networking anywhere else, online or offline. It begins by reaching out, responding like a real human being, and, most of all, by doing what you already know you should be doing.

Are You a Good Networker?

I’d always considered myself an effective networker. I’m friendly, easy to talk to, and I’ve never met a stranger. However, none of that makes me a good networker. It makes me outgoing. If I wanted to be the most effective networker I could be, I needed a plan. That’s how my networking workbook, Help Networking started.

My plan probably won’t be your plan. That’s why throughout the book there are worksheets, checklists, and simple CTA’s. Use these to create a networking plan that fits your needs.

If you enjoyed this post you might like Is Social Media Making Us Antisocial?

Photo by Abid Shah on Unsplash

 

 

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