The Connector’s Advantage

by Michelle Tillis Lederman

  LinkedIn and Technology Tools

  “‘Build it, and they will come’ only works in the movies. Social media is a ‘build it, nurture it, engage them, and they may come and stay.’”

  Seth Godin

  I admit it: technology is not my thing. I would be lost without it, but it is still not my thing. There seem to be more tools invented daily to help us be visible, stay connected, share, post, update, tweet, pin, and check in. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of social media platforms. There are definitely dos and don’ts of the digital world to be aware of. This chapter addresses the platforms, some of those dos and don’ts, and other technology tools to help diversify the way we connect.

  Every social site has its own personality and how you engage, who you connect to, and what you post are driven by the site’s personality. One of the first I ever used, and still believe in today, is LinkedIn. It is the manifestation of everything I say, teach, and write. In fact, their mission statement is very similar to my own in writing this book: “The mission of LinkedIn is simple: connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.” LinkedIn is an amazing tool for seeing how you are linked to different people through other connections, organizations, geographies, interest groups, and more. The key to using it effectively is to strengthen and increase those links both on and offline.

  To Link or Not to Link

  If you’re on LinkedIn, I’m guessing you get lots of requests from people you don’t know. I know I do. If you’re wondering whether or not you should accept those requests, you’re not alone. My old philosophy was I would only accept the request if you met one of three criteria: 1) I knew you already; 2) I could figure out why you were reaching out—perhaps we went to the same school, worked at the same company, or are in the same industry; or 3) you sent a personal note explaining why you wanted to connect. Otherwise, I would ignore the request. For most people, this approach works and makes people comfortable. The result is a network that you know and feel comfortable reaching out to and that you’re able to assist.

  My philosophy now is a little different, because my profession is about reach and I want my content to touch more people. I now accept most, though still not all, of the requests I get. I’ll happily accept requests from anyone who has heard me speak, listened to me on a podcast, bought my book... you get the idea. All it takes is a note that tells me the reason they want to connect. The likelihood is that they will get a personalized email and LinkedIn message back from me. If you haven’t written me with a note explaining why you want to connect, I often still accept if the profile looks legitimate (and not a potential spammer). I then send a note asking how they found me or what made them reach out. It surprises me how many people do not respond. One who did was Kristen Pressner and look how that turned out! She is not only in chapter 6 but also contributed a Mindset Mission in chapter 12. We connected because she reached out to me blindly on LinkedIn. I’ll never forget her response to my asking her how she found me. She said, “Blerg! For the life of me I can’t recall!” and I laughed out loud. I emailed back, “Blerg is the best word!” We’ve since Skyped multiple times and she graciously agreed to be included and share her expertise in this book! All because I grew a relationship with her personally, beyond LinkedIn.

  If you are going to link, don’t mistake an accepted connection as a real connection. To create that, more has to happen after you link. Look at their profile. I always glance at shared connections, scroll through their experience and education to see if we have overlaps. I love the interests section for the unexpected common causes. Send a message through the platform or pull their email address from contact info and send them a direct email. Not everyone checks their LI messages regularly. If you think you have nothing to say, try asking how they know one of your shared connections or how they like working for their current company. Sometimes just a simple note saying “Thanks for reaching out” is enough to show you are willing to expand the relationship. However you respond, don’t just click “accept.” Offer a conversation.

  One reason to accept more invitations than you reject is to see the exponential impact to your network and how you show up in searches or on other people’s suggested connections. Be aware that social media is rife with fake accounts, and LinkedIn is not immune. If you are unsure, wait a few days. Fake accounts are often removed quickly. When you’re deciding whether or not to link with someone, consider what your goals are in your life and work. When you connect on LinkedIn, you’re opening the door for that person to make requests of you, and you to make requests of them. Plenty of users put the word LION next to their names to signify that they are LinkedIn Open Networkers, ready and willing to connect with the multitudes. If you are reaching out, look for opportunities to expand the connection either virtually or offline. The point is to make a real connection, not just rack up the numbers.

  How to Reach Out on LinkedIn

  Reaching out on LinkedIn should happen in both directions. When I first created a profile, I spent a few minutes every week thinking of people I knew and reaching out to them. Then I thought about the companies I had worked for and the schools I had attended and continued to send LinkedIn invitations. One way to expand your network is to reignite the network that may have faded over time and to extend your personal network to a professional platform.

  If you already know the person, it is easy to reach out. I would still recommend including a personal note. Our memories fade over time. Make it easy for them to accept by reminding them how you know each other. Reaching out when you haven’t met offline takes a little more nuance. You have a choice between following someone and connecting with them. Ask yourself why are you reaching out to this person. If it is someone you admire, someone of high stature in your field, or someone you are interested in learning about, but not necessarily forming a personal connection with, you may want to consider following them instead of sending an invitation to connect.

  Following a person ensures their updates show up in your feed. You receive their articles and posts in your notifications. It does not make you first connections and you do not need their permission to follow them; it is a one-way relationship. You are consuming their public content and keeping up on changes in their profile. If your goal is to build a relationship, invite them to connect. If they accept your invitation, it creates a two-way relationship where they also see your posts and you can send them unlimited-character direct messages. Following someone first can make the invitation to connect later easier.

  If the reason you are reaching out is because of someone or something you have in common, requesting a connection is easier. In the invitation, tell the person what inspired you to reach out. Below are some common reasons and potential introductory statements to use when reaching out to someone you don’t know.

  Shared Connection: Most of the time using the name of a shared connection builds immediate trust, assuming they actually know the person. Typically, if you know the shared contact well, you do not need to seek permission to mention their name. The caveat is if you are putting any words in their mouth such as, “Maria suggested I reach out” or “Diego thought we should connect.” In those scenarios, seek permission first. Other options include:

  “Your name popped up on people I might know. Have we met?” or “... Would you like to connect?”

  “I see that you know _____. How do you two know each other? I actually grew up with her. Such a small world.”

  “It looks like we have tons of people in common. I am surprised our paths have not crossed sooner. Let’s connect.”

  Shared Industry or Organization: Reaching out for obvious professional reasons is often the most easily accepted invite, especially if you are already employed. I strongly recommend building your industry network before you need it for the job search. If you are considering a move to a new industry, you can use that in your invitation. People will be most hesitant to connect if y
ou are clearly trying to sell something. Consider reaching out with an offer and not an ask. Try:

  “I see that we’re both in the _______ field. I am considering a move and am interested in learning more about your firm. How do you like the organization?”

  “I see we both belong to the same group. Would you like to connect?” or “Do you find it valuable?” or “What do you hope to get out of it?” or “Are you interested in other groups? There are a few I find beneficial.”

  “I saw you work for _______. I used to work there. Let’s connect.” or “Does _______ still work there?” or “I am interested in learning more about the company. Are you open to connecting?”

  Shared Interest: A shared interest is a looser professional link, but often a stronger personal one. The invite recipient rarely feels skeptical of the reach-out with a nonprofessional personalized reason. If you do follow the same person or organization, share how or why you got involved. For example:

  “I see you also follow _______. I find the _______ content particularly valuable. What made you follow them?”

  “I see you support _______. Have you heard of any opportunities to get more involved lately?”

  “We are both members of _______. I am looking for additional groups. Are there any you find worthwhile?”

  Seeking to add value to your potential new contact is always a great approach. Phrases like “mutually beneficial” or “possibility to collaborate” or “help each other” are fine if realistic. If you are fresh out of school and reaching out to a CEO, it is not appropriate to tell them it is in their interest to connect with you. Are you connecting as a peer or for advice? If you are reaching out to someone at a higher professional level, be honest and simply say you are “seeking advice” or “you have a quick question” and you will be more likely to hear back.

  A connection request that will not work is this one I actually received: “I would like to try LinkedIn to find new customers. I decided to give it a go and I would like to follow up with content and posting. I hope this works.” Needless to say, I did not accept the request. Another faux pas came from someone whose request I did accept. There was no note, but I accepted and then emailed asking what made him reach out. His response was: “Hello Michelle, I recently downloaded the LinkedIn application for my phone. It then asked for all the emails in my phone and it sent out 3,000 emails asking folks like you to connect.” He went on to acknowledge it was a mistake and we had a humorous exchange. It ended up working for him, but I would be wary of sending a mass connection request. I am betting many people ignored his generic reach-out.

  Whatever approach you try, a personalized note will always increase your odds of a positive response. You may not get a response at all. Don’t take it personally. Many people are busy and not as active on LinkedIn as you might be. I have received responses months after reaching out.

  How to Engage on LinkedIn

  LinkedIn is a relationship platform. Just as first impressions matter in person, they also matter online. First things first, create a complete profile; fill out all sections robustly. Add your skills, put in details and lots of keywords to increase your searchability. A photo is an absolute must! Don’t give me excuses. There is a direct correlation between the likelihood of someone connecting and you having a photo. That picture increases trust. It should be a professional-looking head-and-shoulders shot but does not need to be taken by a professional. No photos that clearly crop out another person and, unless you are a cartoonist, no cartoon images. Check out the sidebar for more tips on optimizing your profile.

  Once your profile is ready, and you are growing your connections, the next step is to engage on the platform. People use it to search for jobs and job candidates, consume content, share expertise and resources, join community groups, and more. There is an etiquette to engaging on any social media platform. How you engage is based on your goals. One goal is simply to increase your familiarity and name recognition by having a presence online. Below are some methods for engaging and some things to avoid doing on LinkedIn.

  Updates, Posts, and Comments

  This is the easiest way to engage on LinkedIn. You can post a status update on your page, which will be shared with your network based on your privacy settings. It will also appear in your activity if someone views your profile. Posts can be text only, text with an image, an article, or a video. Posts have a lower word-count limit than articles and they are stored differently in your activity archive. An easy way to engage is simply to like or share someone else’s post. A comment is a higher level of engagement and a great way to strengthen the connection. There are people who so actively comment, share, and like my posts, they are now familiar to me. (Thanks, Shawn and Darlene!) A few words of caution with updates: remember that this is a professional platform. LinkedIn is not the place to post personal content on a regular basis. Occasionally sharing something personal like a photo or experience is fine. As with any social platform, don’t overdo it. Be active, have a presence, but don’t post multiple times a day. A few times a week is typically more than enough.

  Group Communications

  I’m a huge fan of LinkedIn groups. You can join many groups, but it is not realistic to be active in every group you are a member of. Don’t be afraid to join a group even if you don’t plan to read every post. Groups expand the people who can find and connect to you easily. They also show your interests and give others a place of common interest to start a conversation. I categorize my group activity level into four types:

  Actively Engaged. To be actively engaged, post in the group, ask questions, “like” content, and comment on updates. One of the best ways to actively engage is to answer questions posted by other members. This shows your desire to contribute in a greater way to the community.

  Monitor Content. To monitor content, select the frequency of notifications you want from the group. I usually choose weekly so the content is still fresh. That way I can read the articles of interest and manage my email volume. You can select to follow a specific conversation as well.

  Visit as Needed. You can opt out of notifications and instead occasionally visit the group to scan activity. It may also be a group that is only relevant at times or one you want to share content with. Don’t over-post in a group. Ensure your posts are of value and interest to the members.

  Moderate. When you moderate a group, you set the rules about what is appropriate to post and what is not. You can approve comments or allow anyone to post. The level of activity in the group can be left to chance, or you can post with a set level of frequency. Early on I started my own LinkedIn group called CTC (Coaches, Trainers, & Consultants) Connections. 1 It was an invite-only group of people I met in the industry. We posted questions, shared resources, and even formed offline collaborations. When people started to ask to join, I realized the concept was of interest to a larger audience. So I created an open group and made a subgroup of the founder’s circle. My colleague, Arnaldo Carrera, founded a LinkedIn group called ConnectorsClub, 2 which inspired this book.

  Notifications and Privacy Settings

  One of my favorite ways to leverage LinkedIn is through notifications. You can select the frequency and type of notifications you receive and from whom (first connections, group members, etc.). Notifications have several benefits. First, a notification keeps you up to date on what is happening with your connections: new jobs, birthdays, profile updates. This gives you reasons to drop a quick message and stay in someone’s mind (without getting in their face).

  I don’t recommend using the feature that posts an automatic congratulations. People get the exact same wording from dozens of people; it feels rote. Take the time to personalize the note. It takes three seconds to write, “Congratulations on your new role! What are you doing? How do you like it?” People notice; it feels much friendlier than a simple touch of a button and invites an extension of the conversation. Repeat after me
: personalize, personalize, personalize.

  LinkedIn tells you how many people have viewed your profile. The number is an indication of the effectiveness and searchability of your profile. In the paid version, you can see exactly who viewed your profile, a feature I miss in the free version. You can see a few names as well as the top titles and companies that viewed your profile. I find it interesting to learn what keywords were used to find my profile. All of this helps enhance your profile. I have been known to reach out to someone who viewed my profile and connect.

  Another feature of notifications is to have your name pop up in your network’s feed. Be careful with your privacy settings especially when you are working on your profile. You don’t want an update blasted to your network every time you edit a portion of your profile. Turn the “Update Your Network” setting on and off with major updates.

  Curate or Create Content

  A last option for engaging is to create or curate content. Creating content includes posting videos, articles, or questions that create a conversation or an exchange of ideas or resources. If you blog, share the blog on LinkedIn to expand your reach. Not everyone wants to write their own content, and you don’t have to! I find it can be just as effective to curate and distribute content, sharing the articles that matter most to you. You can build relationships with leaders in your field by using your platform to amplify their content. Sharing the hard work of others elevates you, and it feels good. Show that you actually read the article you are posting with a personal comment such as, “I loved this article, and though I disagree with number four, I think number one is spot on.” You may even add, “Which is your favorite?” to inspire and invite others to comment and engage.