The Secrets to Connecting on LinkedIn
I’m fairly new to the whole LinkedIn thing. I’m on it, but I haven’t really been using it to my advantage. I get updates from my Alma Mater’s LinkedIn page each week, but I usually throw that email right in the trash. Is LinkedIn just another social network I have to pay attention to? I decided to take a closer look.
Recently I have been logging in more to my LinkedIn page. Some of the most interesting articles I write about for this blog I have found through LinkedIn. And this article, about connecting on LinkedIn, I found…wait for it…on Linkedin.com! Here are some tips from that article to consider before connecting on LinkedIn…
Connect Wisely
Like any new thing I try, I like to follow the rules—or at least try to figure out what they are. Seems the rules for connecting on LinkedIn are a lot like the rules for connecting on Facebook—only connect with people you actually know. Many people who use LinkedIn to broaden their professional network are connecting to people they have never talked to. Why?
“One major pet peeve of mine when it comes to LinkedIn requests is when people who don’t know you say you’re a ‘friend,’ or that you have done business with them at their current company,” says social media strategist Scott Swanay. “First of all, that’s not true, and second of all, it’s just lazy on their part—those are generally requests that I’ll ignore.” —Inc.com
I agree with this. I don’t need virtual friends that I’m not friends with in real life. Social networking isn’t a popularity contest where you try to get as many friends or followers as you possibly can. If you are using social media for your business, it should be about quality, not quantity. What is the point of having 1,000 connections on LinkedIn if no one is engaging with you? A waste of time.
I used to work with this guy who thought the more connections he had on LinkedIn the more successful he was. Turns out, most of those connections were empty. He would walk by my office and boast about how many new connections he made over night, as he sent invite after invite out into the great big world. I was not impressed. Seems no one else was, either, as he eventually lost his job.
Be Professional…and Interesting
LinkedIn is a social networking site for professionals. If you want to connect to the right people, make sure your profile is 100% complete and you have a nice photo featured. Don’t post a photo of your cat or your baby—feature YOU!
According to veritable LinkedIn black-belt Mark Amtower it’s important that your profile is not only professional, but interesting. “This is your first impression; it’s where people will decide to connect, read more, or simply move on.” Amtower says. “Bare-bones profiles indicate people who do only the minimum required.” Amtower goes on to suggest that your profile should emphasize an area of expertise. “You need to strive to be a subject matter expert in your chosen niche if you are going to truly stand out.” —Inc.com
Make sure, when you address others that have the same area of expertise and experience as you, that you aren’t constantly marketing yourself. Add value by contributing to groups and acknowledging what others have to say. Just like on Facebook and Twitter, too much self-promotion is a real turn-off.
A great way to add value is by paying attention to the Questions and Answers section. Use your expertise to help someone else out. Establishing yourself as an expert with insightful comments, questions, and answers will make you stand out from the crowd and, in turn, meet more interesting people.
Want to connect with someone who is a member of the same group as you? Send them a personal invitation instead of using the standard invitation form letter.
Give them a compelling reason to connect and let them know that you will value the relationship. Investing the time to craft and personalize your initial communication will demonstrate this. “If there is no information exchanged indicating why we would be able to build a mutually beneficial relationship it indicates this person is only interested in the value of my connections for their personal agenda,” says Tony Faustino, author of Social Media ReInvention. —Inc.com
Go the Extra Mile
If someone accepts your invitation, say thank you! I’ve written before on how beneficial a simple thank you can be. Same goes for online connections. Does your new connection have a connection to someone you’d like to know? Send a note asking your current connection to make an introduction—and do the same for others.
Just like other social networking sites, you get out of LinkedIn what you put into it. If you are looking to really build a network of other professionals with the same expertise and background as yourself, you have to put the time and effort into doing it right and not cutting corners. Know that it will take time, but that, in the end, if you foster these relationships they can be very rewarding.
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Also take care not to upset your employer. This guy is facing an industrial tribunal hearing.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/social-media/8992541/Executive-forced-out-of-job-over-LinkedIn-CV.html
One of the things that really bothers me about LinkedIn Questions/Answers is how stupid some of the questions are. To the point where I can’t believe that they’re being asked in public.
But, being the evil little wordsmith that I am, I like to have fun with these questions. Remember Mad Magazine’s “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions”? That’s what I do. And it’s fun. Evil fun.
Can you give us an example? I love a good evil laugh!
Admittedly I have gone back an forth on LinkedIn and its true purpose. However I recently took it upon myself to update my profile and begin researching and reaching out to those professionals within the niche that I am interested in identifying with. My invitations are by no means the generic format (I do not accept those myself) — as I introduce myself properly. And I DO send a Thank-you. A little gratitude goes a long way in my book!! Little by little my network has grown and I too have come across some quite interesting articles there.
LinkedIn Groups are very powerful. Look for niches that you do business in, follow the Groups rules and be active in the discussions.
It helps build your credibility and increases your value when you try to connect with someone in the same group as you.
I’ve become addicted to LinkedIn like I had with Facebook. However, the Groups can become a major time suck. And the groups tend to be the same faces. Some bloggers are excellent promoters. I know some of these people by name because they post regularly and have great branding. I need to get up the guts and contact them to discuss the freelance world.
I have gotten inquiries for grant consulting, however, these people were new to the process. And didn’t understand you can’t get grant without a track record of prior work. Or at least are doing something now. At the very least, I have helped people not waste their time on grants when they should focus on organizational development and strategic planning.
Speaking of LinkedIn, a public official posted on the grants group and spilled her guts. And then said, “Get me a grant.” It was a bizarre experience, but so many people think grant writers get money because people wish for it.
Here’s a powerful tip I recommend to my LinkedIn training and consulting clients:
If you receive a “generic” invite from someone, don’t say yes or no, reply back and say:
“Thank you for your invite.
Why are you interested in connecting me on LinkedIn?”
As see what their response is. If they don’t respond, move on, if they do and give you a sales pitch, yes move on. If they express a reasonable answer, choose to connect.
Revealing the “why” between you establishes the intentions behind the connection, which is what “makes” it a viable connection.
Good idea, Andrea! Give people a chance to woo you and that way you can see if you have any commonalities.
I think that LinkedIn has really changed in the last 6-12 months.
Before LinkedIn was an intimate place to connect with and share connections with your closest business associates.
LinkedIn’s weekly (and seemingly daily) email updates has changed that. Now that people are seeing that whenever they tweet something new, or connect to someone new, that this is being broadcast to all of their connections. As a result they are starting to treat LinkedIn like their Twitter account and racing to get as many connections as possible.
I’m not sure if its a good thing or a bad thing, but quite a lot of my connections now have 500+ contacts.
Andrea, I like your advice. Thank you for sharing. I receive invites from people who claim to be my friend and they’re not. I chuckle at this! I also receive many links to sales pages and groups.
My biggest ‘pet peeve about social media is the quality vs. quantity aspect. Do people truly want to develop a business or networking relationship? Or, are they simply interested in promoting their products/services, increasing their group membership, or increasing their number of contacts?
Regarding groups … I’m amazed at how unprofessional some people are. The creator of one group I’m in is constantly reminding members to be professional. If not, they’re kicked out. This doesn’t motivate me to join groups if people won’t respect the opinions and thoughts of others.