Are you a member of the LinkedIn 500?
If not, you may be handicapping yourself from new business and/or new job opportunities.
As a recruiter evaluating job candidates, I always looked at each candidate’s LinkedIn account, because the number of connections often communicated a lot. If someone has more than 500 contacts, it’s an indication that the person values relationship building, and networking.
Getting to the 500 level, however, is not that easy for people starting out with small networks, but it can still be accomplished over a very short period of time.
Here’s what I would recommend for those interested in getting into this club.Put together a complete profile, including key words describing your background.
An architect interested in doing healthcare design, for example, would probably want to include “healthcare design” in their profile. This will make it easier for prospective clients and recruiters to find you.Identify groups where people you’d like to meet are likely to congregate, and join them If I have a product for accountants, then I would want to find groups where accountants are members. Do key word searches for groups on the social network, and you’ll probably find plenty matching your interests.
Participate in group discussions, and make comments. Read the postings in the discussion sections that interest you. Make sure your comments add value to the discussion. Avoid comments adding little value to the discussion i.e. “nice post“, etc. say when you’re in a position to add value to the discussion. Make sure that you’re adding something to the conversation, and avoid simply saying things like,
Share information of value. See an article covering topics relevant to one of your groups? Share it, and add your thoughts about the article. Sharing articles on other social networks will also build love with the authors of these publications. Also, consider linking these articles to your web site/blog if your visitors would benefit from the information.
Respond quickly to people who add comments to your discussion posts. Be responsive, show respect, and you’ll make friends.
Avoid self-promotion. Send a sales pitch, and see people run away.
Publish content to group discussions. Writing informational articles is a great way to get noticed, and make friends, provided the articles give something of value, and are not self-serving. One of the best ways to do this is to post articles through a blog, and linking your posts to LinkedIn. Before taking this step, however, I would strongly recommend participating, and commenting on other group member’s contributions.
Be respectful. It’s ok to disagree with someone in a discussion. In fact, that’s a good thing when this happens, because it creates dialog, and often leads to new relationships. Remember, however, to be respectful of people who have different opinions from yours.
Remain disciplined. Relationship building is not an overnight process. It takes work, and a committed effort to do these things, but doesn’t have to take enormous amounts of time either. Many people can get the 500 club by committing about 15 minutes a day to this networking activity.
Follow these steps, and you’ll start to get noticed. People will start reaching out to connect with you. Even more people will be drawn to your LinkedIn profile, creating great opportunities to connect. Add a nice personal note when reaching out to these people, and you will b.e well on your way to the LinkedIn 500 club.
