The Right (And Wrong) Way To Network On LinkedIn

The Right (And Wrong) Way To Network On LinkedIn

I’m always on the lookout for articles about networking. Here are a few snippets:

The internet has shaken up how we do business. But in many ways, old-school rules and skills still apply. Networking is one of those skills that will never go away.

Networking is crucial to learn because it opens you up to new relationships that can drive big opportunities down the road. While physical networking events like conferences, seminars, and industry mixers still hold their value, the digital age has introduced a powerful new player in the game: online platforms like LinkedIn. Here’s how to network like a professional, what to avoid, and the right strategy to build life-changing connections.

Do: Personalize Every Message

One of the best features of LinkedIn is that it allows you to add a note along with your connection invitation. This lets you introduce yourself to a potential connection and make a strong first impression, which will greatly increase your chance of being connected.

LinkedIn does limit your note to 300 characters, which means that you will need to be concise yet compelling. If you’re a premium user, you can message people using InMail but upgrading to premium is not necessary for most people.

With these features available, it can be tempting to adopt a shotgun approach where you compose a generic message and send that to as many people as you can. The more people you message, the more chances of people connecting with you, right?

Well, not so much. Most people can sniff spam from miles away, and sending a generic message is a surefire way to get ignored. What you want to do instead is be authentic and personal in your intro message.

Do: Be Respectful Of Their Time

Once a person accepts your invitation request, then you’re off to the races. Gone is the 300-character limit, and you can drop them a message anytime. But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

LinkedIn is best used to build long and fruitful professional relationships, and you do that over the long run. So while it may be tempting to immediately go in for a favor, showcase that you want to support them in other ways first. When you do reach out to connect over a phone call or coffee meeting, send them a note and acknowledge their busy schedule. This simple gesture demonstrates you respect their time and shows the kind of person you are.

Another thing to be wary of is the number of messages you send. Instead of bombarding your connections with numerous messages, focus on sending thoughtful and relevant messages. Moreover, not everyone can respond to messages immediately. So be patient and respectful of response times, and don't pressure your connections for a quick reply.

Don’t: Be Desperate

Just like most things in life, it’s never good to be desperate, especially when networking on LinkedIn. What you want is to keep everything professional and genuine.

Desperation can result in you trying questionable networking tactics, such as unsolicited spam messages or persistent requests, which can damage your reputation and spoil potential valuable connections.

To build strong and lasting relationships on LinkedIn, you will need to exercise patience, be authentic, and a focus on mutual value. Additionally, you want to be strategic with choosing the people you want to connect with and how you write your messages.

Don’t: Reach Out to Inactive Profiles

Networking on LinkedIn is not a numbers game. It doesn’t do you any good to have hundreds of connections if none of them are going to engage with you or connect outside of LinkedIn.

This is why it makes sense for you to limit your connection requests to people who are actually active on LinkedIn. It’s generally pretty easy to figure out when someone is not actually on LinkedIn, even if they have an existing profile. Just go to their profile, scroll down to their Activity section, and see if they’ve posted, shared, or liked anything recently.

There are no hard and fast rules here, but I would focus on people who register any activity at least once a month. These people are most likely to be active on LinkedIn and receptive to your networking efforts.

If the person is inactive but you think there’s still some value to keeping track of their work, you can “follow” them instead.

Want to know more? Head on over to the full article here for more ideas and perspectives. Afterwards, why not drop me an email to share your thoughts at [email protected] ; or call me on 0467 749 378.

Thanks,

Robert

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