How to increase your LinkedIn connection:
As someone looking for new employment opportunities it is imperative that you have a large and diverse network. It’s all about quality and quantity. In our opinion, you should never decline a LinkedIn invitation. Here are some suggestions for you to create a wide network with more robust search results without paying into a LinkedIn membership:
1. Join LinkedIn Networking groups. These groups were created for the sole purpose of increasing your LinkedIn connections. Some of their services are fee-based but all have free services available.
Some of the biggest are
- TopLinked.com http://www.toplinked.com
- OpenNetworker / MyLink500.com http://www.opennetworker.com
- Invites Welcome! http://www.inviteswelcome.com
- Networkers United http://www.nuworldwide.com
Be active on their boards and put yourself out there.
These groups are #1 thing that you can do to quickly grow your network.
2. Search LinkedIn to find people who are Open Networkers and LIONs. These folks want to connect with any LinkedIn member. Send them invites. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you build up a great base.
As of this writing there are 2,771 US-based members with “Open Networker” listed in their profiles. Have a look: http://tinyurl.com/2d5e2tc
Also search for LION in a member’s profile. In most cases LION refers to LinkedIn Open Networker. These members will accept all LinkedIn invitations. As of this writing there are 21,000 US-based members with “LION” listed in their profiles.
Have a look: http://tinyurl.com/25duvq2
3. Include your email prominently in your headline and/or throughout your profile. People view this as a green light to invite you to connect. Make it clear that you never “IDK” (“I don’t know”) people. Example: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mongello
4. Be diligent about asking your everyday contacts (even casual ones) to connect on LinkedIn.
Be creative… import your contact list; include a link in your email signature, etc.
5. Join LinkedIn groups.
You can join up to 50 and there’s a LinkedIn Group Search Engine to make this process quick and easy. Once you’re a member of a group, you can automatically send messages to other group members for free. There are also Discussion boards, Job boards, News boards and Promotion boards that are very handy. Use these as an opportunity to network and/or ask people if they’re willing to link up.
6. Cater your profile to suit your networking needs. If you want to target specific industries, say so. If you want to reach out to people in certain professions, say so. If you just want to grow your network, be very clear about it (i.e., “Feel free to invite me at johndoe@gmail.com” or “I accept all invites at johndoe@gmail.com” or “I welcome your invitation to johndoe@gmail.com“, etc.).
7. Think about SEO (search engine optimization). Think about the type of people you want to reach and then make sure the appropriate words are in your profile so your name will pop up if those people run a search. Do a few test searches and see if your name comes up on top of the list (or on the first page) or if it’s buried 6 pages deep. Look at other people’s profiles to get some ideas of which keywords to include.
8. Use Twitter and Facebook to grow your network and drive folks to connect with you on LinkedIn.
Increasing your LinkedIn connection takes time but it can pay off by creating new networking and career opportunities
Regards, Daren J. Mongello
