LinkedIn is a great place to network with other people. People are often surprised when they find out one of the best tools for networking, building a business, and finding your next career is located in one place, LinkedIn. And one of the most powerful tools on LinkedIn is the news feed. If you are selective in your connection requests and acceptance you can build a strong platform to help connect you with the right people in whatever stage you are in. Here are five tips to help you build a strong LinkedIn network.
1. Post Regularly
When I was first getting started with LinkedIn I made a goal to post every day on LinkedIn for three weeks. Stuck on what to post? Here are 99 topics/focus areas you can use to get the creative juices going. For me, I started with easy things talking about myself and my business. And I had zero belief that posting for twenty-one days in a row would change my opinion of LinkedIn but by day fourteen I was amazed by the engagement and the people I was connecting with. Five years later, I am still active on LinkedIn and have a goal to post each week Monday through Friday, and occasionally on the weekends. While I enjoyed posting every day I found myself needing a break so taking the weekends off is a great way for me to stay engaged while also having boundaries in place.
To help post daily, I have different focus aspects of my business for each day of the week. When I have a general focus topic for each day of the week it makes it easier to come up with something to post. I don’t always follow my general schedule but on days I don’t know what to post I have somewhere to start.
2. Respond to Every Comment
A few years ago I saw someone complaining he didn’t have any engagement with his posts. I commented on his post and waited for him to respond to my comment. He never did. A few weeks later, he had a similar post wondering why his engagement was so low. I pointed out that he never responded to my comment on a past post. He still never responded.
Comments are not people adoring or admiring you. They are an open door to a conversation. Even when people congratulate you, you can still respond with a thank you. If you have people commenting on your posts, respond and ask questions. Others may see the follow-up comment and respond building a post within a post or a new idea for the next post. The people commenting are interested in the topic you have written about and the comment section can lead to a future collaboration or opportunity. That is the power of the comments section. That’s how connections become part of your network through a relationship. And it can start in the comment section of LinkedIn.
3. Comment on Other People’s Posts
Share your thoughts and feelings about what other people are sharing too. It builds trust and engagement. Future connections not in your network may see your comment and connect with you wanting to learn more about what you do. It is a great way to build a connection with someone that you may not know. The comments are just as important as the posts you write. Be thoughtful, ask questions, and share your perspective.
4. Don’t Pitch Your Business in the DMs
For some reason, it seems to be a regular practice for people to connect with people and then pitch their service to you. Or sometimes even people start with a pitch as the connection request. I have gotten so many requests from people who skip getting to know me and dive in on how they can help me in my life or business. Because they don't know me they often do not understand the work I do and the resources I’m looking for. I also unlikely to hire someone I don’t have a relationship with and who has promoted their services directly to me. Build relationships. People are watching the work you are doing more than you realize.
5. Join Community Groups Where You Can Meet Other Like-Minded People
One of the best ways to grow your network is to find organizations that pique your interest or are in your field of study. It is a great way to meet people in your niche and for people in your niche to know who you are.
Building a strong LinkedIn network takes a lot of time and does require a lot of hard work. But that hard work will pay off in the long run. It can help you find a new career, grow your business, and more.
Looking for more LinkedIn tips? Check out this free guide for LinkedIn. What other tips would you add to this list? There are so many ways to leverage LinkedIn to build your network and these tips are just to get you started. I have found LinkedIn to be an amazing tool for my business and I have met so many amazing people through conversations that started on LinkedIn.