LinkedIn is a powerful tool for building professional connections, prospecting and selling, expanding your influence, or advancing your career. Whether you're just getting started or already have an established network, here are many strategies you can use to grow your network on LinkedIn.
Who should I connect with on Linkedin?
This is one of the questions I get asked the most during seminars and workshops.
It's essential to connect with people you know or have the intention of knowing or meeting in the near future. This ensures your network remains healthy and of high quality, comprising individuals who know you and whom you also know.
Consequently, you can rely on them for introductions, referrals, and questions. If you cannot count on someone you're connected to for a simple query, the relationship is virtually non-existent and not worthwhile. They might be connected to more people than you, but without a genuine connection, they won't bother introducing you to others or you might not even feel confortable asking.
Maintaining a qualitative approach in building your network is crucial; it's not about numbers but the strength of relationships within your first-degree network that counts.
We hear often ”Your network is your net worth”. I prefer to say “Who you know is the network, who they know is the potential”
ABC: Always Be Connecting
Another important aspect is mindset. We meet new people all the time—whether it's a taxi driver, a customer, a prospect, or socially at a barbecue. Anyone you meet in social settings or random occasions could be valuable. They might work at a company on your prospect list in two months or be connected to a CEO you've dreamt of reaching out to.
Therefore, always have the mindset of connecting with people you've met and know. Nothing stops you from checking their profile on LinkedIn and deciding if it makes sense to connect afterwards.
This “always be connecting” mindset, ABC, derives from the sales mantra “always be closing”. The focus has shifted to building relationships rather than just closing transactions. Always having this connecting mindset is beneficial even if you're not in sales; you never know who might lead to your next opportunity or important conversation.
Now you are connected, what is next?
When establishing a relationship initially, it will be weak. Strengthen it over time by adding value and depositing into the trust bank account of that relationship.
Consistency and adding value will make the relationship stronger, allowing you to make withdrawals when necessary because you've earned that right through multiple deposits.
LinkedIn provides visibility—whether people change jobs, celebrate anniversaries, achieve milestones, get promoted, or post something relatable. These opportunities allow you to reach out, add value and stay top of mind.
Blank connection or Personalised note?
Lastly, when reaching out to people you haven't met yet or are about to meet, personalise your connection request. Statistics show that personalised requests lead to stronger relationships. Many send blank requests on LinkedIn; while these may have a 50-50 chance of acceptance, personalised requests are opening a message box when accepted more likely to initiate a conversation and also result in meetings later on.
Now that we've covered some important notions of the networking etiquette, here are 25+ tactics anyone can use to build and grow their Linkedin network.
Let’s dive in.
For people with less than 500 connections
For Linkedin beginners or professionals who are inactive or have fewer than 500 connections, the focus is on getting more comfortable with the platform, increasing visibility, and gradually expanding their network.
Simple steps like reconnecting with old colleagues, attending virtual events, and joining LinkedIn groups can significantly boost connections and profile visits. Here are 10 tactics you can use once or regularely to get you to that 500+ connections threshold.
10 Tactics to Build Your Linkedin Network:
- Use Linkedin mobile app to import contacts and send connection request to contacts already on Linkedin.
- Send personalised connection requests to former colleagues, classmates, and acquaintances.
- Send connection requests to colleagues in your current organization.
- Regularly use LinkedIn’s "People You May Know" feature to expand your network.
- Join industry-specific LinkedIn groups and send connection requests to active members.
- Attend virtual events and send connection requests to attendees and speakers afterward.
- Send connection requests to people you meet at industry conferences and webinars.
- Use Advanced Search to find people of interest who are in your country/city, in your industry, with a specific job title (here is a Linkedin Advanced Search example, feel free to tailor filters to your needs)
- Send connection requests to 2nd-degree connections (mutual contacts).
- Use Advanced Search to find relevant people who are in targeted roles, in your country/city, in your industry and who are 2nd-degree connections (having a mutual connections with you) Here is a Linkedin Advanced Search example, feel free to tailor filters to your needs, then:
- mention the name of people you know in common in the connection request
- or ask the mutual connection to introduce you
For Professionals having between 500 and 1000 connections
Once you have passed the 500+ connections milestone, you want to focus on quality and seniority. Maintain the A.B.C Always Be Connecting mindset and your network will grow in a consistent and healthy way. If you start posting and engaging with others posts, then you will also start being noticed by others.
8 Tactics to Connect on Linkedin:
- Check your "Who’s Viewed My Profile" section at least weekly and send a connection request to people of interest to expand your network.
- Review upcoming meetings each week ahead and invite people you are about to meet to connect on Linkedin. Check their profile and mention something that you have in common or something worth noting to show you care and help break the ice before you meet.
- Search alumni from your university page and connect with individuals in your industry, similar role, or country.
- Join industry-specific LinkedIn groups and send connection requests to active members.
- Attend virtual events and send connection requests to attendees and speakers afterward.
- Connect with people you meet at industry conferences or networking events using the QR code in the Linkedin mobile app. You will be connecting on the spot and you could be the first one who showed them.
- Post about industry-related topics and send connection requests to relevant individuals who like, comment on, or share your posts.
- Send personalised connection requests to relevant professionals who comment on industry influencers or thought leaders you mutually follow.
For Active Linkedin members with more than 1000 connections
If you have more than 1000 connections on Linkedin, you are already familiar with many networking strategies, but to continue growing your network in a meaningful way, you should focus on leveraging your visibility to attract more relevant connection requests. Hosting LinkedIn Live events, starting a newsletter, and collaborating with influencers are effective ways to gain further traction and solidify your reach and influence. At this stage, you might want to start focusing on building followers and a large audience.
10 Tactics to Grow Your Linkedin Network:
- Host a LinkedIn Live session on a hot industry topic and connect with attendees afterward.
- Regularly send connection requests to people who engage with your posts and articles.
- Send connection requests to attendees of webinars, industry conferences, or workshops where you’re speaking.
- Search and sift through the connections of any contact in your network. Ask for introductions or send connection requests.
- Use Linkedin Advanced Searches or LinkedIn Sales Navigator to identify and connect with highly relevant people in your industry.
- Send connection requests to people who frequently engage with industry hashtags you follow.
- Create a public LinkedIn group around a key industry topic and let people join and connect with the most active and relevant members.
Bonus
Actions to increase the number of connection requests you receive:
- Optimize Your Profile for Keywords: Use industry-relevant keywords in your headline, summary, and job titles and experiences to appear in more search results.
- Complete Your Profile (100%): Make sure you’ve completed every section, including skills, certifications, etc. According to Linkedin, achieving "All-Star" status (fully completed profile), makes users 40 times more likely to be found in searches. Also, profiles that are fully completed receive 20 times more profile views compared to those that are incomplete.
- Set Your Profile to ‘Open to Opportunities’ if you are actively seeking a new job or if you are discreetly open to opportunities (Linkedin has both options): This makes your profile more visible to recruiters when searching for people matching your skills and experience.
- Create content on Linkedin: Linkedin posts of course, but you can create articles, newsletters, carousel (pdf)… the greater the frequency and the engagement, the more impressions your content will get and the more profile visits you will receive some leading to people wanting to connect with you
- Engage with High-Visibility Posts: Comment on posts by influencers or thought leaders to increase your profile's exposure.
No matter where you are on your LinkedIn journey, there are always opportunities to grow your network in a meaningful and sustainable way. By taking the right actions, whether it’s engaging more consistently, posting thought-provoking content, or collaborating with others in your industry, you can increase both your connections and your visibility on the platform.
Implement these tactics based on your current activity level, and watch your LinkedIn network flourish.
For more expert advice on networking strategies for executives or sales teams, check out our other blog articles and reach out if you have any questions!