There are two main approaches to LinkedIn connections …
“I’ll be selective with my LinkedIn connections”
“I’ll connect with everybody on LinkedIn”
One of most important benefits of LinkedIn is making connections with professionals; users can expand their network, seek job opportunities, discuss trending tops and make relationships with like-minded professionals.
Who Should I Connect with on LinkedIn?
How many LinkedIn connections you accept, and request, is entirely up to you. But it’s important to know the pros and cons of connecting with everybody on LinkedIn, or alternatively keeping your connections selective.
“I’ll connect with everybody on LinkedIn”
One of the biggest reasons to have a large connection list on LinkedIn is to open doors and opportunities. 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find new candidates, so perhaps the more connections you have the more likely recruiters will be able to find you.
Having a lot of connections means more eyes on your profile. More connections could mean more traffic to your profile and website, anytime you update your status it appears on your connections’ newsfeed.
The more connections you have, the more leads and conversions you are likely to achieve. Not only are you increasing your visibility as an individual professional, but you’re also boosting the online presence of your business.
LinkedIn is for networking. How are you supposed to make the most out of the platform if you’re LinkedIn circle is small? How are you supposed to reach perspective clients if you don’t connect with them? LinkedIn connections is one of the features professionals should be taking an advantage of; it’s a gateway to new opportunities!
LinkedIn is a business platform, and the way to grow your business is to connect with users who can potentially join your team, become a partner or buy your products and services.
Do you want your voice heard? The more users you influence, support and communicate with the greater chances you have of a successful career. Market yourself as a niche expert in your industry by LinkedIn connections and being an active user.
“I’ll be selective with my LinkedIn connections”
Are quality connections over quantity the way to go? Is there a thing as too many LinkedIn connections?
if you’re connection list is small, it will be easier to manage, and you can focus on making successful relationships with a small number. You’ll have more time to know each of your connections, understand their business and look to see how you can generate opportunities with them in the future.
If you don’t know someone, why should you trust them to be a part of your LinkedIn circle? If you have no idea who someone is or you’re clueless to why they’d want to connect with you, it’s probably best to just ignore.
“LinkedIn is built on the foundation of people connecting to other professionals they know and trust.”, you don’t know or trust a stranger, so don’t invited them to your LinkedIn …
You need to be aware of spam bots and sales people who will be spammy. Be aware of profiles that don’t have a picture, as this can be an alarm bell of a spammer. Equally, it might be wise to avoid connections from counties you’ve never visited or have not done business with.
Quantity or Quality?
In a way LinkedIn is contradictory; the platforms encourage users to only connect with people they know yet provide several opportunities for people to connect with those we don’t know.
It costs nothing to have connections on LinkedIn, but perhaps sometime in the future you’ll be thankful for the random connections when a business opportunity with them arises.
I’d say be selective but not too strict; take a look down user profiles so you can make an informed decision whether to accept or send a connection request.
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About the author:
Marie Harwood is a Digital Marketing Assistant at Different Gravy Digital, Hale, Cheshire.
Different Gravy Digital are a full service Digital Marketing Agency operating in the Hospitality & Leisure, Financial Services, Legal & Property sectors. Products and services range from; 3D & 360° Tours, Website Design & Build, Social Media, Video Production, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Content Creation, Email Marketing, Online Feedback / Review Systems and Paid Advertising (Google, Bing and Social Media).
Contact Details:
marie@differentgravydigital.co.uk
0161 706 0004
120a Ashley Road, Hale, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 2UN