Monday, July 12th, 2010

Building Better LinkedIn Connections

LinkedIn is a fabulous business networking tool, and if it hasn’t got you raving, you may be missing some opportunities.  The ability to see who knows whom is priceless in the business world.  I tend to refer to LinkedIn as business networking on a sugar high.  If used strategically, it can help you be seen as a subject matter expert, maintain contact with your business associates, and round out your sales plan.

Seek Valuable Connections

Of the many LinkedIn questions I am asked on a regular basis, one of the most popular is, “How do I decide who to connect with on LinkedIn?”  The power of LinkedIn lies in the quality of your connections.  One question validates or rules out my own connections: “If I send an email or place a phone call, will it be returned?” This applies strictly to benefits of a business nature.  Evaluate whether you will receive a positive response from potential LInkedIn connections to questions like, “Would you like to grab lunch?” or, “Could you introduce me to Jane Johnson?”  If the answer is yes, then that person will probably be a good LinkedIn connection.

Reconsider Stale Connections

When you’re dealing with relationships, some will stick and some won’t.  This holds true for those relationships forged on LinkedIn.  You may have connected with someone a year ago but not talked to them since.  Twice a year, go through your LinkedIn connections and identify those people you haven’t talked to in a while.  Send them a message to refresh that connection.  If they don’t respond, you have two options.  One, keep them as a connection, or two, remove them from LinkedIn.  I personally opt for option 2, because if they won’t respond to a simple, “Hey, how are you?” email, they’re very unlikely to do business with you.

The value of your connections on LinkedIn depends on the quality, not the quantity, of connections you have.  So, choose them wisely, and choose them strategically to fit within your online marketing plan.

Tags: Internet Marketing, linkedin, online marketing, social media, Social Media Marketing
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