How to Build a Strong LinkedIn Network

Are you able to personally introduce and recommend everyone in your LinkedIn network? (Tweet this) If you would introduce someone you just met on a street corner to your friends and business associates, then this post isn't for you.

If the scene in the cartoon above strikes you as slightly absurd, like it should, then you are interested in having a strong LinkedIn network. What I mean by a strong LinkedIn network is the confidence that you know everyone in your network and would be willing to introduce them to someone. If you are friends with and connected to the CEO of a company, would you be willing to introduce just anyone to him or her? Most likely you would only be willing to introduce someone you know.  

I frequently get emails asking me to introduce someone to another person in my network. I know all of the people in my network and never hesitate to make an introduction. I have sent the same emails however asking for an introduction to someone and often the responses I get are along the lines of "oh, I'm connected to them but I don’t even know who that person is" or "I met that person once at a conference, but I don’t really know them well enough to make a connection." That is probably one of the most frustrating things of looking for connections on LinkedIn and that’s what I try to avoid. I have gotten those responses countless times when looking for introductions. I would have no problem introducing someone to any person that I’m connected to on LinkedIn.

What kind of a LinkedIn user are you?

This is a question you need to think a little bit about. Some people connect with everyone they can. They’re called open networkers. There are two levels. You literally connect to everyone that you possibly can on LinkedIn and amass as many connections as you possibly can. They’re often marked on LinkedIn as LIONs, LinkedIn Open Networkers. I don't get the value of doing that. There are other people who aren’t like that, but will connect with just about every business card they get at conferences, meetups and lectures. "I met you once? Sure. Let’s connect."

Then there are people, like myself, who only connect with people they know, with people they wouldn’t hesitate to introduce if asked. It might be people that I only know as an acquaintance, but if I wouldn't hesitate to introduce them to anybody else in my network, then I will connect with them on LinkedIn.

I often get connection requests from people who I don’t know. I used to ignore them and a lot of people do. But I’ve realized that many people incorrectly use connection requests (instead of using InMail), even people who should know better, like recruiters and headhunters. Unless a connection request is clearly spam, I respond to each one.

I’ve said you should only connect with people you know and I’ve also said reply to every connection request. Where does that leave you? Doesn't replying to a connection request mean I’m accepting the request? Actually, no. You can reply to a connection request without accepting the connection. When a person I don’t know sends me a connection request and doesn’t state in their request the reason for reaching out, I’m going to reply and ask them.

"Thanks for reaching out! I usually only connect to people I know. Is there a specific reason or opportunity you were interested in discussing?"

I send them a message, similar to above, asking why they want to connect. Sometimes I’ll get a response and sometimes I won’t. If I don’t get a response, they were just trying to build their network or spam me. If I get a response and they have a specific job opportunity they want to discuss, great. I’ll discuss it with them and then decide if I want to connect. 

The one exception to my rule of only connecting with people I know is connecting with recruiters and headhunters if I see value in the connection. If they’ve reached out to me out regarding a position that’s relevant to me, even if it doesn’t work out, I’ll connect with them. That way I stay at the top of their search results when they are looking for candidates. I have to make sure I get jobs in the future, right? 

Nurturing your Network

I've spoken about the value of having a strong LinkedIn network. I'd like to offer some tips on how to use LinkedIn to nurture that network.

Most important I think is making sure to customize connection requests. A pet peeve of mine is receiving LinkedIn connection requests that aren't customized, where someone didn't expend the effort to change the default "I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn" message to give me a reason why I should connect. This actually goes together with another pet peeve. More people should learn the proper use of InMail vs Connection Requests. If you don't know someone and want to reach out to them regarding an opportunity, whether it's a career change or a sales pitch or really just about anything, you should use InMail. InMail is just like sending an email but it's on the LinkedIn platform without revealing a person's email address. If the person responds and both see value, then send a connection request. 

Another aspect of nurturing your LinkedIn connections is keeping track of your interactions and making it easier to find someone. LinkedIn has two powerful tools to assist you with that. The relationship tab on every connected profile shows your history with that person. You can add notes here of why you connected with someone or when and how you met them. Only you can see the notes you enter. You can also tag profiles to help you categorize your connections for making it easier to find people in your network.

In addition I'm a big fan of the Chrome extension called Rapportive. It uses the sidebar in Gmail to show you LinkedIn profile information for any email address you hover over in Gmail. It’s a great way to see some basic information on anyone you interact with via email. Maybe there is someone you email often but don't really know what they do for a living. With Rapportive, all of a sudden you might see that someone works at a company you've been interested in learning more about. Chat them up next time you see them! That kind of thing has happened to me numerous times using Rapportive.

By only connecting to people on LinkedIn that I know, I am building a strong network of friends, fellow alumni and business associates that I would never hesitate to contact asking for an introduction or making an introduction. LinkedIn is a tool to facilitate networking, a means to an end. Having connections is one part of that but the quantity of connections isn't what matters, it's the quality. 

Why is it important to build a strong LinkedIn network? If all of this talk about introductions doesn't make any sense, stay tuned for my next post, which will talk about how to draw upon the strength of your network when you are looking for your next opportunity.

What are your thoughts on building and nurturing your LinkedIn network?