10 Ways to Improve your Connections

By Sue Ellson

Topic: 10 Ways to Improve your LinkedIn Connections
Date: Wednesday 13 November 2024
Time: 12:00pm – 12:30pm AEST time (UTC+10)
Venue: Zoom
Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yUf9AVYc2o

This event is designed to help you improve your LinkedIn Connections and is the 38th event in the LinkedIn Insights Webinar Series.

There are several items below including:

video recording
PowerPoint slides
LinkedIn Event page for networking
comments from the chat in the webinar
feedback from the webinar
reviews after the webinar
follow up personal assistance
how to say thank you Sue
engage on social media
upcoming and past presentations, recordings and publications
latest offer access

The LinkedIn Event Video Recording

The LinkedIn Event PowerPoint Slides

202411129-10-ways-to-improve-your-linkedin-connections-by-sue-ellson Download

Summary of Slides

10 Ways to Improve your LinkedIn Connections

Abide by the LinkedIn User Agreement
Download your list of Connections
Expand Existing Network
Connect with everyone you ‘meet’ FROM NOW ON
Find your Target Audience
Have a Follow Up Process for VIPs
Consider Collaborations
Use Special Features
Improve your LinkedIn Engagement
Consider Other Social Media Platforms

Abide by the LinkedIn User Agreement
– LinkedIn User Agreement Section 8 – Read the Do’s and Don’ts
– Professional Community Policies
– DO NOT connect and pitch
– DO NOT automate, aggravate, spam or date
– DO NOT @mention inappropriately
– DO NOT group message, humble brag, post sales messages in the newsfeed
Recommend
Don’t kill the goose that lays golden eggs
Review
https://www.linkedin.com/legal/user-agreement
https://www.linkedin.com/legal/professional-community-policies
Download your list of Connections
– includes first name, last name
– includes current job title, employer
– includes date you connected
Recommend
– Download your list every six months
– Connect with everyone from your past
– Match with your customer relationship management system
Review
https://www.linkedin.com/mypreferences/d/download-my-data
Expand Existing Network
– people who you are already connected to (VIPs)
– people who are Following your Company Page
– people who have attended your LinkedIn Events
– people who are subscribed to your LinkedIn Newsletter
– people who have visited your LinkedIn Profile
– school and university alumni
Recommend
Consider clicking the Notification Bell 🔔 and choose ‘All new posts’ (for Profile or Page)
Review
https://sueellson.com/blog/10-ways-to-improve-your-linkedin-networking
Connect with everyone you ‘meet’ FROM NOW ON
– in person
– online – email, text, DM, enquiry form
– phone call
Recommend
– use Scan Code feature from mobile phone app
– include people you meet personally and professionally
Review
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/who-can-i-connect-linkedin-sue-ellson
Find your Target Audience
– LinkedIn Search Queries
– Google Advanced Search
https://www.google.com.au/advanced_search
– engaged with specific Profiles or Pages
– engaged with specific Content (or hashtags)
– part of specific Groups
– related to your job search, career, business
Recommend
Set an outreach goal per week and stick to it. Keep a record of your statistics monthly
Review
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140407042716-77832–authentic-networking-on-linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/networking-free-paid-online-offline-what-really-works-sue-ellson
Have a Follow Up Process for VIPs
– add to spreadsheet – date, name, URL
– add date each key action is completed
– provide useful information or include in your LinkedIn activity
– endorse their Skills and/or Write Recommendations
– ask for referrals, leads, mentors etc
Recommend
Consider strategic networking, professional memberships, thought leaders
Review
https://sueellson.com/blog/10-ways-to-improve-your-linkedin-research
https://sueellson.com/blog/40-ways-you-can-support-your-profession-or-industry
Consider Collaborations
– speaking engagements
– joint webinars or podcasts
– co-authoring books or articles
– interview style video content (video has 1.4x reach)
Recommend
Videos are appearing in the top of the app. Polls can be basis of content.
Review
https://theconversation.com/despite-appearances-digital-networking-hasnt-killed-the-business-card-yet-223858
Use Special Features
– Featured Section, Website Links
– Services Page
– Lead Generation Form (Page)
https://www.linkedin.com/services/page/1402873078b01b7021
– Inviting 1,000 Connections per week to an Event
– a Newsletter invites new Followers/Connections to Subscribe
– connect with LinkedIn News Australia
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/linkedin-news-australia
– allocate Skills to About, Experience, Licenses & Certifications,
Education and Projects to help others find you
Recommend
Newer features are ‘favoured’ as they come out – but don’t be
seduced by every new shiny object – consistency is more important
Review
https://sueellson.com/blog/linkedin-strategies-on-the-adfar-tech-leader-speaker-series-podcast
Improve your LinkedIn Engagement
– Reactions (not just a Like)
– Comments (as long as possible and not written by AI)
– be the nice ‘aunty’ or ‘uncle’ online
– algorithm likes listeners and speakers
– increase conversation to ‘feed the beast’
Recommend
People like people who like their stuff (but don’t overdo it)
Review
See Sharing Tracker at https://www.linkedin.com/dashboard
https://sueellson.com/blog/10-ways-to-improve-your-linkedin-engagement
Consider Other Social Media Platforms
– creatives and academics rarely on LinkedIn
– remember DMs may not be seen immediately
– remember that not everyone scrolls through the Newsfeed
– be accessible when people want to reach you
– be aware you also need to be in Generative AI results
Recommend
Massage your message and include your Contact Info. If high profile,
link to own website and have a qualifying contact form to complete
Review
Turn OFF unwanted email Notifications https://www.linkedin.com/mypreferences/d/categories/notifications
https://sueellson.com/blog/online-presence-a-results-driven-approach-at-instem-conference-melbourne-naarm
https://sueellson.com/blog/artificial-intelligence-ai-branding-and-linkedin-top-10

Meeting Summary Generated by Zoom AI

Quick recap

Sue Ellson, an independent LinkedIn specialist, presented “10 Ways to Improve Your LinkedIn Connections” and shared her career journey, emphasizing the importance of LinkedIn as a valuable network. She discussed practical tips on how to maintain professional connections, expand networks, and improve engagement on LinkedIn, while also highlighting the benefits of strategic networking and utilizing various platforms. The team also discussed the influence of artificial intelligence on LinkedIn and the importance of authenticity in a world increasingly dominated by AI.

Next steps

Attendees to choose three things from the presentation to implement within the next three hours or three days.
Attendees to download their list of LinkedIn connections and review it every six months.
Attendees to set a weekly goal for adding new LinkedIn connections and track their progress.

Summary

Improving LinkedIn Connections and Networking
Sue Ellson, an independent LinkedIn specialist based in Melbourne, Australia, presented “10 Ways to Improve Your LinkedIn Connections”. She emphasized the importance of LinkedIn as a valuable network and shared practical tips on how to abide by the user agreement, download connections, expand networks, connect with everyone, find target audiences, and improve engagement. Sue also shared her career journey, her involvement in various professional associations, and her recent publication in Inside Small Business Magazine. She offered a 3-hour workshop and encouraged attendees to connect with her on various social media platforms. Sue also acknowledged the traditional owners of the land and requested feedback on the presentation’s usefulness.

LinkedIn Networking and Professional Connections
Sue discussed the importance of maintaining professional connections on LinkedIn, emphasizing the need to expand one’s network and stay in touch with important contacts. She recommended downloading a list of connections every six months and connecting with past colleagues, mentors, and experts in one’s field. Sue also stressed the importance of adhering to LinkedIn’s user agreement and not spamming or annoying others on the platform. She suggested setting a goal for weekly connections and tracking progress. Lastly, she advised using LinkedIn’s search features and Google Advanced Search to find potential connections and recommended creating a spreadsheet for managing important contacts.

Strategic Networking and Expanding Influence
Sue discussed the importance of strategic networking and utilizing various platforms to increase one’s network. She emphasized the value of professional memberships, thought leaders, and journalists in expanding one’s network. Sue also highlighted the benefits of speaking at events, joint webinars, co-authoring books, and using video content on LinkedIn. She shared an example of Jane Menzies, who used a poll on LinkedIn to create an article for a prestigious website. Sue encouraged attendees to actively engage with their memberships, promote their associations, and use LinkedIn to gather research findings for future use.

Maximizing LinkedIn for Business Growth
Sue discussed the various features and benefits of LinkedIn, emphasizing its importance in today’s digital landscape. She highlighted the platform’s ability to track user activity, the importance of engaging with content, and the potential of other social media platforms like YouTube. Sue also shared practical strategies for improving LinkedIn engagement and encouraged attendees to take action within the next three hours or days. She also mentioned her online course and upcoming live workshop. The conversation ended with Sue encouraging attendees to connect with her on various social media platforms and leave reviews for her work.

Incorporating Multiple Businesses on LinkedIn
Constanza expressed confusion about how to incorporate her two businesses into her LinkedIn profile, specifically her orchard business. Sue then shared her own LinkedIn profile as an example, explaining how she prioritizes her roles and promotes her various businesses. She emphasized that LinkedIn profiles are personal and can be used to promote multiple ventures, as long as it doesn’t conflict with any contractual restrictions.

Setting Measurable Goals and Networking
Sue discussed the importance of setting measurable goals and maintaining a record of progress. She emphasized the need to focus on networking and collaborations, rather than just increasing the number of connections. Sue also advised caution when using LinkedIn, as it is a real-time platform and deleted information may not be recoverable. She suggested that the key to success lies in implementing strategies and maintaining a consistent approach.

AI’s Impact on LinkedIn Relationships
The team discussed the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on LinkedIn. Constanza expressed curiosity about the new features and options appearing on the platform, while Sue emphasized the importance of authenticity in a world increasingly dominated by AI. She suggested that AI tools could help create a “faster horse,” but it’s crucial to maintain genuine human relationships. Sue also shared her personal experience of using AI to generate quotes and how it helped her. The conversation ended with Sue expressing her anticipation for future interactions with the team.

The LinkedIn Event Page for Networking

The event on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/events/7240916107593703425 shows you who registered to attend for six months so you can network away to your heart’s content!

Comments from the Chat in the Webinar

Feedback Survey – What has been most helpful to you from this webinar?

Knowing that it ok not to be a master of LinkedIn. My skills can grow with my effort.
Create a spreadsheet list of all potential contacts to connect. Learning about other groups of ppl I didn’t consider before.
This webinar gave me a better understanding on specific actions to use to improve linked in connections

Feedback Survey – Any other comments?

I’m going to look into professional development in 2025 and hope to touch base.
I am not familiar with the other features of linkedin like Collaborations, doing the advanced Google search to find other people that linkedin does not consider within your scope of network,etc..I will need to find out more how to do this..
Just a big Thank you

Reviews after the Webinar

Thanks for the 10 Tips webinar! I was doing the first half by the seat of my pants. It’s nice to see how someone with more experience has a smoother process I can learn.

Follow Up Personal Assistance

– Book a personal appointment with Sue Ellson

Service examples https://sueellson.com/services-and-pricing – please Contact Sue

How to say Thank You Sue

If you find any of the information in this free webinar helpful, please consider writing an informative review via one of the following links:
Google Review https://g.page/sue-ellson-author/review
Facebook Review https://www.facebook.com/sueellson2/reviews
Online Review https://sueellson.com/reviews (no login required)
LinkedIn Recommendation https://www.linkedin.com/in/sueellson (we need to be connected)

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