Posting Best Practices
Yasmina Akni Ebourki
Last updated: Sep 11, 2024
Networking on LinkedIn is truly a world of its own, full of professionals, potential clients, business opportunities, and sales prospects—regardless of your industry.
Having a LinkedIn profile, or better yet, an active LinkedIn presence, is essential.
However, developing a LinkedIn strategy to attract these clients and professional connections requires more than just posting regularly and having a polished profile (though that’s important, too!).
Creating a roadmap with clear goals, strategies, and techniques will help you learn what works and what doesn’t, enabling you to maximize your LinkedIn connections without risking your account getting flagged.
TL;DR: Master LinkedIn networking by optimizing your profile, connecting with relevant contacts, and engaging actively. Use LinkedIn’s search and group features and send personalized messages to grow and refine your professional network effectively.
Optimize LinkedIn Networking
Before you start sending connection requests and applications all over LinkedIn, there are a few key things you need to have in place.
First and foremost, ensure that your profile is trustworthy and clearly communicates what you offer.
Remember, LinkedIn networking is about building mutually beneficial relationships, so it’s not about the quantity of your connections, but the quality.
Your connections should add value to your business, career, or simply be potential clients.
So, the first step in optimizing your LinkedIn networking is to optimize your profile.
Make sure it’s complete, with detailed information, a headline that clearly explains what you do, and a summary that showcases who you are.
And trust me, this not only makes you more visible to potential connections but also helps them understand what you bring to the table.
And this comes with having a professional, well-optimized profile picture that aligns with your overall message to make a strong first impression.
How can you expand your network on LinkedIn?
Before you start sending connection requests left and right, make sure to first connect with people you already know:
Gathering Connections
Yes, I know, you weren’t expecting this.
But start by adding around 200 to 300 people from your existing network.
You can do this by syncing your phone contacts with LinkedIn.
These connections might include colleagues you’ve worked with, university friends, or any other contacts you know are on LinkedIn.
By adding these familiar faces, you’ll create a solid foundation for your LinkedIn network, and we can start from there to connect with new ones.
Strategies to Build A Professional Network on LinkedIn
To build a meaningful and influential professional network on LinkedIn, it's essential to implement targeted strategies that go beyond merely sending connection requests.
By strategically leveraging LinkedIn’s features and focusing on thoughtful engagement, you can cultivate valuable relationships that contribute to your professional growth.
Below, I’ll detail key strategies you can try to help you expand your network effectively from utilizing LinkedIn’s search tools to creating and sharing valuable content, ensuring that every connection you make has the potential to enrich your professional journey.
Use LinkedIn search feature
One of the first strategies you can use is using LinkedIn’s search feature to find the right contacts to add.
Make sure to target individuals within the industry you’re interested in and for that, there is nothing better than using LinkedIn’s filters to refine your search results based on various criteria, such as industry, location, company and more.
Additionally, you can filter by job title if you’re looking to connect with specific professionals, like someone in HR or the head of a marketing department, for example.
Connect with purpose
The second tip, equally important, is to make sure your connections are meaningful.
This means you shouldn’t be reaching out to just anyone without considering shared interests or industry relevance.
It’s important to have a purpose when connecting, and you should craft personalized messages so, people know who you are and why you’re reaching out.
Connecting with people who aren’t relevant to your network just to increase your number of connections might give you a large network, but it won’t be qualitative.
So it’s better to focus on building connections that genuinely add value to your professional circle.
By focusing on connecting with individuals who can genuinely contribute to your professional growth, you ensure that your network remains valuable and engaged.
This targeted approach helps to build relationships that offer real benefits and opportunities for both parties involved.
Send Personalized Connection Requests
And this comes with this very important point.
When reaching out to someone on LinkedIn, and if you’ve been on LinkedIn for a while, you might have noticed that you receive numerous connection requests daily, but you don’t accept them all.
Well, that applies to the other person as well.
Typically, you’ll consider whether the person sent a personalized message and if they share any common interests or connections.
If none of these apply, a great way to stand out is by sending a personalized message along with your connection request.
However, be mindful not to overdo it—if you don’t get a response after the third attempt, it might be time to try a different approach, like engaging with their content to see if you get their interest.
And remember, avoid the temptation to copy-paste the same message for everyone, especially if it’s generated by AI. Personalization is key to building meaningful connections.
Engage with followers
Once you've sent a personalized connection request, the next step is to engage with the person’s content, especially if they haven’t responded to your initial message.
Simply sending a message without any follow-up doesn’t hold much value.
Start by leaving thoughtful comments on their posts, checking out their profile, and seeing if your interests align.
If you find common ground, demonstrate it through your engagement by commenting and liking their posts.
This approach not only builds rapport but also increases the likelihood of them accepting your connection request or responding to your messages.
Join and actively contribute to groups
The next strategy is one that many overlook, but is actually a quick and effective way to generate leads.
It involves engaging with established LinkedIn groups to connect with professionals who align with your industry or target niche.
These groups are already filled with members who are interested in topics that matter to you, making them ideal spaces for networking.
By actively contributing valuable insights and participating in discussions, you can attract connections organically.
Instead of reaching out to individuals one by one, the group dynamic allows you to build relationships more naturally.
For example, if you join a group of “advertising copywriting”, you can see on the right all the members and the bottom “ invite connections” which makes the connections steps easier from here.
Share valuable content
Finally, while you focus on outreach, don't neglect the importance of consistently sharing valuable content.
Posting articles, sharing insights, and offering tips regularly not only positions you as an expert in your field but also builds trust with your audience.
Think about it this way: if someone visits your profile and sees that you haven’t posted anything in a few months, they might lose confidence and move on.
On the other hand, if a potential connection sees that your posts are relevant and informative, it’s a strong incentive for them to connect with you.
As you can see, creating a continuous engagement with your content shows that you’re active and knowledgeable, making you a more attractive connection.
Ongoing Engagement and Network Maintenance
Once you’ve established your strategies and optimized your profile, it’s crucial to keep your connections alive and engaged.
Follow Up and Stay Connected
To close the loop on your LinkedIn networking efforts, you need to continuously engage and maintain your network.
This means more than just adding people or messaging them once—it's about creating ongoing value and positioning yourself as the go-to professional when they face challenges in your area of expertise.
Keep the conversation open and active so that when they need a service you offer, you are the first person they think of.
And for that, there is no magic ingredient, you need to follow up with your connections regularly.
Respond to comments on your posts, like their updates, and engage with what they share.
This ongoing interaction ensures that you remain a relevant and trusted part of their professional ecosystem, keeping the relationship strong and your network thriving.
Updating and Refining Your Network
As you apply the strategies, track their effectiveness, you'll see a gradual growth in your LinkedIn followers and connections.
It’s crucial to continuously evaluate what works and what doesn’t.
By refining your approach based on this feedback, you can focus your efforts more effectively.
For instance, if sharing articles on a specific topic proves successful, double down on that strategy.
For those in sales or lead generation, this process is even more critical.
The goal is to build a network that is not only expansive but also valuable. Gradually nurture these connections and leverage them to advance your business objectives.
By continuously refining your strategy and maintaining high-quality interactions, you'll build a robust network that contributes meaningfully to your professional success.
