More than 756 million people are using LinkedIn (Source), making it the world’s largest professional social network. What can you do to get the most out of it?
When it comes to networking, LinkedIn represents the more professional side of social media. LinkedIn is the go-to social network for professional people who want to strengthen their business contacts and build up their personal brand without getting buried under a mountain of funny cat e-cards and celebrity posts!
While sites like Facebook and Twitter get most of the attention, for business owners, LinkedIn is the far more attractive – and sometimes the more beneficial – choice for online networking with more than 40% of small business owners believing that LinkedIn offers them the greater potential for growth of all social networking sites.
There is no denying the opportunities that LinkedIn can present to business owners, but those opportunities can only be made the most of when you have plenty of LinkedIn Connections.
While it may seem daunting at first, LinkedIn is an invaluable networking tool. If you’re struggling to make connections, using these tips will help you grow your network.
- Complete your profile and use professional headshot
- Put personal touch into your interactions with other LinkedIn users. When connecting with others, keep the tone conversational and friendly!
- Connect with people you want to do business with.
- Find people from your past and add them to your network. If they know you, they’re more likely to accept the connection request.
- Reach out to people in your industry or the ones that have common interests
- Use the Advanced Search option to find business connections you can add
- When contacting them, leave a personal comment regarding why you want to connect, and don’t be overly promotional.
- Think in terms of helping rather than selling. Bring up a reason why you’re reaching out. It can be a previous encounter at a recent event, a referral from a friend, or simply because you admire their blog or website.
- Share and comment on other people’s posts on LinkedIn daily.
- Don’t forget to join and participate in relevant Groups
- LinkedIn is a social network, so be social.
LinkedIn is a great social network, but you need to use it right. The infographic below will provide more helpful Linkedin tips and tricks to help you increase your connections.
About Author: Alex Goodwill is passionate about professional networking and believes lots of great opportunities can come out from it. He shared with us this nice infographic, created by Who is Hosting This.
