Linked Accelerator Week 3 Ted Prodromou

Building Your LinkedIn Network Ted Prodromou

How Big Should Your LinkedIn Network Be?

Before You Answer That, Answer This Question

What Is Your LinkedIn Objective?

Reasons To Be On LinkedIn 1.Establish your Professional Profile 2.Stay in touch with colleagues and friends 3.Exploring opportunities 4.Finding experts and answers to your business-related questions 5.Sell your products or services

Your LinkedIn Objective Can Be Any Of Those Reasons Or A Combination

LinkedIn Hierarchy 1st-degree 2nd-degree 3rd-degree Fellow members of your LinkedIn Groups Out of Network

1 st Degree People you're directly connected to because you have accepted their invitation to connect, or they have accepted your invitation. You'll see a 1st degree icon next to their name in search results and on their profile. You can contact them by sending a message on LinkedIn.

2 nd Degree People who are connected to your 1st-degree connections. You'll see a 2nd degree icon next to their name in search results and on their profile. You can send them an invitation by clicking Connect or contact them through an InMail or an introduction.

If I want to connect with Jennifer I can connect with her because I see her full name I can click on the Shared Connections and have one of my connections introduce us

3 rd Degree People who are connected to your 2nd-degree connections. You'll see a 3rd degree icon next to their name in search results and on their profile. If their full first and last names are displayed, you will be able to send them an invitation by clicking Connect. If only the first letter of their last name is displayed, clicking Connect is not an option but you can still contact them through an InMail or an introduction.

Fellow Members of Groups These people are considered part of your network because you're members of the same group. You'll see a Group icon next to their name in search results and on their profile. You can contact them by sending a message on LinkedIn or using your group's discussion feature. If you don’t want to be contacted by fellow group members who are not connections, you can block messages in your Settings.

A Search for Group Members

Out of Network LinkedIn members who fall outside of the categories listed above. You can contact them through an InMail.

Networking on LinkedIn

Two Types Of Networking Open Networking Strategic Networking

Open Networking Focus on quantity over quality Large networks, often over 10,000 connections Very little time to build relationships because you’re focusing on adding new connections For recruiters and sales professionals who are casting a very wide net

Known As A LinkedIn Open Networker (LION)

You Accept Any Invitation To Connect No Matter What

You Want As Many Connections As Possible So You Are Always Just One Connection Away From Someone You Want To Connect With

LIONS Promote Their LION Status In Their Profile And Include The Number Of Connections They Have

Strategic Networking Focus on quality instead of quantity Keep network size smaller so you can build stronger relationships with your network Connect with the decision makers who will hire you You can also connect with the people who report to the decision makers who you will work with when you are hired

How Many People Do You Know?

How Many People Do You Communicate With On A Regular Basis?

According To Dunbar’s Number (Robin Dunbar, 1992) You Can Only Have Stable Relationships With 100 to 230 People

Keeping Your Network Smaller Let’s You Build Stronger Relationships And Minimize The Noise In Your Network

The Optimal Size Of Your Strategic Network Depends On Your LinkedIn Objective

Connection Request Etiquette

Options When You Receive a Connection Request Accept Reply Ignore Report Spam

Accept The person will immediately become a first-degree connection

Reply You can Reply and ask the person how they know you or why they want to connect with you

Ignore When you don’t want to connect with the person

Report Spam When it’s clear the person is a spammer or a fraudulent account you should report them as Spam

Homework: Determine your LinkedIn Objective Will you be an Open Networker or Strategic Networker? Start building your network!