Needs video.
It’s time to start growing your network. Your goal today is to grow your network by including people you know. I included a sample message in your workbook if it’s been a while since you talked with them.
Using a personal message will increase your chances of people accepting your requests. To add a personal message, look for this box to pop up when you click connect and click add a note.
Don’t forget to keep adding people. If you meet someone a church or in the coffee shop, once you get home, look them up on LinkedIn and ask them to connect. Don’t forget about the people you volunteer with or even people you do business with. It’s easy to overlook connections you meet every day, so reach out.
Getting from 10 to 100 to 500+ connections may seems like an impossible feat. However, if you divide that number and set a goal to add “X” number each week, you’ll hit that mark in no time.
It’s still important to maintain proper LinkedIn etiquette and don’t spam people you don’t know. The quality of your connection matters more than quantity of them. Also, don’t expect all your connection requests to accept your invitation. Don’t worry about it, some people have a strict rule about who they accept and who they won’t. Don’t take it personally.
I hope you have implemented the posting strategy we discussed on our first phone call. You should be making 3 posts each week to help drive traffic to your profile.
When a connection likes, shares or comments on your status update, all their connections are more likely to see your post in their feed. If your content seems relevant, those “2nd degree connections” may take the step to send an invitation to connect with you. Posting more often creates additional opportunities for engagement. Try to use images on your social posts. It can significantly increase engagement with people in your existing network and expose you to potential new connections. Research shows that using visual content can increase views by 11 times.
As you grow your network, make sure you nurture it as well. Engaging with your existing connections puts your profile directly in front of their networks; all it takes is a “like” or comment on their posts. A simple, “Great thought” or “Thanks for sharing” can help expand your reach and, quite honestly, it’s shows you value someone’s thoughts. Commenting with your personal insights or questions will increase engagement and exposure even more.