How You Can Start Networking on LinkedIn
Networking gets a bad rap. Think lukewarm coffee, boring meet-and-greets, discovery calls to talk about nothing. Ain't got time for that!
What's the difference between adding LinkedIn connections and actually networking strategically on LinkedIn? A lot, actually!
Networking has CHANGED for better or for worse. Pandemics. Zoom meetings. Companies gone remote. The way we engage as humans is different, and it's time to adapt.
I like to think of LinkedIn as the "hub" for networking on my own time, at my own pace, only with the people I choose, in the way I enjoy communicating, building real relationships and delivering tangible business results.
Yep, all that.
LinkedIn gives you plenty of options without the downsides of traditional networking.
In this episode of Mondays with Mindi, we talk about some strategies YOU can use right now to start networking on LinkedIn, show up as the best version of your professional self and get in front of your target audience!
LinkedIn Networking the Mango Way 🥭
Networking is a word that oozes ickiness for a lot of us...
What does it bring to mind for you when you hear the term “you should start networking”?
I feel like we get this sense that we need to get all dressed up in our most professional attire and start filling our calendars with a blend of Zoom and in-person association meetings.
No longer are those in-person business association meetings the name of the game when it comes to networking.
Thing is, you cannot CHOOSE who shows up to those meetings, unless you’re the organizer.
With LinkedIn, guess what? You ARE the organizer.
You get to choose who shows up to your meetings and ONLY whom you want to network with.
No more wasted discovery calls, no need for Zoom group meetings where you want to turn off your camera and multi-task, and in-person meetups for business purposes are SO pre-pandemic.
So, we start focusing on “networking on LinkedIn” to attract new clients, business partners, or influencers. But what does that actually look like?
The problem is that we’re taught that we should always be looking for shortcuts and automation in our businesses.
Why not just try some fancy-schmancy tool that says it can do all of that for us? We just figure out a few templates, start sending connections, and boom! Lots of people responding in our DMs.
Then, we wonder why it’s like a ghost town.
Nobody is responding.
Those who do are not interested.
Hmmmmm… we decide that automation isn’t working so well. At this point, we give up and say that LinkedIn is not the right channel for us or that we need to find another SCALABLE solution.
Facebook Ads? Paid placements? LinkedIn ads? Another automation tool to add the stack?
They all have their place, but they cannot replace networking. Networking is essential no matter WHAT your career or WHICH business you are in.
It’s a non-negotiable.
Networking the mango way is NOT scalable
It requires YOU to start the conversation and YOU to continue the conversation and YOU to cultivate the relationship.
Reminds me a little of that mango tree in our backyard. A real human being had to plant the tree, nurture the little sapling, and then prune it while it grew into a massive mango tree. If I had to guess, there were between 1-2,000 mangoes that have come off that tree.
Pretty impressive, right?
It’s about the same size of a LinkedIn network that you need to generate enough revenue for a 6-7 figure business. At least, that’s what my clients and students are finding.
All right, so I cannot outsource my networking completely. How do I go about it in a way that gets me results on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a Relationships Game
How many of you have heard from the experts that you need to build up your following on LinkedIn BEFORE you can start networking effectively?
*raises hand*
Kinda’ sounds backwards, right?
I mean, how are you going to build up your following if you aren’t ALREADY networking with the right people?
You don’t just attract followers because you post great content, and it goes viral. This is a common misconception that people have.
LinkedIn is a relationships game.
It’s not about gaming the LinkedIn algorithm or making a video going viral (like TikTok.)
Too many people focus on posting and writing great content on LinkedIn, but they completely ignore their DMs.
The most important thing on LinkedIn (after your profile of course) is your LinkedIn messaging inbox.
This is where the magic happens.
The problem is… nobody ELSE can see it.
Because it’s only visible to YOU, it’s easy to overlook because there are no vanity metrics involved.
You cannot brag or add it to your Featured section on your profile “how many inbound messages and collaborations” that you’ve landed as a result of your DMs.
It’s not gamified on LinkedIn.
Networking is a bit more private in the early stages, until you start “showing up everywhere” as an influencer or thought leader in your space.
So, we cannot often SEE all the networking that happens behind the scenes for others.
Therefore, we have trouble MODELING the right behaviors because we don’t have a clue what those behaviors look like on LinkedIn.
What if you could get a sneak peek to see what those behaviors are? Which strategies people are using to network the mango way?
Figure out Your LinkedIn Networking Style
The right networking behaviors will lead to you getting the business results you are after.
It’s about discipline and discovering where your strengths are when it comes to communication.
How you go about networking will look different depending on your personality type and exactly what drives value for your business.
For example, I’m a bit more introverted. LinkedIn is perfect for me because I can start a number of new conversations in my DMs with interesting people and leave them at that for most, while deciding whether or not there’s a collaboration opportunity with others who have audiences that overlap with mine.
For me, I like to do guest appearances on podcasts or teach master classes for people with similar audiences. This allows me to network with a purpose, and not feel like I’m just filling up my calls calendar with “discovery calls” that lead nowhere.
I’m very picky about the types of calls that I will allow onto my calendar. I don’t hand out my Calendly link to most people. I only give it to people who want to collaborate with me on a project where I can immediately see the value for them and for me. If it’s not a mutual exchange, I will not even have a discovery phone call.
This is just one example.
I have clients on the other side of the spectrum, who find that a quick discovery call is exactly what they need to make a determination and start the networking process.
You need to find out what your “networking style” is going to be, and then match your approach.
I HATE hopping on calls that take from my energy if I am not 95% sure that it’s going to lead to business or some type of opportunity. I waste NO time on unnecessary calls, but that likely means I miss out on some opportunities where people really need that discovery call to proceed with me.
Choose what will work best for you (not just what an expert says) and move forward with that strategy.
Once you’ve used that strategy for 30-60 days, check in with yourself to see how it’s going and how you feel about your approach.
That’s when it’s time to reassess and realign your strategy until it feels just right.
But what does this actually look like in the real world of LinkedIn?
One LinkedIn Networking Strategy to Try Today
Here's a simplified version of one of seven strategies that I like to use on LinkedIn (and sometimes other channels) for reaching out to get the networking game started. This one is specific to influencers or thought leaders who have an audience that overlaps with yours.
I’ll walk you through this process step-by-step, but feel free to adjust it however you would like to get the results you want faster or at a pace that works for you.
#1 - Make a list of 20 influential people
These people need to be influencers (or micro-influencers) with at least a few thousand followers on LinkedIn (or elsewhere if they’re not that big on LinkedIn.)
They should share some overlap with your audience.
They should seem somewhat accessible on LinkedIn.
#2 - Follow them on LinkedIn & subscribe to their emails
Start the relationship in a natural way, so that you don’t look too eager.
Follow them on LinkedIn.
Subscribe to their emails.
Show up to their livestream and leave a comment.
Do some things that are a bit more public, so you really know what they’re up to before you decide to reach out.
#3 - Pay attention to their content for a few weeks
Read their emails.
Get social notifications when they go live.
Join and engage in their LinkedIn or Facebook communities.
Join and participate in their Live sessions.
Make notes on what interests them and where you might be able to help their audience.
Look at their social posts - comment insightfully.
#4 - Reach out to connect with a couple of them daily
There’s a way to do this that doesn’t feel creepy.
Be thoughtful in how you approach them.
Realize that they are busy and likely don’t want to waste time on anything that doesn’t help their community or drive their business forward.
Don’t ask for anything in this initial connection!
#5 - Engage in the conversation
Let the conversation take its natural course and don’t force anything.
Have in mind an opportunity or collaboration you’d like to explore with them.
Make it simple for them to say a “heck, yes!”
If the conversation dies out, that’s okay.
Move onto the next person on your list: always be networking with someone new!
In conclusion, your goal is to create more meaningful 1:1 connections with influential people by adding them to your LinkedIn network and reaching out to them in a way that feels human.
My challenge for you -- make that list of 20 influential people that you’d LOVE to network with. Then, start having some fun with your networking process on LinkedIn to determine your style of connection, outreach, and exploration.
It’s all about building relationships - not all of them will pan out, but if you are consistently networking and looking for synergy… you will move the needle over time.
If you’re looking for that extra edge to figure out how to begin networking on LinkedIn "the mango way" to get more clients for your business, get on my waitlist for The LinkedIn Accelerator where I’ll be doing a free kickoff training to help you flesh out your LinkedIn strategy.
