LinkedIn is a brilliant tool for networking in business – no doubt about it. But frankly, of little or no use to anyone if you are sharing your profile with only a handful of connections. I mean, would you turn up at a network event that only had three others in the room?

Networking is most definitely NOT the place to be keeping your light under the proverbial bushel – and social networking platforms even more so! If you don’t up the ante by extending your network you are wasting a really valuable resource.
So – my tips are:

Get over it ...

I’ve come across a number of people who are reluctant to build their network in case it means every man and his dog will be trying to sell them something, or that it will open their network up to everyone else. Well, it’s a matter of trust – networking is most definitely NOT the place to sell and you can easily disconnect from someone who breaks the basic courtesies.
Your network is only accessible to others via you, unless I already have a connection with them – eg.  as a client or service provider. So, if I see that I have a ‘2nd level connection’ that is connected to me via you, I can asked to be introduced; I don’t get automatic direct access.
If you want to use LinkedIn effectively, you just need to get over this hang up as it will only serve to limit your network.

Five a day

And no, not your veggies this time! Rather than go ‘en masse’, think about inviting 5 people a day – or week even – so that you can be more personal. It will soon build up and won’t take much time at all before you have 100 or more connections. Persistence pays.
Make your invite personal

Wherever possible, tailor your invite message – who wants to be ‘auto-invited’? Take a few moments to compose something personal that will create an immediate warm response ... “I see that we have x & y connections in common. I do a lot of work in the Z sector and it would be good to link up with you.”

Add your existing connections

These have to be your starting point. Most of your business comes by referrals or from existing customers – so make sure they are the first to know what you are up to.

Colleagues and classmates

By setting up your profile with your education and job history, LinkedIn can help you find more contacts that you already know from your past life. Simply go to ‘Add Connections’ and select the Colleagues and Classmates tabs and away you go. Don’t be shy – invite as many as you can that are still relevant to what you do.

Ask for an invitation

The more people you know, the more you have access to. If I connect to you, you will then get regular updates of people that you might know who are in my network (shown on the top right of your home page). As we move in the same circle, it’s more than likely that you’ll spot someone you know – in which case, ask me to introduce you. So the more connections you have, the more opportunities to connect you get.

Follow up from network meetings

How many network meetings do you go to – and then the cards you collect simply collect dust on your desk? Check them out on LinkedIn? So many people mistake the concept of networking for simply attending networking meetings. If you don’t make active connections you have achieved nothing and have probably just wasted your time. LinkedIn is a great – and easy - way to follow up and stay connected.

Use the search tool

From the home page, the ‘people’ search facility appears in the top right. Use the ‘advanced search’ to find all sorts of connections; by company, industry sector, geographical area etc. This is a HUGELY powerful search tool and you can target exactly the type of people you want to develop relationships with.

And finally ...

...  Be committed to building your network. It won’t happen of its own accord. I’ve been doing this now for 6 months and have over 200 connections and 23 testimonials. I’m active in several groups and it is most definitely working well for me.

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