In my last post we looked at the Three Ps of LinkedIn marketing and discussed ways to get your Profile in to shape. This week we will look at the second P: Propagate. That is developing a network of connections who are interest in the services you offer.
Three Degrees of LinkedIn
Now that your profile really highlights your offering and can act as an interesting landing page, it is time to start making relevant connections. LinkedIn has three degrees of connection shown in the figure below.
These are described as follows:
First-degree connection: Contacts that have connected to you. You either know these people directly or have something in common. Preferably industry and geography.
Second degree connection: Contacts who are connected to your first degree connections. Generally, you don’t know these people, though you will have acquaintances in common.
Third degree connection: Contacts outside of your immediate network. To connect with them you will need to broaden the reach of your second degree connections.
Not All Connections Are Equal
For your LinkedIn marketing to be relevant do not fall into the trap of connecting to everyone. This is completely counterproductive and will significantly dilute your efforts. Connections need to be hyper focused on individuals who are relevant, who may have an interest in, or a need for, your offering. To clarify, they should be potential customers or stakeholders.
Revisit the work done on your ideal customer, and look at the key customers in your operational plan. Within this group, which roles have the most interest and influence around your company offering? Once this is established, a simple LinkedIn search will yield gold. For example, principal water engineer, Washington, would generate a list of principal level water engineers in the Washington area. I have found that the more specific the search criteria is, the more useful the results will be.
Use the filters to refine you search by region, company or industry. Within minutes you will have a list of relevant contacts. Then simply click connect.
Building your network is key to leveraging the power of the LinkedIn platform. Committing to connect with thirty relevant second degree connections every day will expand your network dramatically.
What’s Next
The third post in the series will explore the third P of LinkedIn: Promote. I’m always keen to hear your thoughts. Tell me how you use LinkedIn to successfully market your company.
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