How to Effectively Grow Your LinkedIn Contacts and Network

Do you want to get your message out to more of LinkedIn’s 330+ million members?

Or maybe you’re asking yourself, why would I want to do that?

Simply put…if your Ideal Client is a professional, entrepreneur or business owner, they’re most likely on LinkedIn.

And LinkedIn members are the most educated and affluent compared to other social media sites like FaceBook and Twitter. 

One way to get access to this group of Ideal Clients is to increase your number of LinkedIn Contacts.

Here are three avenues to do that…without getting your account restricted (more on that below):

1. Message your Ideal Clients through a mutual group (if they allow group member messaging).

2. Ask for an Introduction.

3. Send them an InMail.

NOTE: You want to message them first because connecting with other members on LinkedIn can be tricky. If you do it the wrong way you risk having your account restricted…which is no fun, trust me! This happens when 5 people you sent invitations to click that they don’t know you. After that, you’ll have to have an email address to connect. 

And it’s easy to get your account restricted because LinkedIn encourages you to upload your email address book and send them all invitations. If you use this feature, pay close attention to every button you click or you could be sending invites to your grandmother and your 10 year old nephew and anyone you’ve ever emailed!

If you’ve done this already and your account is restricted, here’s what to do:

BONUS TIP: To get your account unrestricted, message LinkedIn customer service, ask for an exception to the restriction and be more selective with your invites going forward.

So I’ll repeat…to avoid having to go through this time-consuming and frustrating process, the best thing to do is connect with those you know or have otherwise notified you that they’ll accept your invitation.

BONUS TIP: Connect with fellow LinkedIn members from their profile so you can personalize the invitation with where you met them.

For example, when you go to a networking event, ask those you meet if they’d like to connect on LinkedIn. This is a great way to cultivate your relationship with them on three levels.

1. It gives your new networking connection something easy to say yes to that starts the relationship.

2. It gives your new LinkedIn Contact a quick way to get a brief overview on who you are and what you do…in short, making you credible and legitimate…so they can move forward faster to taking the next step with you. 

3. Connecting on LinkedIn gives you another avenue to cultivate the relationship by building the know, like and trust factor.

Whom Do You Connect With?

A more advanced question I often hear is, “How do I decide whom to connect with?”

To find the best answer for you, I recommend you think about your business goals, who your Ideal Clients and Partners are and what you want from LinkedIn.

For example, if you’re selling products internationally, you might connect with different LinkedIn members than if you’re offering local event management services. And know too, that if you ignore an invitation, the member won’t be notified.

If you’re interested in getting more details on how to effectively increase your LinkedIn Contacts and grow your network on LinkedIn, click here to qualify for your complimentary LinkedIn Profits strategy session with me to explore that…and to find out what you can do to have a profit breakthrough. I have a limited number of appointments available and request that only people who are serious about dramatically increasing their profits on LinkedIn apply for a time to talk.

IF you appreciate these tips, let me know by leaving a comment and feel free to share this with any of your network who you think might benefit from them.

Did this help you? If so, I would greatly appreciate it if you commented below and shared on LinkedIn.

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© 2015 ChristineHueber.com

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