The Dos and Don’ts of LinkedIn Relationship Building

In today’s digital age, LinkedIn is an essential tool for creators, influencers, and executives. It’s a platform for connecting with potential clients, partners, and collaborators. But it’s not just about collecting connections. It’s also about building relationships with those connections.

Building relationships on LinkedIn takes time, effort, and consistency. But it’s worth it. Strong relationships on LinkedIn can lead to new opportunities, increased visibility, and improved career prospects.

RELATED: 5 Steps to Building Strong Relationships on LinkedIn

Why is LinkedIn relationship building important?

There are many reasons why LinkedIn relationship building is important. Here are a few:

• Increased visibility: The more connections you have on LinkedIn, the more visible you are to potential clients, partners, and collaborators.
• Improved career prospects: Strong relationships on LinkedIn can lead to new job opportunities, promotions, and other career advancement opportunities.
• Access to resources: Your LinkedIn connections can provide you with access to valuable resources, such as job leads, industry insights, and expert advice.
• Networking opportunities: LinkedIn is a great platform for networking with people in your industry. This can help you build relationships, learn new things, and find new opportunities.

Dos and don’ts of LinkedIn relationship building

Here are some dos and don’ts of LinkedIn relationship building:

Dos:

• Be selective about who you connect with: When you’re adding connections on LinkedIn, it’s important to be selective. Don’t just connect with everyone you see. Take the time to consider who you want to connect with and why. Are they in your industry? Do they have similar interests? Do you think you could learn from them or help them in some way? If the answer is yes, then go ahead and connect. But if the answer is no, then it’s probably best to save your connection request for someone else.
• Personalize your connection requests: When you send a connection request, take the time to personalize it. Don’t just send a generic request that says something like, “Hi, I’d like to connect.” Instead, take a moment to read the person’s profile and write a message that explains why you want to connect with them. For example, you could say something like, “I’m a big fan of your work on [project]. I’m also working on a similar project and I think it would be great to connect and learn from each other.” Taking the time to personalize your connection requests will show the other person that you’re serious about building a relationship with them.
• Engage with your connections regularly: Once you’ve connected with someone, don’t just forget about them. Engage with them regularly by liking and commenting on their posts, sharing their content, and reaching out to them with questions or suggestions. This will show them that you’re interested in what they have to say and that you value their relationship.
• Share valuable content: Share valuable content on your LinkedIn profile and in your groups. This will help you establish yourself as an expert in your field and attract new connections. When you share content, make sure it’s relevant to your industry and that it’s something that your connections will find valuable. You can share articles, blog posts, videos, or even your own thoughts and insights.
• Offer help and support: Be willing to help and support your connections. This could mean providing them with advice, sharing your resources, or simply being a sounding board. When you offer help and support, you’re showing your connections that you care about them and that you’re invested in their success.
• Be authentic and genuine: Be yourself and don’t try to be someone you’re not. People can spot a fake from a mile away. Just be yourself and let your personality shine through. When you’re authentic and genuine, people will be more likely to want to connect with you and build a relationship with you.

Don’ts:

• Don’t send generic connection requests: When you send a connection request, don’t just send a generic request that says something like, “Hi, I’d like to connect.” Instead, take a moment to read the person’s profile and write a message that explains why you want to connect with them. For example, you could say something like, “I’m a big fan of your work on [project]. I’m also working on a similar project and I think it would be great to connect and learn from each other.” Taking the time to personalize your connection requests will show the other person that you’re serious about building a relationship with them.
• Don’t spam your connections with irrelevant content: Don’t just use LinkedIn to spam your connections with irrelevant content. People will quickly get tired of seeing your updates in their newsfeed if they’re not relevant to them. Instead, focus on sharing content that is valuable and interesting to your connections. You can also use LinkedIn to promote your own content, but make sure it’s relevant to your industry and that it’s something that your connections will find valuable.
• Don’t ask for favors too soon: Don’t just connect with someone and then immediately ask them for a favor. This will make you seem desperate and it will turn people off. Instead, take some time to build a relationship with the person before you ask them for anything. Once you have a strong relationship, they’ll be more likely to be willing to help you out.
• Don’t be negative or self-promotional: Don’t use LinkedIn to complain about your job or to promote yourself too much. People will quickly get tired of seeing your negative updates and they’ll start to ignore you. Instead, focus on sharing positive and uplifting content. You can also use LinkedIn to promote your own work, but make sure you do it in a way that is tasteful and professional.
• Don’t neglect your connections: Once you’ve connected with someone, don’t just neglect them. Make sure to engage with them regularly by liking and commenting on their posts, sharing their content, and reaching out to them with questions or suggestions. This will show them that you’re interested in what they have to say and that you value their relationship.

Your Next Steps On LinkedIn

LinkedIn relationship building is a long-term investment. It takes time, effort, and consistency to build strong relationships on LinkedIn. But if you’re willing to put in the work, the rewards can be significant.

By following these dos and don’ts, you can build strong relationships on LinkedIn that will benefit you professionally.

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