Lucky Tip: LinkedIn Networking
In business first impressions matter. However, it is common for professionals to forget about subsequent impressions and how they may affect how someone thinks of them. If you network regularly have you thought about how new contacts may learn more about you following your first meeting?
LinkedIn is a great tool for this. Set the foundations by making a great first impression and use your LinkedIn profile to support and add to this impression. You can even use it to learn more about your new contact too!
Why should you connect with people on LinkedIn after meeting them?
LinkedIn is a powerful tool as it is the largest professional social media platform. Now owned by Microsoft it is set to grow even stronger as it is developed in the coming years. Invest in your future and get into the routine of adding new contacts on LinkedIn.
Below are just a few reasons why this is important.
Develop your reputation
A good LinkedIn profile will add much additional and contextual information to a person’s reputation. No doubt during a first encounter you cannot cover everything so LinkedIn is great for giving your new contact an idea of your professional past and experience.
This information, combined with their first impression, can really increase your reputation as an expert within your field.
A digital business card
If you network regularly you will find you collect many business cards. Not many professionals have systems for storing all these cards so LinkedIn is a great alternative. If you connect with everyone you meet all your contacts are stored within your profile. This means no matter where you are you have all of these contacts on your phone!
Mutual contacts
LinkedIn is a great way of finding out what professional circles your new contact mingles within. This can give you an insight into their general social groups and professional community.
It can also be handy for making introductions to mutual people of interest. If your new contact knows the other person you wish to make contact with then this can be a great endorsement.
See your updates
One of the biggest advantages to connecting with your new contact is the fact that you can maintain and build upon this connection with regular updates. Over time this can develop your reputation in the eyes of others and in essence develop how they may think of you without any real world contact. This is an efficient way to achieve this end.
Summary
Do you use LinkedIn as outlined above? Is it part of your routine yet? If not give it a go for just a month and see how powerful it can be. Despite huge advances in technology and social media people still choose to work with people and LinkedIn is just a tool to facilitate this.
