How to build your network through Linkedin

Every season we onboard interns for she1K flagship program C-shark Tank. The most crucial lesson we go through is about LinkedIn. I started being active on LinkedIn only about 4 years ago and was privileged to be recognised as Linkedin Top Voices 2020 along with the country's Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong.

LinkedIn has been "God sent" if I may say as I could not have imagined how I could make a "comeback" in my 50s after having retired for a good 8 years after my last corporate stint as CMO of Hong Kong CSL. LinkedIn for me is not just for making connections or sharing posts, it is very much the foundation of my "business" which is one of empowering corporate executives to angel invest in a "safe", peer-companion style and network. I can't sing enough praise for how much it has done for me in building credibility and obviously a voice about matters I care about.

I accidentally "strolled back" into LinkedIn (even though I have had my account for a long time), not knowing what it really does, given I was not looking for a job and had not ever used it for one job search (but I was recruited by headhunters via LinkedIn). As I embarked, I soon realised it is no longer just a platform for job search. It also allowed people who resonated with my voice to reach out and further fuel the development of my voice.

It was awkward for me initially and so I can imagine how it can be quite intimidating for many. Do I want to tell my story? How do I tell my story? Why would I want to tell my story? What about my story should I tell? How do I position my story so that it resonates with the audience? How do I know if anyone cares about my story?

It was an accidental force because I started first building a community for women entrepreneurs (but men were always welcomed). It was called Startup Asia Women. I had just returned to Singapore having left for decades and complacently retired. Being in my 50s, with no network (something I did not pay attention to during my corporate career), so late in the game, I rather be found than find. However by organising events where I could learn about the startup ecosystem along with others who wanted to do likewise, I had to put myself out there. Hosting physical events eventually required me to find people. But at least I had a purpose. Soon that purpose became my voice and the rest I picked up along the way observing others and listening to my audience - both online and offline.

I pivoted and leveraging the WomenChangemakers series I hosted - 11 over 18 months in 3 cities, followed by another series of 10 online during covid, I connected with women executives because that was more up my alley, coming from a corporate world of technology, dotcom and mobile. Staged more than 120 corporate executive women to share their personal stories. Hence November 2018, I announced the start of she1K, the world's 1st corporate executive angel syndicate. Now it is 70% female represented. Year after that we launched C-shark Tank, a more structured program for corporate executives to empower, fund and board startups. Since then, we have on-boarded at least 65 executives who have participated in C-shark Tank at least once and coached close to 100 startups.

Having a purpose is not a requisite but it can propel you to leverage LinkedIn more artfully. Although it is free, you will reap benefits if you are quite strategic about it.

Here are some of the ways I have made LinkedIn work for me. Maybe it could be useful for you.

1. Treat LinkedIn as a magazine

You are flipping a magazine to spot topics that interest you. The person who wrote or shares the post shares a common interest with you. Check out any links or tags if that post impresses you and you will find so much to learn from or realise things you did not know you did not know.

2. Find out who's who on LinkedIn

This is probably the speediest "dating" site you could go to but not for romantic matchmaking. How amazing that most professionals and business owners are quite diligent about updating their profile here so you can easily see someone's history and track record before deciding if you would want to reach out.

Take one more step to find people like the profile you like to connect with. On the right navigation, often you would find colleagues in the same field and/or from the same company. How convenient is that!

3. LinkedIn as a research tool

When we are scouting for early stage startups who are not quite known yet, LinkedIn makes it easy for you to check out their company page where you can see if they have had media coverage, investors interest, participated in any competition or thought leadership panels. It is also a great way to better understand a company's strategy and vision before deciding to connect or not.

4. Have conversations on LinkedIn

Just like meeting people in person, you converse by sharing a little upfront, wait and listen, before you follow up with more sharing. The beauty of limiting "hello"s to 300 characters forces you to think carefully how you would introduce yourself, much like meeting strangers in a networking event.

Unlike my corporate days, I have learnt the art of being "shameless". Having a purpose your audience can resonate with helps. If someone connects, then you can have a conversation much like WhatsApp. This means you are communicating in bite sizes and staying relevant, especially if it's with a new connection you have not met.

5. Be a giver on LinkedIn

LinkedIn makes it easy for you to request for referrals and intros and for you to do likewise for others. It has become 2nd nature for me to ask for a LinkedIn profile when someone wants to connect me with someone else because it's the best test of relevance although there is much that you won't find about the person on LinkedIn too. But it's a pretty good start.

6. Be proactive in engaging on Linkedin

Depending on how much of a network you wish to establish and on how much you wish to be heard, LinkedIn is great for positioning your thought leadership and share the causes you care about. I would however pay special attention to personal branding with the choice of words whether you are posting or commenting on someone else's post. It is true many people have "grayed" the area of LinkedIn by sharing like you would on facebook - something I consciously separate.

It's very much a push vs pull concept (like marketing). You could broadcast something to attract people to reach out to you or you could "spam" relevant people individually. Either way LinkedIn has opened so many doors and easier if you have signed up for the paid premium account.

There are a lot more experts than I on LinkedIn and there are activists who make helping others succeed on LinkedIn as a living. Here's just my own personal figuring it out and grateful for the rewards that have come with that. Nothing to lose trying. #nevertoolatetostart #LinkedinTopVoices