How to Enhance Your Linkedin Network
LinkedIn is rightfully the world’s largest professional network with nearly 675+ million members worldwide and still counting.
Due to its reputation among social media platforms as a leader in professional networking, it can be extremely intimidating for many users especially the new members.
If you are also among those users struggling to maximize the capacity of LinkedIn and are still learning the ropes of all the features that LinkedIn has to offer then this article is the best guide for you.
Read on to enhance your LinkedIn connections and build a solid network to start making the best of what LinkedIn has to offer.
Table of Contents
Complete your profile
Before you start sending connection requests, you need to make sure that your profile is complete and clear. By completing your profile, you are providing your potential contacts all the information they need to know about your professional career.
A faceless profile will not be able to take you far on LinkedIn so you need to upload a clear professional picture of yourself. This way others can trust your profile to be genuine which can make them want to connect with you.
Moreover, listing your professional details and information can give others an insight into your professional status and your field of work. List the names of your current or previous organizations so that others can relate to your professional interests and involvements.
Once your profile is complete with all the accurate details, it will be easier for others to recognize you as a professional and make it easier for them to accept your connection requests as well as send a connection request to you.
Use relevant keywords in your profile
You can optimize your LinkedIn profile to make it more visible and consequently get more people to visit it. The easiest way to configure your profile is to optimize it for keywords. Use those words in your profile that relate you to your professional status and profiles.
As many people might search for specific functions performed by the professionals rather than searching for professional titles. In such cases, if your professional functions are listed along with your professional titles, your chances of appearing in the search are much higher.
Try to organically use the maximum number of keywords in each section of your profile and keep it as natural as possible. Your goal is to be found by people who you want to connect with.
Besides, the use of relevant keywords can also help you generate leads for your business or company so it is a win-win situation for you because you can build your connections while building your brand.
Send personalized connection requests
To connect with people and build your LinkedIn network, you need to reach out to those profiles that you find interesting and relevant. Make sure to maintain proper LinkedIn etiquette while sending out requests because you do not want to be branded as a spammer.
There is less chance for others to accept your request if you are a total stranger so make sure you know them or someone you know is connected to them. Don’t just click on the connect button but try to add a customized message to brief the targeted connection on your reason or interest in connecting with them.
Adding a personal polite note with your connection request is an effective way for you to interest others and the best part is that even if they don’t accept your connection request, they would not list your request as spam.
Also, check if your field of work would be relevant to the person you are planning to send a connection request to, otherwise, that connection would be a waste for both of you.
Post and share high-quality content
One of the easiest ways to make your presence be felt on LinkedIn is by posting or sharing high-quality content because this can help you gain visibility.
Social media and its effect on modern society are humongous and you should know very well that it is filled with both good and bad content.
Keeping that in mind, you need to learn what to post and share on your LinkedIn as it can affect your connections with others who come across and go through your posts.
When you post or share impactful content, others can benefit from it and are more likely to share it on their timeline which will further be seen by their connections thus helping increase your visibility to the people who you might not even be connected with.
Engage in professional group discussions
Apart from posting and sharing content, you should also like and comment on your connections’ updates. Engaging in professional discussions can introduce you to the mutual connections of your existing connections.
LinkedIn groups allow you to engage with like-minded professionals and help you build connections and networks.
It is important to engage in group discussions wherein you can give your valuable inputs on certain topics that fall under your area of expertise.
Target the groups that have a healthy demographic for the audience you want to reach. If your content is interesting to these people, they are more likely to view your profile and be interested in connecting with you.
Highlight your LinkedIn URL on other social media platforms
Another effective way to enhance your LinkedIn connections and networks is through your other social media profiles like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Most social media platforms allow you to list your bio which is a great way for you to highlight your LinkedIn URL. This can connect you with more people and make your visibility more significant.
You can also promote your LinkedIn profile by sharing your link in a photo, updated status, tweet, etc. and anyone who is intrigued can check out your LinkedIn profile. The people who share the same professional interests with you may want to connect with you on LinkedIn.
It does not, however, guarantee that everyone who sees your link will be interested in connecting with you. But it allows you an opportunity to share your LinkedIn URL for interested people to connect with you and help you build your network.
Conclusion
Your professional status can either stay rigid or grow depending on how you choose to mold and build it with hard work and dedication. Knowledge alone is not enough to climb the ladder of success but you need to take up certain measures that can enhance your career.
In this article, we have listed some of the ways that can help you get better at building your connections and network on LinkedIn. Make sure to follow and apply them to create an effective LinkedIn profile that can help you connect with other professionals.
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Co-Authored With
Aditya Sharma is an entrepreneur and a resume tactician, Aditya lives and breathes Hiration — an AI-powered online resume builder and platform to help professionals seeking to land their dream job find their way in today’s highly treacherous job market.