Throughout the #31DaysOfLinkedIn, we’ve talked about how to best act as an individual on LinkedIn through actions, content creation, and interactions. Let’s take it a step further today and include other people.
What can you do to involve your connections in your LinkedIn activities?
Introduce them to your other connections. This is something I have always worked to do IRL, introducing mutual acquaintances who might have mutual professional or personal interests. We can all do better at this on LinkedIn by introducing new and old connections who might be in the same field, might be in the same community, or may be able to do business together. Of course, it helps if both parties are actually active on LinkedIn.
Invite them to your Groups. Is there an active LinkedIn group which you are a member of? Don’t you think it’d be a whole lot cooler if some more folks who knew you, and could possibly support your efforts there, were members of the group as well? Share the group with your possibly interested peers and you will be helping your network by expanding their opportunities.
Tag them in posts: Just like its competitor Facebook, LinkedIn allows you to tag connections and brands in your posts. Scanning through my timeline for a couple of days in a row shows me that many folks aren’t doing this as a way to connect connections or to mention them at all. Perhaps it’s the professional nature of the platform or the spirit of broadcasting their own info over others which holds back this powerful for of involving your connections. Just use the @ symbol before someone’s name and there profile will come up as a link to include in the post. See the screengrab below for an example:
Share their content to with your connections: Again, just like Facebook, there is a powerful share tool on all posts in the timeline and all posts made to Publisher. Use it to send your connections content, which you believe in because implied endorsements, with your own connections. This helps them to achieve one of the biggest goals of social media (and cat videos) in reaching the audiences of audiences of audiences.
So what are some additional ways you connect your connections with the rest of your connections? Share your thoughts in the comments below and we’ll be sure to share them out as they come in. Remember, even though it’s the stuffed shirt of social media, LinkedIn is still social media and connecting connections can be a very powerful social element of your success on the platform!
Speaking of, there are share tools to the side of this article. I’d appreciate you using one or all of them to share this #31DaysofLinkedIn piece with your connections and audiences. Keep those comments and questions about LinkedIn coming and we’ll tackle them together as partners!
Gus Wagner is the President.Owner of The Rocket Group – an award-winning marketing and communications firm. The Rocket Group has specialized in building effective tools across traditional means and new media for clients in businesses, organizations, and nonprofits since 2001. Gus is also a five-time certified Social Media Strategist, a former Chief of Staff in the Missouri State Senate, a retired national champion amateur hockey coach, and a would like to be a singer/songwriter. His Welsh Corgi, Taffy, lets Gus and his wife, Farrah Fite, live with her in Jefferson City, Missouri.
