Building engagement with LinkedIn

Everyone uses LinkedIn in different ways. Some strive to add as many people to their network as possible, regardless of affiliation. While others (myself included) only add people with whom they have a personal connection.

Regardless of your network building approach, you're using LinkedIn to connect. But a virtual connection doesn't automatically create engagement, and engagement is what matters.

Engagement is the glue that strengthens your social network. It's what attracts and binds people to you, your brand and your business. On LinkedIn, engagement can lead to more opportunities — from new clients and project offers to new business ventures. But you have to do you part.

source

Here are three simple ways you can build engagement with your LinkedIn connections, right now:

1. Put your best face forward
Before you go any further, take a few seconds to login to your LinkedIn profile, then click "Edit Profile." Hopefully you're seeing this in the sidebar:
Simply put, a complete profile looks better. Just as in face-to-face networking, first impressions count. At a minimum, you'll want to have these areas of your profile complete:

• A profile photo;
• Professional headline;
• Profile summary;
• Specialties;
• A current position;
• Education; and
• At least three recommendations.

If you have any gaps in your profile, fill them. Upload a profile photo. It's doesn't need to be a professional headshot. Snazz up the headline that appears below your name. Let it reflect not only what you do, but your specialty or "Waldo factor."

2. Keep in touch (K.I.T.)
You might be using LinkedIn like most people — as an electronic Rolodex. You meet people through business or personal interactions, get connected on LinkedIn and the magic ends there. Instead of allowing your network to become nothing more than a virtual pile of business cards, develop a strategy for keeping in touch. You can do this in as little as 20 minutes a day (maybe less).

To start, commit to reaching out to three to five people in your network, every day. Do it by telephone or email, whichever you prefer. Be genuine, purposeful and personal. Once you get through your entire network, repeat the cycle. Depending on the size of your network the cycle may take 90 days or nine months, but at least you'll have adopted the consistency needed to grow better connections over time.

3. Proactively refer & recommend
As you consistently work your keep-in-touch system, be proactive about recommending people in your network. What a gift it is to wake up to an automatic message from LinkedIn saying someone has raved about you! Give that gift to the people in your network who deserve it. If you're not quite ready to recommend anyone, try referring your LinkedIn contacts to one another instead.

Be the person who builds connections and gives back. It's a refreshing change from the usual sales and marketing fodder flooding most social networks.

Bonus tip
Keeping track of hundreds of LinkedIn connections can be a daunting task, especially if you're already managing a CRM (customer relationship management) system to track prospects and clients. Fortunately, LinkedIn has enabled tags to help you organize your connections. Keep in mind, your connections are automatically tagged with default keywords like, "colleagues," "friends," or "partners," if you provided that information when you invited someone to become your connection. But you can create your own custom tags. For example, I use date tags to help me track the last time I contacted someone in my network via LinkedIn. You might also assign tags to contacts you met at a specific networking event.

Hopefully, I've given you plenty to get you started. But, I'm curious about your approach. How do you foster greater engagement from your LinkedIn network?