LinkedIn is an extremely popular career-related social networking site, with more than 500 million subscribers worldwide, in more than 200 countries. Not only that, executives from Fortune 500 companies are well represented. Read on to learn more about finding more connections and expanding your reach.
Take a Purposeful Approach to Expanding Your Contact List
Many individuals, while present on LinkedIn, may not yet have taken steps to expand or leverage their network. You can start small, reviewing your current contacts and adding people from different circles–college alumni, past and present coworkers, vendor and customer contacts, or nonprofit organizations. Anytime you meet someone, make a point of getting a business card or noting their contact information, and seek them out on LinkedIn. When making contact, it is good to remind them of your meeting, and indicating you would like to connect with them. Feel free to share content with them, either your own or from syndicated blogs such as ClikCloud, that you subscribe to. Another resource is LinkedIn groups, networks dedicated to specific interests or industries; you can get content digests weekly or even daily in your inbox as well as sharing content and information.
Take the Next Step Using Warm Referrals
Not only can you continue your approach of adding first-degree connections, you can use your present first-degree connections to refer you to more connections. You can get a warm referral, an introduction to one of your contact’s contacts, by asking this connection to introduce you. Then you can get to know this new contact by strategically sharing content or perhaps even becoming a trusted resource to them and others. Working outward, you can add third-degree connections. As always, quality of connections and their relevance is as important as quantity.
If you want to fully leverage LinkedIn and get the most from this valuable network, contact ClikCloud today.