Q: What One Activity On LinkedIn Will Yield The Best Results?

  Answer: Cultivating and helping your connections. 

The average LinkedIn user has something like 700 connections. Now multiply that by the number of connections you have. I have talked about the idea that introductions and referrals are the best methods for outreach on LinkedIn, and the second best way - InMail - isn’t even close. 

So those connections of yours are in a position to literally open thousands of doors for you. But if you are a stranger they will be reluctant to do so. The biggest problem people run into in getting introductions is reluctance on behalf of their connections to perform an introduction in the first place. And why is that? They don’t really know you that well, so you represent risk to them. There is  - in their minds - a very real risk that if they introduce you to one of their connections that you will do something dumb and embarrass them or hurt their credibility. So it is your job to alleviate those concerns by getting to know your connections better and establishing a sound base of credibility with them. 

Great, I hear you say, how do I do that? 

Easy. First ask yourself, what do they want that I can give them? There are two things that you may be able to give them that they want. The first is information. Everyone is always looking for information that will help them do their jobs better. This newsletter is an example of that. You are investing three or four minutes of your time with this newsletter in order to get better at using LinkedIn. So if you have information that you think may help your connections, offer it to them. 

The second thing is to offer introductions of your own. Have a look through your connections and see who would make a worthwhile fit with each other and offer to make that introduction. If it works out, great, if it doesn’t, no problem, you have lots more connections to work with. 

So get to know your connections. Offer your assistance. No other activity on LinkedIn comes close to doing what better relationships with your connections can do for you. This is a really really good investment of your time.

This newsletter is a shorter version of my weekly email newsletter. I usually publish one of the articles from my email Newsletter on LinkedIn™. If you are interested in this deeper weekly dive into Using LinkedIn™ Effectively, here’s a link to the signup page: https://www.practicalsmm.com/free-email-newsletter/

For complete access to everything I know about using LinkedIn™ effectively I have my All Access service. All my how-to’s, all my what-to-watch-out-for‘s, all my lists, all my experience as to what works, what doesn’t work, and why on LinkedIn™. Everything I have learned from working with and studying LinkedIn™ for the past fourteen years. Around 150,000 words, with another 4,000 - 5,000 more words added each month. This is a paid subscription service, but the cost is very reasonable, and there are no long term contracts. Here’s a link to more information and the sign up page. https://www.practicalsmm.com/all-access-membership-plans/

The obligatory disclaimer: I do not work for or have any business association with LinkedIn™ other than being a user who pays for a Sales Navigator subscription.