How To Grow Your Network On LinkedIn

We are going to go through ways of how to grow your network on LinkedIn, why you should do it and when you should start.

Did you know LinkedIn has over 774 million users across the globe? This metric alone makes the platform one of the top social networks today.

Is your business using LinkedIn to its fullest potential to improve brand awareness, build your network, boost leads and conversions, and increase revenue? With new social networks sprouting up constantly, LinkedIn is a platform that’s often underutilized. The truth is, LinkedIn can be a powerful addition to your social media content strategy.

This guide is chock full of LinkedIn tips you can begin implementing immediately to help you learn how to use the platform to improve brand awareness, share your marketing content, and grow your business.

What is Linkedin Marketing?

LinkedIn marketing is the process of using LinkedIn to make connections, generate leads, improve brand awareness, foster business relationships and partnerships, share content, and drive traffic to your website. LinkedIn is an integral part of many successful marketing strategies today because of how effective it is in expanding professional networks.

Why is Linkedin Marketing important?

When it comes to social media marketing, you may be tempted to put all your resources toward the big three: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Those are great platforms for reaching your target audience, but excluding LinkedIn is doing your business a huge disservice.

As the world’s largest professional network, LinkedIn generates leads 227% more effectively than Facebook and Twitter, so it’s an essential platform for your business when it comes to marketing.

How To Grow Your Network On LinkedIn 101:

So, how can you expand your professional network on LinkedIn and make sure all those new contacts are relevant to your business goals? These 15 tips can help you grow your network and get results that support your professional success:

1. Personalize your LinkedIn connection requests

It’s important to understand how to connect with someone on LinkedIn in a way that puts them at ease. When scrolling through LinkedIn’s list of “people you may know,” don’t simply click the “connect” button and fire off a generic request. 

Instead, click into the individual’s profile page and click the “connect” button there. That will bring up the box shown below and allow you to add a personal note with your connection request, like “Good to meet you last week in Chicago. Let’s keep in touch.” 

If you’re interested in connecting with someone you don’t know, such as a person who works in a similar role at another company, add relevance by letting them know why you’re messaging them. You might say, “I’ve seen your posts and noticed some of your work. I really appreciate your perspectives and would love to connect.”

2. Follow up on in-person networking opportunities

Believe it or not, building your network can (and does) still happen the good, old-fashioned way when you meet and interact with people face to face. Actually, as we navigate back toward a world of doing at least some business in person, opportunities to connect with people are on the rise once again. Be sure to make the most of them.

Maybe you met someone at a trade show or conference? Volunteer or serve on a committee for a charity event? What about the business owner at your favorite coffee shop, your healthcare provider, yoga instructor, classmates… you get the idea. It’s easy to overlook connections you come in contact with every day, so reach out. You may be surprised at what you learn about them in the context of LinkedIn.

3. Break growth goals down into achievable chunks

Getting from 100 connections to 500+ can seem like an impossible feat. But if you divide that number over many weeks or months, it won’t seem so insurmountable. For example, instead of setting a goal of going from 100 connections to 500+, try setting your goal to 175 connections within two weeks; then repeat. 

Remember, the key to setting goals is to make them realistic and time-bound.

And don’t forget to exercise caution about how to grow connections on LinkedIn. No matter your goals, it’s vital to maintain proper etiquette and refrain from spamming people you don’t know. Quality matters more than quantity, and spamming connections might not get you either.

Don’t expect all your connection requests to accept your invitations. They may have a personal LinkedIn philosophy of assessing potential quality of connections and deciding whether to accept requests. Here are a few questions I ask myself when I receive a request:

1. Do I know you or someone who knows you?
2. Am I familiar with your company?
3. Do you share industry insights I care about?
4. Are you in a geographic market where I do business?

If I can’t answer “yes” to at least one — and preferably more — of these questions, chances are I won’t accept your invitation to connect.

4. Explore LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn Groups offer topic-specific spaces where you can connect within your industry or specialty to build relationships, share information and expertise, and probe communities for advice. You can select groups that reflect communities within your target audiences, both to demonstrate your knowledge and to learn more about prospects and customers. To learn more about finding a relevant Group, LinkedIn Learning has this short video:

Groups are created and moderated by their own leaders and gatekeepers and have their own sets of rules, so be sure to review rules and expectations before requesting to join.

5. Invite engagement by posting often

This tip is self-explanatory. When a connection likes, shares, or comments on your status update, their connections are more likely to see your original post in their feed. If your content seems relevant, those “2nd-degree” connections may take the step to reach out and send an invitation to connect with you.

Posting more often creates additional opportunities for engagement, thus syndicating your content across home page feeds everywhere. Don’t be too concerned about annoying people by posting every day. LinkedIn’s algorithms are tricky, and your network isn’t likely to see every post — unless you publish an article natively using LinkedIn’s article tool (more on that later), which does notify your network.

6. Grab attention with visual content

I’m not just talking about your profile picture and banner image. Posts with images get twice as many views — and research suggests that posts with video content are re-shared 20 times more. 

Adding images to your social posts increases engagements with people in your existing network, and boosts exposure to potential connections. So mix it up. Don’t always just share links; include visuals.

7. Engage with existing connections

Engaging with current connections puts your profile directly in front of their networks, and all it takes is a “like” or comment on their posts. A simple “Great thoughts” or “Thanks for sharing” can help expand your reach and, quite honestly, it’s the considerate thing to do when someone’s thoughts or content resonate with you.

Commenting with your personal insights or questions can increase engagement and exposure even more. And engagement adds depth and meaning, helping transform connections into relationships.

8. Promote your LinkedIn profile URL

Social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram typically give you space for a bio. Use those bio spaces as a LinkedIn connection-driving machine by encouraging contacts there to find you and connect on LinkedIn, too — especially if you have a significant following on the other platform. 

Don’t be afraid to promote your LinkedIn profile by posting the link in a status update, tweet, pin, video, photo, etc. This is another great way to take advantage of your presence on other social platforms. Just be sure to claim your vanity url so it’s easy to remember and includes important identity information or keywords.

While it’s not a social channel, don’t forget the simplicity and outright importance of adding your LinkedIn profile link to your email signature.

9. Leverage Keywords in Your Profile

Similar to  optimizing your website or copy for SEO , LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to attract profile visitors based on the words you choose, so every word counts. Use common variations of your job title and duties to ensure that semantics don’t make you invisible. 

For example, is your job title Content Manager? You likely have many roles including copywriter, website editor, creative writer, communications specialist, blogger, and more. Someone may be more likely to search connections who perform specific functions rather than search by their formal titles. Give your role some thought and break out the different functions to appeal to different possible target audiences.

10. Write and publish articles

It’s common practice to share blog posts your company and others have written that you feel will resonate with your audience by posting an update on LinkedIn and sharing the URL. When those insights are your own, it’s even more important to put them out in front of people. Publishing articles as native content (also known as long-form posts) on your LinkedIn profile is one of the best ways to establish your personal brand and share your expertise in a given industry. 

The great thing about native content is that your network is notified every time you publish an article, increasing your chances of engagement and brand exposure. This also points to the importance of not publishing articles every day, or your followers may start to tune out. While a simple call-to-action to get in touch or check out additional resources is usually acceptable at the end of the article, nothing will turn off readers faster than an article that ends up being nothing more than click bait or a sales pitch. So only write on topics that truly provide value to readers.

11. Use Hashtags

Hashtags are often used to add emphasis to your LinkedIn post, but they actually serve a purpose that can change your marketing strategy for the better. These simple phrases preceded by a hashtag symbol are goldmines for tapping into new audiences, industries, and niches. But using too many, or worse — the wrong ones, can hinder your reach.

That means you’ll want to strike a balance between relevant and popular hashtags by doing hashtag research on LinkedIn. Use the search bar to query a broad hashtag first. For example, if you work in growth marketing, start by searching #growthmarketing to see how many people are following the hashtag, and how often it is being used.

From here, start with three to five hashtags that reach the audiences you want to speak to. These hashtags should vary in the number of people following them, so don’t get too fixated on high numbers. Related but lesser-known hashtags can narrow your reach to an audience who would be likely to engage with your LinkedIn content.

12. Know when to use a LinkedIn Profile vs. a LinkedIn Page

LinkedIn Pages are able to be followed without sending a connection and waiting for approval. That means when a LinkedIn user shares your Page with their connections, those individuals will be able to follow your page and see your business’ content right away which has the potential for high engagement. LinkedIn Pages and LinkedIn Profiles serve different purposes in LinkedIn marketing. Pages are public and used primarily by businesses. Profiles are private and used by individuals. Each of them works with the LinkedIn algorithm, but you’ll have different tools that you can leverage to grow your audience.

LinkedIn Profiles can be followed as well, but what makes them unique is the ability to have one-on-one, private conversations with connections who request to join your network. If you’re a consultant, work in direct sales, or prefer to take an individualized approach to your business, you’ll want to have a LinkedIn Profile to capitalize on this feature.

Both of these LinkedIn entities can work in tandem to create the ultimate marketing workflow. For example, you can list yourself as an employee of your business by listing your business’ LinkedIn Page as your employer on your personal Profile. That way, when a visitor lands on your Profile, they’ll see your Page, too.

13. Create posts of varying lengths

Quick, bold posts pack a punch on LinkedIn. Long-form stories capture the readers’ attention and lead to a longer dwell time on the app. Both of these types of posts should have a place in your LinkedIn content plan.

You don’t want to become known as the person who only shares monologues because your network won’t always have time to read them. Along the same lines, too many short posts can come across as lacking substance which could make you seem less authoritative as a thought leader.

Varying the length of your posts (as well as adding images and videos) can keep your content fresh and relevant to your network. You’ll have content that gets people excited to see what gems you drop next.

14. Share external articles on the platform

Unlike other platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn’s algorithm supports external links to blogs and websites. So long as the content you post has value and is relevant to your audience, you’ll find success posting other people’s content on the platform.

Although you don’t have to worry about formally crediting the author if you’re linking directly to their website, it’s not a bad idea to tag them in your post or use their hashtag to give credit. Sometimes, they’ll share your post with their own followers, or comment under the post which introduces your Profile to their audience. How cool is that?

15. Keep your publishing schedule consistent.

Known as the platform for having one of the longest content lifespans, LinkedIn is a platform that doesn’t need a ’round-the-clock publishing schedule. What it does need is a consistent one.

Whether you publish every day, every other day, or even once a week, your network will come to expect your content regularly which builds trust. Choose a schedule that makes sense for your business and stick to it for a month. See what days and times are yielding the best engagement and make those part of your publishing schedule.

Below, we’ll cover some effective ways to use the LinkedIn platform. These tips can be tailored to your needs — whether you have a personal LinkedIn page, business page, or both — no matter your industry or size. However, you’ll notice some of the points we’re going to cover are more suited for businesses looking to boost brand awareness or share content while others are more tailored towards those looking to recruit and hire new talent.

How we suggest growing a network on Linkedin

Getting to 500+ LinkedIn connections won’t happen overnight, and if you already have 500+ connections, don’t stop there. LinkedIn is the easiest and most powerful networking tool of our time, putting you one quick click away from meeting nearly anyone — all without leaving your couch.

Following these tips should make growing your LinkedIn network less intimidating, more realistic, more productive over time, and ultimately much more fun. 

With Linkedin, you need to make sure that you have followed the basics;

• Customize your public Profile URL.
• Add a LinkedIn background photo to your Profile.
• Add, remove, and rearrange sections of your Profile to suit your current role.
• Optimize your LinkedIn Profile for the search engines.
• Take advantage of the blog and website links on your LinkedIn Profile.
• Check your Network Updates (or share your own).
• Check out who’s viewed your LinkedIn Profile.

There are also great tools available to help you gain more visibility on Linkedin such as Linkedin Sales Navigator. There are also tools out there that can help you with your reach outs, connections and conversations on Linkedin.

At The Serial Seller, we use Salesflow to fast track our lead generation & outbound sales. We use it to increase the amount of connections we have with the right demographic of target persona. Allowing us to automate reach outs and create a flow of leads from outbound reach outs.

If you need some help with growing your Linkedin network, book a call with us now.