3 Simple Ways to Be Social (Without Being Sleazy) on LinkedIn

January 7, 2021

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One of the best ways to grow your professional network (especially while person-socializing is still off the table for many of us) is building your LinkedIn presence. But it can be intimidating: Who do you connect with, what do you share, and how often should you post?

People wander when they focus on technology. Remember that there is a reason to include the word “social” in social media. LinkedIn is specifically a platform that helps you connect with all others.

Here are three simple ways to be social (without being slazy) on LinkedIn.

1. Build (Authentic) Connection

Do not hesitate to connect with people, as long as you have some kind of real connection.

For example, if you have met someone at a conference or event (even a virtual one), you work (or have been in the same company) in the same company, or you have worked on a project via email Collaborated, all of these are perfectly valid reasons to send an invitation to connect. Many presenters at webinars and online workshops will explicitly invite attendees to join them on LinkedIn. And nowadays it is very common for people to include a to their LinkedIn profile in their email signature. Just make sure you always add a personal note to refresh their memory and provide a little context.

If you’ve never interacted with a person, but you want to connect with them, it can still work – with a big caveat. You have to explain who you are and why you want to join. Sending a standard LinkedIn request to a stranger with a personalization is an invitation to ignore. Be sure to spend some time crafting your introductory message. Think about it from the other person’s point of view – why should they accept this relationship with you? Instead of focusing on how it will help you, try to phrase it in terms of what it would benefit them. Just remember to keep it brief: you only get 300 characters.

related: The 7 Deadly LinkedIn Sins

2. Remember that communication is a two-way street

Here is a classic fraudulent mistake on LinkedIn (and pretty much any social media platform for that matter): using it as a way to completely explode your content. Take a quick look at your recent activity. Is this your long list of posts and not too many?

An easy change is what kind of post you make. There is nothing wrong with sharing your latest project or insights, but try to share interesting content from other s as well. If you find any news or thought leadership that is relevant to your role or industry, share it! Articles about common business topics such as focus or productivity hacks can also be great for generating discussion.

To kick it up a notch, there are many ways to connect with others on LinkedIn. If you enjoy scrolling through your feed, take a few extra seconds to react and comment on others’ posts. You can also share others’ posts with your network – this is especially helpful when people are hiring, looking for work or trying to connect with others outside your immediate network .

The power of weak ties really comes into play here. Case in point: We ended up hiring one of our previous companies because I shared a job post with my network, my friend shared it his The network, and its brother-in-law, ended up seeing the post and application. Chances are my friend would never have seen this post if he had not shared it.

You can also help people in your network by supporting their skills or writing a recommendation for them. This is particularly beneficial for those who are actively looking for work.

Like any community, it is not just about taking – it is about giving and taking. Instead of just broadcasting your own agenda how can you be helpful and try to adopt the mindset of promoting dialogue.

related: How can entrepreneurs capitalize on weak connections

3. Commit to a regular synergy of activity

If you ever visit LinkedIn, when you are looking for a job, you will not get the full benefit of the platform. When you consider it more like a water cooler, where you can have brief, professional conversations on a consistent basis, you will get out of it.

This small behavioral change can quickly increase your visibility and impact. A very small percentage of people on LinkedIn – only one percent of LinkedIn’s 260 million users – share content on a weekly basis.

This can be helpful in making LinkedIn a part of your regular work. You can scroll through your forum for 10 minutes each day and like and comment on others’ posts. Or perhaps you spend 30 minutes every Thursday looking for ways to help people in your network share job openings or other requests.

To boost the likelihood of your posts being viewed, you may want to try to fit your activity into the times when people in your network are also most likely to be active on LinkedIn. HubSpot’s research suggests that the best time to post on LinkedIn is between 8am and 2pm from Tuesday to Thursday.

However there is no “right” way to go about this. It is about finding a rhythm that works for you and does not seem overwhelming. Try a few different approaches until you find one that seems effortless and manageable.

related: I posted on LinkedIn 90 times in 90 days. Here’s why you want it.

If you ever get stuck, remember to go back to the idea of ​​being social. Think of LinkedIn as a low-key professional party (but not a year-end bash where people overdo it). See how to make a connection. Engage in conversation. Help others whenever you can. If you keep these concepts in mind, you will make a great effort towards getting the most out of LinkedIn.