LinkedIn tips to help you build a better network
LinkedIn is a wonderful tool for business if you use it correctly. If not, then it’s simply a place you accept hundreds of connections from people you’ve never met before and it’s likely you never will.
To stop that from happening LinkedIn Consultant Louise Brogan – The Social Bee has given us some tips on how to build a better network on LinkedIn and turn those connection requests into conversations.
While teaching people all forms of social media Brogan found her niche three years ago when she decided to concentrate more on teaching LinkedIn. “I work with people all around the world and America, Canada, Australia, UK and Ireland are my main markets. I have a podcast called LinkedIn with Louise and I just love what I do. I love working with small business owners and people who want to get known and get visibility on LinkedIn,” she says.
Brogan has given us the following tips generate better connections on LinkedIn.
Use LinkedIn for building relationships with people – stop accepting all connection requests, your connections should be quality over quantity on LinkedIn. Build a network on LinkedIn that is full of people who are either going to become customers, clients, collaborators or people that you are actually interested in hearing from. Building a network of people that you actually want to engage with is key.
Send a personalised invitation when requesting a connection – why are you connecting with this person? Have you got a reason? If you have, start a conversation with them and tell them why you are connecting with them. Did you hear them on a podcast? Did you read about them? Did a mutual contact advise you get in touch? Whatever the reason is send them a message and tell them why you are connecting with them, because now instead of them falling into your network of 3000 people you are having a one to one conversation with that person and that is far more likely to lead to some kind of business down the line.
Don’t try to sell immediately after connecting – you wouldn’t jump that quickly into personal relationships so don’t do it while building a business relationship. Follow the connection on LinkedIn, read the content they share. If they are someone you see as a potential client or they have a lead in to a particular network, you feel would benefit your business, comment on at person’s posts. They will notice you and also the people in their network will see your name and your headline and the right people will want to connect with you – without commenting on posts your ideal client will see, you are never going to get any visibility on LinkedIn.
Make good use of LinkedIn messages – don’t be afraid to send interesting content through messenger. If you read an interesting article you think would be of interest to a connection on LinkedIn send it to them, your messages shouldn’t be all self-promotion.
Create content that starts conversation – create content or share content that is going to be of interest to you audience. What is useful to your sector? Share tips and advice for businesses in your network and interesting discussions that are current in your sector.
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