Take Your LinkedIn Professional Networking to the Next Level

Are you looking to take your social media professional networking or business development to another level? Building on my previous article, Three Essential Social Media Tips for Attorneys, CPAs, and Other Professionals, this article provides simple steps you can take to go from a basic LinkedIn profile to using LinkedIn or other social media for business development and professional networking.

Note: the links in the following tips take you to additional content on LinkedIn for help with the tips mentioned. Use the Help feature in Twitter and Facebook for help with those applications.

Follow the organizations you support.

1. Most people support organizations with monetary donations, volunteering, or sitting on boards. Simply following these organizations on LinkedIn or other social media channels can beef up your LinkedIn profile and professional networking. And you’ll become more aware of the organizations’ activities by following them on social media, opening up opportunities to do more. Reshare their content and like their posts–at least the ones you find most of interest. Your connections will get a feel for who you are beyond your resume. And you never know where that could lead. You may inspire someone else to support the same organization or meet others with similar interests.

Follow industry peers and referral sources.

2. You likely know many people within your industry. Perhaps you attended a conference where someone you know and respect spoke. Be sure to connect with those you exchange business cards and have meaningful conversations with. Congratulate others on their achievements. Like and reshare their content when appropriate. In the legal field, conflicts may bar an attorney from taking on a matter with some frequency. Maintaining connections on LinkedIn can provide two-way referral sources. And down the road, you never know where your career path will take you. Those connections can prove very valuable over the years as a source of business or even a new career.

Follow thought leaders, content producers, and organizations in the areas you rely on for information and expertise.

3. Most of us rely on information from industry sources to stay current in our fields. Whether you rely on information from business publications like Forbes or Harvard Business Review or more specialized content like JD Supra or Corporate Counsel, be sure to follow these sources on LinkedIn. When you find an article or post that is helpful or thought-provoking to you, you can quickly reshare, like, and comment on their content. That activity will then appear in the feeds of those you’re connected to, and those who view your profile will see it as well.

Get out in the community.

4. Are you attending a charity auction or fundraiser, walking or running in an event to raise funds for a nonprofit, or volunteering for a cause close to your heart? Share a post or two about the event. Most event programs also include a hashtag to use for the event. Don’t forget to tag the organization, using @ and the organization name. Just be sure your tag is the organization’s official account. Share details of the event in advance to help boost registration. At the event, take a photo of something of interest, like speakers, sponsorship signage or you with other attendees, and post during or immediately after the event. Again, you never know who you might inspire and the organization and event organizers will likely take note of and appreciate you spreading the word among your connections.

In my next article, I’ll share more tips on how to continue to amp up your social media networking and business development. Sign up to subscribe to all the tips. 

Related posts:
Three Essential Social Media Tips for Attorneys, CPAs, and Other Professionals
Business Development Tips: Save Your Contacts
How Successful People Like Attorneys Achieve Goals and Get Out of Their Comfort Zones
The Number One Risk with Your Business Emails and Three Easy Ways to Avoid Fumbles

Three Essential Social Media Tips for Attorneys, CPAs, and Other Professionals

Many professionals shy away from using social media for business networking. This article is the first in a series, providing quick, easy steps to harness social media to connect with people on a professional level.

Are you using social media for your business development? If not, you should be. Social media doesn’t replace your business development and networking efforts; it simply gives you more opportunities to connect with others. And best of all, you can do it quickly from your phone when you’re away from the office. Here are three easy social media tips you can apply today to keep in better touch with clients and colleagues.

Note: the links in the following tips take you to additional content on LinkedIn for help with the tips mentioned. Use the Help feature in Twitter and Facebook for help with those applications.

Follow and Connect with Businesses and Individuals

1. Follow your clients and connect with client contacts. Once you’ve followed and/or connected with a client or individual, his or her content will appear on your LinkedIn feed. You can then easily like, comment and/or reshare your clients’ content going forward. If you’re unclear on whether to follow or connect, see LinkedIn’s article on the differences between the two.

“You can ask someone to join your professional network by sending them an invitation to connect. If they accept your invitation, they’ll become a 1st-degree connection. We recommend only inviting people you know and trust because 1st-degree connections are given access to any information you’ve displayed on your profile. Building your network is a great way to stay in touch with alumni, colleagues, and recruiters, as well as connect you with new, professional opportunities.”

LinkedIn

Celebrate Your Contacts’ Successes

2. Celebrate your clients. If a client has a milestone like an anniversary, a ground-breaking or good press, offer your congratulations on social media. Don’t forget to tag your client and your client contact.

Share Your Employer and Colleagues’ Content

3. Follow and share your firm’s content. If you work with others, be sure to share their content and like their posts.

Starting with these three easy social media tips will help you get more comfortable with interacting on social media, whether it’s LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook or all three. In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing additional social media ideas for professionals. Sign up to subscribe to all the tips. 

Related posts:
Business Development Tips: Save Your Contacts
How Successful People Like Attorneys Achieve Goals and Get Out of Their Comfort Zones
The Number One Risk with Your Business Emails and Three Easy Ways to Avoid Fumbles