Right-Sizing Your LinkedIn Network
"If I could just grow my network BIGGER, I would get BETTER results." How many times have you looked at your LinkedIn network and started playing the comparison game with other experts? đ˛
Too many of us focus on just getting MORE followers without paying attention to the WHOs inside our networks.
We follow the standard "funnel" marketing advice to go wide from the start to ensure that we don't miss anyone who just MIGHT be a fit for our programs, services or products.
LinkedIn works differently than other online channels, in that, you actually want to take the opposite approach here: start uber-targeted, THEN widen as you grow.
In this next episode of Mondays with Mindi, we discuss exactly how to right-size your LinkedIn network with the right number of the right people based on your business objectives.
Not everyone needs 10K+ LinkedIn followers to fill a six- or seven-figure business pipeline -- you might be surprised how a "small but mighty network" could actually be a better fit!
A Bigger LinkedIn Network is Not Always Better
Anyone else guilty of playing the comparison game on LinkedIn? Itâs very easy to start looking at everyone else in your space whoâs growing faster than you or has a bigger network.
Then, we can easily feel a range of emotions around not being good enough, not growing fast enough, not having a big enough network. Itâs easy to sabotage our LinkedIn efforts before we even get momentum.
We all know the comparing habit is not a healthy one most of the time, but we are still human and get sucked into it too frequently.
So the next time it happens, youâre going to be prepared with a technique that will help you combat the âbigger is betterâ comparison.
When you focus on growing bigger for the sake of getting more eyeballs on your content or getting connected to a bunch of other professionals, itâs actually going to hurt your results on LinkedIn in the long run.
If you have a small network right now, youâre in luck! Iâm going to share today why thatâs actually an advantage when it comes to people you may consider your competitors who have a bigger network.
With a small network, youâre able to take a completely different approach to networking and engaging with those connections while youâre also focused on increasing revenue, attracting new clients and building your personal brand.
If you have a network that feels a bit out of alignment with your current business or career objectives, weâll talk about some ways you can actually right-size your network to improve your results on LinkedIn.
Thereâs no right or wrong! Itâs all about getting clear on what size network is going to work for you now. Remember, you can always adjust your strategy down the road.
No matter your starting point, you are exactly where you need to be to start getting tangible results from Linkedin.
So, letâs talk about what right-sizing your network actually looks like on LinkedIn when youâre deciding who belongs in your network now and moving forward and who doesnât.
What Happens If Your Network is Too Big?
When your network is too big, what actually happens? You may not be convinced that a bigger network is not hurting you in any way.
Those who are just âhanging aroundâ as a number in your LinkedIn Rolodex are not hurting you, are they?
Itâs easy to assume that if they are boosting your following, itâs okay for them to stay right where they are, but there are a few things to consider here when your current network is mismatched.
When youâre connected to someone, that very act implies that you WANT to be connected to them professionally for some reason. If this is no longer the case or youâve moved on, shouldnât your network reflect that?
Intentionality is a big deal on LinkedIn when it comes to âwhom youâre connected toâ and people on LinkedIn DO see their mutual connections or a list of all your connections (if they want to take a look and you have them set to public.)
If you were in a different sector and made a shift to a new industry or a career path, you really want those mutual connections or list of connections to show that you are well-connected in the new industry.
For example, I have a client who was a leadership consultant in the nonprofit sector and decide to focus on cannabis leaders. When he initially made the jump, it was tougher to get people in the cannabis space to connect with him because there were very few (if not any) cannabis connections they shared mutually.
Now that heâs spent about a year building up his connections in the cannabis space, people are much more willing to connect with him because âhe knows so-and-soâ that they know or are aware of.
Okay, so look at someone youâre connected to (or not) to see the mutual connections you share at the top of their profile. When you recognize a number of those names, you are more likely to trust that individual, yes?
I almost always look for mutual connections when I reach out to connect with people. Some mutual connections show that they are also intentional about getting connected with other professionals in the same space.
Youâre building trust when you are connected with people they recognize.
But, if they see that youâre connected to a bunch of other people known as LION (LinkedIn Open Networkers) who are connected to just about anyone and everyone on LinkedIn, that will subconsciously reflect on your personal brand as not being strategic with your networking.
So do you see how intentionality with your LinkedIn network is pretty important? If your network is big but NOT intentional, itâs not going to help you with your current objectives.
One other thing to keep in mind is that your engagement rate on your LinkedIn posts (if you share content) is likely going to be pretty low with a big-but-not-aligned network.
If your goal is to more deeply engage with your network, you might be better off with clearing the slate or doing a little cleanup to better manage all of the interactions in your network.
Again, thereâs no right or wrong, but it helps to be aware of some factors that you may have never considered to be hurting (or helping) you in your LinkedIn efforts.
Instead of Bigger, Think about Right-Sizing
Your network does not have to meet the criteria for what anyone else considers to be âthe right sizeâ if youâre happy with the people inside it.
The number of people is all up to you!
I have people who go through my Accelerator programs that determine 500 is just the right size network for them because they want to be deeply engaged with just about everyone in their network.
For those of you who are freelancers or solopreneurs working with high-paying clients on retainer, this smaller network might be fine for you because there are plenty of opportunities for you within a very niche network.
If you like to avoid overwhelm and want to be highly selective with the people who join your network, then go ahead and stick with the smaller range of 500 - 1,000. Down the road if you decide to write a book or want to expand your network, you can always grow bigger.
Maybe youâre someone who wants to realign your LinkedIn network, in which case you might want to clear the slate and start removing connections from your network if theyâre no longer a fit.
Just be sure that if you take this approach, you are intentional about the ones you choose to remove from your network and whom you want to replace them with.
And maybe youâre thinking that you just want to adjust your approach to networking from here on out, which is the category most of us fall into.
In that case, youâll need to think about the size of your network and the quality of the people in your network. Will this size network give the right number of opportunities for your business?
If itâs too small, youâll be struggling to get enough opportunities, but if itâs too big, you may not know which group to focus on first.
Right-Sizing Your Network Like a Pro
Expert networkers have it down to a science when it comes to networking with the right people. For the rest of us, we simply need to understand the basics to ensure we can network naturally without exerting too much effort and without pulling away energy from more direct revenue-generating activities.
I would argue that growing your LinkedIn network can often become a revenue-generating activity once you learn how to do it well, but you will need some time to get into a groove with networking before youâre able to point to something like âgetting connected with 100 people on LinkedIn yields 1 new client and 2-3 partners/referral sources.â
Letâs discuss some steps you can take to get to that point. Baby steps.
#1 - Get Clear on Your Network Size
Is your network right now big enough to give you new opportunities or collaboration opportunities? If you feel like itâs crickets and that you donât have many opportunities in your network now, youâll need to focus on growing your network.
I find that a lot of SMB owners and experts feel great in the 1,000 - 3,000 range with their network, but that may not be a fit for you.
Is your network too big right now, where it feels like you have more people than you can connect with on a deeper level? Iâd recommend removing some connections from your network who do not fall into the category of âpeople youâd like to do business withâ in some way.
Itâs all about finding your sweet spot. No absolute right or wrong.
#2 - Get Clear on Who Belongs in Your Network
This is not about adding everyone youâve ever worked with before to your LinkedIn network. If youâre just trying to get to 500 connections, maybe you can connect with them.
But being intentional about WHO belongs in your network now is the key moving forward once you have established a baseline of connections.
Ideally, youâre going to want a mix of different types of people in your network, like contractors, freelancers, other experts in your field, your past and current clients, and a good percentage of prospective clients or customers.
Once youâre clear on the types of people you want to add to your network, you can focus on adding just those people to your network.
#3 - Get Clear on Your LinkedIn Networking Approach
hink about the ONE category you want to grow the most in your network. Many of us immediately think about leads or prospects, which may be the category you want to grow next if youâre feeling confident about your messaging.
If youâre still new to LinkedIn or have a fledgling network, Iâd recommend going for those who are more your peers first because they are much more likely to say YES to your LinkedIn connection invitation.
Once you develop your confidence in adding new people to your network, you will then be able to start focusing on those other categories of connections who might be a bit more difficult to reach.
Give yourself an immediate win by reaching out to 5-10 people who are a part of a business community, organization or affiliate network. The majority of them will immediately accept your connection invitation, and youâll be ready to either add more of them OR start reaching out to those potential clients.
Build your networking muscles before you try to prospect on LinkedIn, and it will serve you well in the long run.
Letâs recap the right-sizing process:
Get clear on your ideal network size
Get clear on who belongs in your network
Figure out who you want to reach out to next
If youâre ready to get started with LinkedIn and take the next step to optimize your profile once and for all, so you can start growing your network on the regular or land your next opportunity in 2022, join me inside The LinkedIn Accelerator program which is opening in early April!
What additional questions do you have about building your LinkedIn network with the right people? Leave them below in the comments or shoot me a private message. Iâm happy to answer themđ!
