LinkedIn is a powerful platform for business networking and building relationships with potential and current clients. Your LinkedIn connections are important.
They are, after all, a reflection of your professional brand. As such, it’s important to keep them organized so that your profile is neat, tidy, and easy to navigate.
But with over 800 million users, it can be difficult to keep track of all your connections, let alone organize them in a way that is efficient and effective.
Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to get your LinkedIn account in tip-top shape. In this blog post, we’ll share how to organize your LinkedIn contacts so you can maximize your networking efforts and improve your business’s bottom line.
Sorting your connections.
The first step in managing your LinkedIn connections is to sort them into different categories. The simplest way to do this is to create a list for each category. This can help you quickly identify the people you need to reach out to and make sure you’re spending your time on the right activities.
For example, you might have one list for clients, one list for prospects, one list for business contacts, and so on. You can also get more granular with your lists by creating sub-categories within each main category.
For example, under the clients heading you might have separate lists for current clients, past clients, and potential clients. You can also segment your contacts by industry, location, or mutual acquaintances.
Use a LinkedIn connections app to add tags and organize your contacts into appropriate categories.
Keeping your lists updated.
Of course, your LinkedIn connections will change over time. People will move from one category to another (e.g., prospects will become clients and vice versa). As such, it’s important to keep your lists updated on a regular basis.
One way to do this is to set aside some time each week—say 10-15 minutes—to review your lists and make any necessary changes. This will ensure that your profile always reflects your current situation and allows you to take full advantage of LinkedIn’s networking capabilities.
Regularly go through your connections and disconnect anyone who no longer falls under the appropriate category. You might also de-clutter your profile by removing connections that no longer serve any purpose.
Reaching out to your contacts regularly.
Once you’ve taken the time to organize your LinkedIn contacts, it’s important to stay in touch with them on a regular basis. The best way to do this is by setting up a system where you reach out periodically – whether that’s once a week, once a month, or even just once every couple of months.
By staying in touch, you’ll keep your name at the top of their mind so they think of you first when they or someone they know needs your services. And if they’re not currently in need of what you have to offer, they may be more likely to get in touch with you when they do need help because they’ll already have an established relationship with you.
There are a few different ways you can stay in touch with your contacts on LinkedIn. One option is to send them personalized messages. Another option is to post regular updates on your profile page and interact with other users’ content – especially if it’s content relating to your industry or niche market – as this will help increase your visibility within LinkedIn’s algorithm.
You can also join relevant groups and participate in discussions as this presents another opportunity for people within your network to see what you’re up about and engage with what you’re saying.
How to stay afloat?
Now that we’ve covered what you should do to keep your LinkedIn connections organized, let’s also go over some actionable tips on how you should do it:
- Adding tags and notes: Utilize LinkedIn tags and notes to write down any particularly pertinent or noteworthy information regarding your online relationships. You can return to it at a later time if there is anything you’d want to change or add, or if anything is no longer applicable and you’d like to remove it.
- Creating notifications: Being human means that you will occasionally forget things. Keeping track of everything is impossible for even the most seasoned memory. Because of this, you keep records. That’s why you should set reminders to help you remember to check in with your online contacts.
- Organizing your LinkedIn inbox: LinkedIn users receive hundreds, if not thousands of messages a month. Sorting through this mess can quickly become overwhelming. That’s why it’s important to organize your LinkedIn inbox. To do this, start by sorting your messages by priority. Use LinkedIn inbox management apps to set your top conversation as favorites and keep them at the top of your inbox
- Not forgetting the human element: Always recall the story of how you came to know the other person. That is an important factor in your relationship’s longevity. Perhaps it will arise more frequently than you anticipate.
Conclusion.
There are many benefits that come with maintaining an active presence on LinkedIn, including improved brand awareness, increased website traffic, and even generating leads for your business – but only if done correctly.
By taking the time to organize your LinkedIn contacts into groups and segments, you can make sure you’re making the most of your time on the platform and achieving real results for your business.
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