I’ve also gotten a lot of warm emails and cold emails through LinkedIn through sales reps who are trying to get connected to me without intruding on my day through a cold phone call.
So what are some of my tips for networking through Linkedin? Based on my experience with it, as well as from reading the articles I list at the bottom, I hope this helps get you started! If you have any tips yourself, let me know in the comments!
First, know that when middle management, executives and owners are on it and really using it, they’re using it to connect with people and promote themselves and their companies. Since social media is for conversations, direct your conversation to be about them and their needs first and then how you can solve their needs. Check to see if who you want to reach has blogs or posts regularly on different groups or boards and get in on those conversations. They’ll appreciate you getting in touch with them that way if you can provide something more thought provoking or insightful than just a sales pitch.
Here are the articles I either referenced or enjoyed.
-A Guide To Generating Leads on LinkedIn
-A Guide To Business Development 2.0
-Introducing Your Network to Each Other
And here’s a nice article about networking when you’re not on the net:
-5 Tips to Break the Ice at Networking Events
Patti is still learning 