linkedin | TheInsuranceBill

I suggest always starting from a genuine position. Preferably a position that makes you want to help others and be a solid resource for everyone you know.

So over the last several years I have taught myself a lot about LinkedIn. It started about four years ago as a way to make sure I am keeping in touch with people. It has grown into a very useful tool for not only keeping a rolodex somewhat organized but also has allowed me to become more valuable for the people I value. The following is a little experiment I had done once before and just did again. It worked well the first time, I learned some lessons and here you go;

12/28/13 about 6 a.m. I invited everyone I could to “LinkIn” with me. Now on the surface some people would think this is spam but if you look beneath you realize on some level, some deeper than others, I have had contact with all the people I invited. Many were people I knew on some level we just never “Linked”

Now the starting point was 804 connections. Within 24 hours I was at 923 . This is a 14%+ increase in contacts and is almost a 6% return on the invitations sent. Really solid numbers. BUT remember this really just makes me more potentially valuable to the people that hire me, choose to work with me and see me as a resource. 41 of these new 119 actually looked at my profile, not sure where the value is in that stat.

Now is is a full 5 days later. 5 weird days on the calendar considering a weekend between Christmas and New Years, New Years eve and New Years Day and that much of the world is semi hibernating. Now the number is 1020. A solid 10% return on invitations and 25% increase in contacts.

But where is the value in this?

In theory I am more valuable to my contacts because I have more contacts.
I have shown up in 216 new feeds which have potentially been seen by 26,000+ people.
LinkedIn’s software now presents new opportunities based on who is in my network.
Anytime I put something out the odds are higher that my “buyer” will see it, better yet a new buyer.
Etc.

Well now what? Here are some tips I share when the opportunity arises. Reality is if you make the people around you better you’ll become better.

1. make your profile as complete as possible. Be human. Keywords help, especially colleges and location. Also, somewhere in your profile simply write your last name as it is commonly misspelled.

2. I love the LinkedIn phone app. Fun experiment was letting it invite all my phone contacts. I liken this to over seeding a lawn. You’ll get some goofy grass but you can always…

3. Weed the garden. I know everyone I am connected to. Some better than others but I do not connect with everyone I meet. Why? I want to be able to refer/introduce these people to others. BUT for the sake of the above experiment I went a little beyond my usual. No worries though, I had many great things happen when a month or so after “seeding” I go back and start weeding the garden.

4. 10 minutes a day; Linkedin tells you who has updates and who has anniversaries. Likeing a status is quick and puts your face in front of that persons contacts. When taking the congratulations route. Write a full sentence. So easy to personalize and stand out. Scroll through your updates and pick one or two to comment on. It is quick and really effective. ** Please read the first two sentences of this post again**

5. PHOTOS Get a solid head shot. Personally prefer a basic head shot. What an awesome missed opportunity for most people.

Thanks for considering.