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If you’re like most sales professionals, you probably joined LinkedIn to build and develop your network, first and foremost, be it to eventually increase your B2B sales or to discover better opportunities.
One of the most frequent questions I hear personally is: “How can I build an effective network on LinkedIn?”
I usually reply with another question: “Why do you want to build your network?”
And believe it or not, people don’t know how to answer me back more often than not.
The truth is, LinkedIn is the best social platform to build meaningful relationships with other professionals. But you can’t just log in, start connecting and expect great results. You need a strategy to connect with the right people and engage in meaningful conversations.
So, what can you do to get more LinkedIn connections? Why do you need to build your network quickly and efficiently? And how can you scale your efforts while maintaining a certain level of quality?
In this guide, I will explain step by step how to get more LinkedIn connections and grow your network in a way that can set you up for success in the long run.
Let’s get started!
What are the benefits of building a network on LinkedIn?
Before we go into the well that is LinkedIn connection strategies, let’s talk about why you should be investing time in building your network on this platform.
The most immediate benefit of having an effective network on LinkedIn is, obviously, that you can get access to a wide variety of new people and potential leads.
But the benefits don’t stop there! Here’s a detailed list of the potential benefits you can expect:
- Expand your reach: Increase your potential and grow your network to include a larger pool of potential clients and/or collaborators.
- Develop new business opportunities: Increase the likelihood of finding new partnerships and business ventures through a larger network of connections.
- Build trust and credibility: Establish your authority in your industry or field and build trust with potential clients or partners.
- Keep up with industry trends: Stay up-to-date with industry news, trends, and best practices to remain relevant in your field.
- Improve social selling capabilities: Expand your social selling capabilities and reach more potential clients to generate more leads and convert more prospects into paying customers.
- Build a community: Create a community of like-minded professionals to network, share knowledge, and build relationships that can lead to new business opportunities, referrals, or collaborations.
Note that all of these benefits are related to the long-term success of your network.
In other words, the goal is not just to get more connections in a short period of time, there are plenty of “hacks” tailored for the short term. But we really advise against those, as they often tend to cause more harm than good in the long run.
Rather, make sure that you’re trying to build meaningful relationships that you can sustain over time.
This may seem daunting and extremely time-consuming at first… But don’t worry – there are plenty of strategies and tactics you can use to make the process more efficient; namely, using an automation tool such as LaGrowthMachine which can help make the process a lot easier and even provide you with valuable insights along the way.
Get 3.5X more leads!
Do you want to improve the efficiency of your sales department? With La Growth Machine you can generate on average 3.5x more leads while saving an incredible amount of time on all your processes.
By signing up today, you’ll get a free 14-day trial to test our tool!
But it’s too early to talk about that yet. Before you can start leveraging your LinkedIn automation, you need to lay the groundwork for a strong network.
Best practices for getting more LinkedIn connections:
Instead of getting right into the specifics of how to get more LinkedIn connections, let’s first review a few best practices that will help you create an effective and efficient strategy.
As sales professionals, we understand the importance of relationship-building and forging lasting connections with our customers.
So you know these best practices are coming from a place of experience and expertise.
1. Focus on quality over quantity:
I know, I’ve been rambling about the quality versus quantity issue throughout this entire article, but it’s worth emphasizing again.
When it comes to connecting on LinkedIn, make sure that you are focusing on quality over quantity.
Again, the goal isn’t to just collect more connections but create mutually beneficial relationships that you can leverage in time.
But I know what you’re going to ask: What do you mean by “quality”?
Well, when I say “quality connections” on LinkedIn, what I’m really talking about is relevance.
Example 🔍
For example, if you work in the SaaS industry, then you should be aiming not only to connect with people who are also in your industry, but also with growth marketers, tech professionals, and thought leaders who could help you better understand and navigate the trends of the market.
This beautifully takes me to my next point:
2. Look for influencers in your industry:
Influencers are a great way to build relationships with potential partners, clients, and customers.
It’s also worth noting that they can even help you reach new audiences and expand your network.
Remember, these are people who are constantly sharing insights and thought-provoking content, which can be extremely valuable for your research and understanding of the market.
Reach out to them, engage with their content, initiate conversations, and start building relationships! I maybe cannot speak for every influencer on the platform, but they usually don’t bite!
If you’re having trouble finding influencers on LinkedIn, check out our ultimate guide on how to look for people on LinkedIn by name!
To continue with our example from before with the SaaS industry, you can start by following our company account and our team members.
We post a lot of great content and insights related to growth marketing and the SaaS industry.
Of course, you should also be aiming to create and share your own content that can add value to their network as well.
That’s how you can establish a two-way relationship that can benefit both parties in the long run.
3. Stay active and engaged:
I’m just on fire with these segues today!
Once you have made the connections, don’t think that your job is over.
Yes, it’s important to make sure that your connections are relevant, but it’s even more important to make sure that you are staying active and engaged with them.
Engaging with people on LinkedIn can take many forms: liking their posts, commenting on them, sharing them, or even sending a direct message if the situation calls for it.
The point is to constantly stay in touch and make sure that your network knows who you are and what you have to offer.
Let’s carry on with our SaaS example:
Since you now are connected with thought leaders in the industry, start by asking them questions in the form of comments on their posts, reposting their publications, or even reaching out to them directly.
You can also offer your insights and advice when they have questions or ask for feedback.
We have a great guide about how to reach out to someone on LinkedIn that can help you get started!
This will help keep the conversation going, which is one of the most important components of successful relationship-building.
4. Leverage your network:
At the end of the day, the whole point of connecting on LinkedIn is to leverage your network and make sure that it grows.
Whenever you get an opportunity to introduce someone in your network to someone else, go ahead and do it!
This way, you are helping your contacts build their own networks as well, and they will hopefully return the favor!
You never know when this favor might come in handy, or in what form.
Quick Tip💡
LinkedIn also provides great opportunities for networking through events, groups, and discussion boards.
These forums can be a great way to connect with like-minded individuals and learn from each other.
These are just a few tips that can help you build quality relationships on LinkedIn and leverage them for long-term success. Make sure to keep them in mind whenever you approach a new connection and don’t be afraid to reach out! I’m sure they will appreciate your efforts.
Now is the time to actually address why you’re here: to get more LinkedIn connections and grow your network!
What is the fastest way to get more connections on LinkedIn?
Now I know I said that “hacks” aren’t the way to go, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get more connections quickly.
The key is to find ways to reach out to more people at once. Let’s see how!
Personalize connection requests:
First and foremost, personalize your connection requests.
A lot of people just copy-paste the same message to hundreds of contacts, and that’s just not the best way to go about it.
No one likes to feel like they are just another number on a list, and trust me, it shows.
Take some time to customize your request and show that you are genuinely interested in connecting with them.
It really goes a long way to throw in a cool icebreaker; maybe you saw that they come from the same college as you. Or, maybe you took a look at their website and have a comment or two.
Whatever it is, make sure to personalize your message and show that you put some effort into reaching out!
Of course, you can also send personalized connection requests in bulk, but that requires something like LaGrowthMachine!
With more than 24 different variables, you can customize your LinkedIn automated messages for each recipient, ensuring that each of them feels special and important.
But I’m diving into how to automate the full process in the next section, so stay tuned!
Get 3.5X more leads!
Do you want to improve the efficiency of your sales department? With La Growth Machine you can generate on average 3.5x more leads while saving an incredible amount of time on all your processes.
By signing up today, you’ll get a free 14-day trial to test our tool!
Join LinkedIn groups:
LinkedIn groups are a great way to get in front of new people and start building relationships.
Find some relevant groups that you can join, interact with the members, and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and start conversations.
You never know who might be interested in your product or service – it could very well be someone from one of these groups!
This can help you establish yourself as a thought leader and attract more connection requests.
Plus, group members are often more receptive to connection requests from other members, and if you have a solid profile, they might even be interested in learning more about what you do!
Take good care of your profile:
This isn’t really a direct way of getting more connections on LinkedIn but it’s a critical part of the equation.
Your LinkedIn profile is your virtual business card and it should reflect that.
Make sure to keep it up-to-date, provide as much relevant information as you can, and include some professional photos.
People will tend to look at your profile before they accept a connection request, so if you want to make a good impression, this is a must.
Plus, having a complete profile will also help you rank higher in search results, so it’s an important factor if you want to be seen by more people.
Lastly, be sure to make the most of LinkedIn’s features such as endorsements and recommendations.
Reaching out to people and asking them to endorse you may seem awkward at first but it can be a great way to show off your skills and get noticed.
You can always get endorsed by your friends, colleagues, and even customers that you’ve developed good relationships with -old or new. These are all people that can vouch for you and your skills, so don’t be afraid to ask them for a few words of support!
These can go a long way in making you look credible and trustworthy, which will help you make even more -and more importantly, better connections!
We have a plethora of articles related to LinkedIn profiles, so make sure you check them out!
Use LinkedIn’s “People You May Know” feature:
LinkedIn’s “People You May Know” feature is a great way to find potential connections quickly.
It uses algorithms to suggest people you might know, based on common interests or contacts in your network.
It is a great tool for expanding your network and reaching out to new people who could possibly benefit from what you offer.
This goes hand-in-hand with the best practice I mentioned earlier about leveraging your network and being proactive in connecting with people.
It’s a great way to uncover and explore new possibilities, and then it’s just a matter of applying the previous advice:
When you find someone that looks like a good connection, take the time to customize your message and make it personal.
Show them why you think it would be beneficial for both of you to connect, and don’t forget to throw in an interesting icebreaker!
By taking this extra step, you will have a much better chance of getting that desired connection request.
BONUS: Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator
If you have a sales navigator account, this is an amazing way to get more connections easily, in an extremely targeted way.
I won’t go too deep into it, but the gist of it is you search for the accounts of companies that you’re targeting and then add the people who work there!
This is what we call an Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategy on LinkedIn, and we have a full post on it! So make sure you check it out from the link.
Attend networking events:
Last but not least, attending networking events is one of the best ways to get more connections on LinkedIn.
I left this for last because, at these events, you will have the opportunity to meet people in person and connect on a deeper level. And I’m specifically talking about offline events!
After the pandemic, I know we all saw the potential of online meetings and webinars became more popular than ever, but aren’t we a little sick of webinars? I know I am!
Nothing quite beats the pleasure of meeting people face-to-face and having real conversations.
It’s a great way to show your personality and create an impression that lasts.
So if you have the chance, attend events -online or offline- in your local area, and don’t be afraid to work the room!
This can also be a great way to build relationships with potential customers and partners, so take advantage of it whenever you can.
And of course, make sure to follow up with them on LinkedIn and add them to your network.
By applying these tips, you should be able to get more connections on LinkedIn in no time!
Quick Tip💡
It’s important to remember that getting more connections isn’t the end goal of networking -it’s only a means to an end.
The real goal should be to build meaningful relationships with people that could bring value to your professional life.
So don’t forget to focus on quality over quantity and always remember that networking is a two-way street.
How to automate getting more LinkedIn connections using LaGrowthMachine?
I’ve spent quite some time discussing various strategies and methods for getting more connections on LinkedIn. But, there’s one last way to do this that can save you all the aforementioned hassle: using LaGrowthMachine.
LaGrowthMachine is a powerful, automated sales solution designed specifically to help you reach out to anyone, be it sales leads or potential connections.
Being a multichannel application (LinkedIn, Email, & Twitter), it truly is one of the most versatile solutions out there.
See everything I mentioned earlier? You can do it all with LaGrowthMachine at the push of a couple of buttons! All you need to do is:
- Create an account (it’s free for 14 days!)
- Create a new campaign: Choose one of the LinkedIn templates, it should look something like this. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could always create your own custom one.
- Define a target audience for your campaign: Choose the LinkedIn profile criteria and categories you’d like to target.
- Create your audience: Simply go to the Identity and Audience tab and click “Create new audience” > “Import from LinkedIn” then add the people who match your criteria
- Tend to your copywriting: Keep it short and sweet. Remember, keep it personal by using some of our many variables.
- Launch the campaign: Sit back and relax as LaGrowthMachine takes over, automatically reaching out to people in your target audience.
The icing on the cake? You get detailed reports and analytics to see how your campaign is performing!
So if you’re looking to get more connections on LinkedIn in a fast, efficient way, LaGrowthMachine is your perfect companion.
Ready to take the plunge?
Get 3.5X more leads!
Do you want to improve the efficiency of your sales department? With La Growth Machine you can generate on average 3.5x more leads while saving an incredible amount of time on all your processes.
By signing up today, you’ll get a free 14-day trial to test our tool!
Conclusion
That’s all folks! Hopefully, this guide has given you a better understanding of how to get more connections on LinkedIn.
The bottom line is, getting more LinkedIn connections can open up a world of opportunities for your career or business. That’s all there is to it!
You just need to be willing to put in the work and use all of the resources available to you.
From leveraging your current contacts to engaging with influencers to attending events -there are plenty of strategies to choose from.
But then again, if you don’t feel like it, there’s always LaGrowthMachine to help you out.
That said, before you start going crazy with automation, I suggest you understand the basics of networking.
Because no matter how advanced our tool is, you still need to have a good understanding of the principles behind it all.
Happy networking!
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