Mini-guide to curate and increase contacts on LinkedIn
To those who have minimal familiarity with the English language, the name LinkedIn suggests connection, bonding, and building relationships. Yet many consider it only as a place in which to look for work or a platform made for employers looking for staff. I often even hear people (the majority) who find it boring. We will address one concept at a time. First, recruitment is an important part of LinkedIn, but not the only one: in addition to being a useful means of caring for your personal branding, LinkedIn is also a great place to promote your content, generate leads, find partnership opportunities, and research and hire staff. Secondly, one thing I would say to all those who find it boring: visually, it will surely be less appealing compared to Instagram or Youtube, but that’s because it is a platform created for business, a platform that dresses in a jacket and tie, a place where you have to maintain a rather defined etiquette… yet many do not know that it offers so many ways to be customize your profile with attachments of various types, from video to presentations to Word files or PDF documents. Then, of course, I say to those who are looking for entertainment, that it is not the right place to spend 5 minutes relaxing after lunch. However, once you understand how to use it, how to get notoriety, how to search for and share content, or how to participate in focus groups, then your perception will surely change and your enthusiasm will increase.
I admit that I am one of those people who is attracted by colors, pictures, and funny phrases or appealing images and so I fully understand those who just open LinkedIn, look around a bit, find all the blank fields to fill out, decide they are too long to complete and give up, because long ago I did the same thing. Then, wanting to become a Social Media Manager, it was necessary to overcome that obstacle: I knew and appreciated all social networks except that celestine LinkedIn. One day I took my PC and I spent all day studying it, reading reviews, seeking its usefulness and positive features and then I started to change my mind! Let’s face it, LinkedIn is never fun, but it can be challenging and that is why today I am here to write about it! I want to summarize in a small space what I have spent a long time studying. I want to help you to better customize your profile and, after following the advice of my previous post on how to compile it, now I want to give you some ideas to increase your network of contacts, to make yourself known, and to show the world who you are and what you can do, because your talent deserves to be known!
I have prepared two short checklists of a few things to do to curate and increase contacts on LinkedIn, thereby expanding your business network. The first list regards the actions to be taken having just finished filling out your profile in order to begin to make your first contacts, and the second lists the daily actions that are useful to keep the contacts that you have warm and what to do continuously to gain new ones. Dedicate 10 minutes a day to carrying out these actions and I assure you that in a few weeks, your profile will begin to be seen by dozens of people, you will receive contact requests and, if you know how to share your content well, if you are consistent and determined, the road of building your personal branding is all downhill!
1) List 1 – How to find the first contacts:
- If you imported your list of email contacts, LinkedIn gives you the ability to send an invitation directly to your contacts by email by clicking on “add to network.”
- Perform an advanced search on people who may be interested in you or that you know and add them to contacts.
- Consult the contact list that LinkedIn offers of people you may know often and add those you know by sending an automatic invitation with a click on “connect.”
- Consult “find alumni”, where you could find classmates.
- Identify the second-degree connections who may interest you and ask your contacts to introduce you (through their profile) in order to establish a connection.
- Search, join and participate in groups that discuss subjects that interest you or in which you are competent.Sharing content and ideas is another way for you to meet and create meaningful contacts.
2) List 2 – How to maintain and increase contacts on a daily basis:
Abstract: First of all, create a search through Google Alerts so that you can see articles that mention the keywords related to your business every day or if you’re more experienced, you can activate the Rss Feed (I personally use Feedly, a tool that creates a press review uniquely for me) that allows you to consult the most authoritative blogs and news sites that relate to your subject. It is important that every day you are updated on what happens in the world regarding your subject material or products similar to yours.
- As you browse your daily press review, share on your LinkedIn profile all the items you’ve found interesting, that seem innovative and that you think will be of value to someone.Always remember to mention the source.
- Based on everything you’ve read, create a thought, articulate it and share it by filling in the “share an update” field in your profile.It ‘s always better to attach a picture to visually accompany what you wrote, as it makes the message complete and attracts more attention.
- Check active conversations in the groups you joined, comment on articles posted by others and try to make sure that your opinion constitutes an added value for others.
- Start a conversation in the group that you follow most closely, finding a way to start a healthy exchange of ideas and sharing.This leads to creating synergies that if kept alive in the future may prove important.
These few actions are simple and at the same time challenging. It should not be an obligation, but must be a commitment you make with yourself and with others. The moment you begin to share, to write, and to post material, others will know you’re there, look for your posts and want to know your opinions. Forcing yourself to do all this work only to quit after the first few days because nobody answers will not help! Be steady, and do not be discouraged because I assure you that even if not immediate, the results will come and both your name and your professionalism will begin to be recognized and valued.
As I have written many times, personal branding is not easy, offers no security, requires much time and A great deal of effort, and in most cases you cannot do everything yourself. It is still important that you understand what opportunities lie in the faded light blue of the LinkedIn t-shirt, and when you’re ready, you will know how to use it well or know how to check if someone is using it well in your company. I invite you to try it for a few months because I’m sure that your talent deserves to be recognized and that the satisfaction of feeling recognized in a network that is right for your business will very gratifying.
I’d also like to give you access to the third part of the guide “Linkedin for personal branding” in which we will discuss what content to share, and remember that If you want to know more, if you want to see firsthand our strategies and their results, if you want to be supported by a whole team dedicated to you that will help you bring out the best in you and really express your talent as you deserve, make an appointment with us for a free consultation and soon you’ll have the tools to soar. Fill out the Contact form on the home page, follow us on our Facebook Page Stand Out Communication and on our Twitter profile StandOutAgency to become part of our community dedicated to personal branding.
AUTHOR: Veronica Penzo – ( Twitter: LadyBitterHoney )
From a young age, used to playing with foreign children, with the desire to become friends with them, I thought: “the mind is not made to communicate in only one language! ” That’s why I chose to travel, to study 5 foreign languages, and to examine communication in all its forms, from PNL to verbal and non-verbal language! I decided to grow these passions for language and for people, first in international TV journalism working with NBC News, then in a communication field even more current: the web and mobile. I have therefore become an expert on all the major social networks, and am up-to-date on all topics of webmarketing, social ads, lead generation, neuromarketing and personal branding.
A social media influencer on Twitter and Instagram, I am now leading the social media management for Stand Out and HRD Training Group and I write and coordinate the Stand Out blog.