LinkedIn is a powerful platform. And learning how to network on LinkedIn can help you build new business relationships and find potential clients or partners. Also, you’ll be able to connect with other entrepreneurs and community builders and grow your startup as a whole!
But with over 66.8 million monthly active users only in the US… How to connect with the right people?
Is LinkedIn Actually Useful to Build New Connections?
Like any other social media platform, LinkedIn has its pros and cons. For some, LinkedIn offers networking opportunities, but there are also others who believe it’s a waste of time and look for building connections on alternative platforms.
So if you’re seeking to learn how to network with LinkedIn, it’s best to know which are the platform’s best and worst features!
Among the good things LinkedIn has, is that it’s easy to use and navigate. And it allows you to connect with other entrepreneurs and community builders who might otherwise be hard to reach.
You can also set your profile to highlight your skills, experience, and education. This will give you better chances to connect with professionals in your industry.
However, building your network on LinkedIn takes some time. So don’t expect instant results. LinkedIn has plenty of tools, such as the ‘Group’ feature or commenting on articles published by others in your field.
So if you don’t take advantage of all the tools LinkedIn offers, only a few users outside your existing network will see your profile!
Interaction is a key driver of your growth on LinkedIn.
How to Start Networking on LinkedIn Strategically
LinkedIn is a fantastic way to network with professionals from around the world. But it’s also a great place to connect with people who could have an interest in your startup, product, or service.
However, it’s not all about connections. Effective networking on LinkedIn requires an intentional strategy and commitment.
So, if you’re looking for more meaningful and valuable connections, do this:
#1: Identify Your Audience
To build a network on LinkedIn, it’s important to know who you want to target. How do they behave and what are their interests? The more information you have about your target audience, the more promising it will be for you to provide them with your valuable and relevant content!
In short, get to know the content your potential users are interested in and create content that is valuable to them.
#2: Understand What You Can Offer to Your Audience & Find Competitive Advantage
Once you find what solution you can offer to other users’ questions, needs, or ‘pains,’ you’ll be able to find your competitive advantage as a professional on LinkedIn.
Therefore, one leads to the other: by understanding how you can solve your target audience’s problem, you will be able to define what type of content to generate.
#3: Share Valuable & Relevant Content
When becoming part of a professional platform like LinkedIn, it’s important to share articles and unique content that is interesting to your niche.
Sharing your knowledge on specific topics will make users see you as an authority figure in your niche without the need of sharing your professional or personal achievements.
As we mentioned earlier, you need to know the interests and needs of your target audience in order to distribute valuable and relevant content.
The best way to study your audience is to interact with them. Like all social media platforms, LinkedIn offers users endless opportunities to communicate with each other and share ideas.
#4: Join Groups
LinkedIn opens the possibility of adding all the members of a group once you’re part of one. Thus, the more groups you join and the more numerous those groups are, the higher the chances of being able to add that person you are interested in.
If you’re interested in adding a particular user, this hack will help you! ????
1) Open a browser in ‘incognito mode’
2) Google the person’s name and enter their LinkedIn profile from there.
3) Check which group they are enrolled in.
4) Join the group.
5) Once you’re accepted into the group, you’ll see the button that says ‘connect’ available when you enter the person’s profile!
#5: Talk to People
Another essential strategy to grow your network on LinkedIn is interaction. Answer people’s questions and read their comments. Also, make sure you engage in conversations with people on other users’ posts.
In short, engage in the public conversations your prospect has participated in. As a result, they will interact with your content too!
#6: If They Contact You, Answer Quickly!
Also, try to respond as soon as possible when users address you via DM. Some studies show that if we reply within a few minutes after potential customers write to you, the sales rate increases.
On the other hand, if you don’t respond in a timely manner, the potential customer’s desire to solve their problem may be diluted. Or worse, someone else beats us to it…
#7: Contact Users Directly
Before contacting users directly via LinkedIn, it’s necessary to think about how you can approach them in a way that focuses on adding value rather than with a cold email or message.
Therefore, a useful way to contact them is by giving them recommendations or sending information that could be interesting to them. You can also send a personalized message or even a video with your product or service offer.
#8: Use Storytelling
One of the most important things when building your LinkedIn profile and looking to network with other professionals on LinkedIn is to develop a good storyline for your professional and digital brand identity.
It involves developing a storytelling strategy to create an emotional connection with other users and potential clients.
#9: Develop a Professional Brand Identity
When it comes to standing out in the industry, approaching clients, and creating a network, building a professional digital brand can play a central role. Thinking about your professional or personal brand through and managing it includes the creation of a LinkedIn profile.
But it could also include creating a website and an account on other social media platforms too. In addition, one should always be guided by a digital marketing strategy that’s tailored to one’s specific goals. In this case, building a network on LinkedIn.
#10: Value Interaction!
Once you have your LinkedIn profile and have set your strategy on how to network on LinkedIn, start interacting with your contacts and potential ones.
As we mentioned before, if you interact with other users, you’ll generate a sense of closeness, move the platform’s algorithm and more people will start looking at your content.
If you want to build up your network and get in touch with the right people, there are many ways to do so, of which LinkedIn is one. However, as pointed out earlier, make sure not to treat it as some magic wand! Be active and engage with other users instead.
In a nutshell: LinkedIn is an essential platform for creating new business connections and forming new relationships. If you didn’t use it, you’re really missing out on a big advantage in networking. And if you use it, try to be more proactive – and start using it regularly!
