Best Tips on How to Build LinkedIn Relationships

The digital age has made it essential for businesses and professionals to establish a solid digital presence. With over 985 million users, LinkedIn is the perfect playground: a well-established go-to platform for professional branding and networking. 

But, to truly tap into its potential, a polished profile alone won’t cut it. What you need is a well-thought-out strategy aimed at fostering meaningful professional relationships.

This article will cover the best tips on LinkedIn relationship building.

But, let’s first cover the basis.

Why Relationships Matter

You might wonder, “Why focus on relationships when I can connect with as many people as possible and cast a wide net?” 

The answer is simple: Quality outshines quantity. 

A meaningful and well-nurtured LinkedIn relationship can lead to partnerships, mentorships, job opportunities, and even friendships beyond the virtual world. 

A strong network of active, engaged contacts can elevate your professional standing and open doors you didn’t even know existed.

Strategic Connection Requests

Sending a LinkedIn connection request is just the first step, but it’s a crucial one. Don’t just click the “Connect” button and move on. Personalize your connection requests with a message that sets the stage for a meaningful relationship. 

Keep in mind that personalized in-mails perform 15% better than the ones you send in bulk, so make an effort.

For example, you can reference common interests, mutual connections, or specific reasons you wish to connect. This shows that you’re not just hunting for numbers but are genuinely interested in building relationships. 

Engagement Over Numbers

It’s not just about how many connections you have; it’s what you do with them that counts. Aim for maintaining meaningful engagement. 

Comment on your connections’ posts, share their content, and offer genuine insights or compliments. Take a minute to congratulate a contact on a job well done or a recent career milestone. Organize your LinkedIn messages so that you can follow up with your contacts regularly.

These small interactions accumulate over time and deepen the quality of your network relationships.

A personal CRM software will help you organize and manage your connections more efficiently.

But remember, being generic on LinkedIn won’t get you far:  your engagement with your contacts must be authentic.

Leverage Content Sharing

Your posts can be a powerful tool for building relationships. But don’t just share for the sake of sharing. The content you post needs to be targeted and intentional – valuable for your target audience.

Let’s say you’re a Wage and Hour attorney. Your network likely consists of small business owners, HR professionals, and perhaps even employees seeking to understand their rights. Your content should address your audience’s needs and pain points. 

In this case, you could post about Department of Labor updates, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) changes, or focus on state-specific wage and hour laws.

Imagine posting an update on a recent court ruling with far-reaching implications for overtime pay. Such a targeted post could be invaluable for a small business owner in your network struggling with compliance issues. It could pave the way for meaningful, substantive interactions that could develop into a more robust professional relationship.

Building meaningful relationships on LinkedIn isn’t an overnight affair; it’s a long-term commitment. But the payoff can be tremendous. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting, adopting these strategies will set you on a path of supercharging your professional and business growth.