How to get more LinkedIn connections?

As most of us already know, LinkedIn is all about making connections, right from people that you already know to people that you want to know. With more than half a billion users from around the world, LinkedIn can be considered a leader when it comes to connecting with potential business partners, hires, and B2B prospects.

Of course, while LinkedIn is made for professional networking, many users are still intimidated by it. Most people do not know who should be in their network, who you should not get in contact with, etc. Sadly, this hesitation will make the process of landing new connections quite slow.

Of course, you can make use of your contact list to find the initial LinkedIn connections. However, you will exhaust this source soon and you will have to find new ways to find connections. In this article, we will discuss some of these methods.

Getting more LinkedIn connections

With the help of these methods, you should be able to find new connections on LinkedIn:

Personalize your requests for connections

When you are going through the list of ‘people you may know’ on LinkedIn, do not only tap on the ‘connect’ button. Even if you do, the request will be sent in a very generic manner. Instead, you need to head to the profile of the person you want to connect with and tap on the ‘connect’ button there.

This way, a box will show up and you will be able to add a personal note for the connection request. You can put in messages like ‘I have noticed your work and would like to connect with you’, ‘Hi, it is good to meet you; let us keep in touch’, etc.

Follow up on the requests

Networking still happens just like in the old days – you need someone face-to-face at some event like a conference or a trade show. Or, you may meet some locals like your classmates, yoga instructor, healthcare provider, or the owner of your favorite coffee shop. Most of us tend to overlook these daily connections we make. Hence, it is important that you reach out to them on LinkedIn.

Set your monthly connection goals

Getting LinkedIn connections outside your personal contacts is not easy. Hence, it would be helpful if you set up certain numbers over some weeks or months. However, ensure that the target is do-able. Instead of setting a goal of 300 connections for the next month, it makes more sense to set a goal of 100 connections for two years.

However, one thing you need to remember is that you need to maintain proper etiquette and do not spam users that you do not know. Also, do not expect all your connections to accept your invitation immediately.

Post daily on your LinkedIn feed

Whenever a connection comment, shares, or likes your status update, all their connections will likely see your original posts as well. If your connections are relevant, these second-degree connections may also send you an invitation to connect with you.

By adding more posts to your profile, you create more engagement for your LinkedIn profile, which will spread across the homepages of your connections. You can also use LinkedIn tools to automate this. Hence, you should not get annoyed when you see daily posts by them. The algorithm of LinkedIn is very tricky and the networking protocol is unlike those of other social media platforms.

Make use of images on your posts

If you want to increase the engagement on your LinkedIn social posts, it is important that you add images as well. This will increase your reach with people in your existing network and also exposure to potential connections. Experts have mentioned that the views on your posts increase by at least 11 times. Add organic images, not links, to your LinkedIn posts.

Engage with your existing connections as much as possible

Similar to all social media platforms, it is important that you engage and talk with your connections as much as possible. Something as simple as a ‘like’ or a ‘comment’ on your post can help you expand your reach. Additionally, it is a very considerate thing to do if a certain post resonates with you.

Commenting and asking questions will increase your exposure and engagement.

Conclusion

Similar to Instagram, LinkedIn has grown into one of the hottest social media platforms on the web today. Content creators and savvy marketers make use of this platform to connect with new users to increase their reach and engagement. With the help of these tips mentioned above, you will be able to increase your LinkedIn connections with ease.