Glad to have you here for Day 28 of 31 Days of Connection! Stop by Day 1 for links to all the posts in the series.

Why You Should Connect on LinkedIn

We’ve covered some of the top social media networks to talk about how you can connect better – Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and now LinkedIn. I know you’re wondering if connecting on LinkedIn even matters unless you’re looking for a job. I say yes, it does! It’s another opportunity to connect with a different group of people and I happen to think that everybody should be on LinkedIn. Here are a few reasons to be there:

• Practice the art of connection
• Build your own network of fans and promoters
• Find useful info – less “fluff” and more substance
• Increase your knowledge and share
• Improve chances of finding a job when you need one

So now you understand the why, but what about the how. How should you be working on connection through LinkedIn?

How to Connect on LinkedIn

There are a few different ways that you can reach out to develop new relationships and improves existing ones. Here are some ideas:

Connect with everybody you know. Don’t get caught up in the idea that LinkedIn is just connecting for job opportunities. You never know who you might end up connecting with through somebody you know or a friend of a friend. If you haven’t already taken the time to check through the people suggested for you, be sure to do that and ask to connect with all that you personally know as well as any that you have some sort of affiliation with and any that you would like to connect with in the future. Don’t be spammy and try to connect with a hundred people you don’t know – that’s not a good strategy. Always start with the ones you know. Then go for the ones that know people that you know. And keep building from there.

Post useful and helpful info and links. Post on a regular basis in order to stay in touch with your network. Show your value by sharing truly helpful links and information for others to use. Respond to those who comment on your posts. Share about opportunities to join and connect in some way as well so you can continue to grow your relationships.

Send messages. You can send messages through LinkedIn to people that you have no connection with (don’t be spammy) to introduce yourself and you can message your own connections. Take time to reach out and thank somebody for connecting with you as well as congratulate someone on a recent accomplishment.

Like, Comment, Share. Repeat. If you find any shared info helpful, do click Like and even leave a comment. It’s how you show support and begin a conversation. If you find a link interesting, share it to your connections with your own comment about why you want to share it. Click Like when LinkedIn notifies you of events such as friends getting new jobs or celebrating work anniversaries. Showing support leads to your connections supporting you back and improving the level of connection between you.

Endorse. LinkedIn will give you opportunities to endorse your connections for their listed skills. Take a few minutes to go through and endorse the ones you can truly speak to. Don’t endorse just to endorse. Be honest – if you know a connection is actually good at something or you have seen them demonstrate a specific skill, then endorse away. Some of them may take the time to endorse you for some skills which helps build up your profile for professional purposes.

Join Groups. This is your chance to connect with people with similar interests. To find groups to join, hover near the top and you’ll see a bar that includes Interests – hover over that and then click on Groups. Click Discover near the top and you’ll be shown groups that LinkedIn thinks you might like and that have your connections as members. If you want to search for certain types of groups, go to the dropdown menu to the left of the search bar at the top and select Groups. Put in search terms for the types of groups you are interested in. After you join a group, be sure to participate and get to know people.

Improve the way you use LinkedIn and you’ll improve the way you connect with people, both personally and professionally. If you haven’t joined LinkedIn yet, give it a try!

Day 28 Daily Connection Challenge:
Connect with some new people on LinkedIn by checking People You May Know under My Network. Like and comment on 3 posts by 3 different people this week and respond back if they comment. Find links to 2 helpful articles this week and share them on LinkedIn with your own commentary on why they are helpful. Search for groups that you have an interest in and join 2 of them.

Thank you for being here for Day 28 of 31 Days of Connection! Are you already on LinkedIn? If so, have you been using to connect with people or just leaving it static? What keeps you from using it more often? Let me know in the comments! See you again for Day 29!