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5 Tips When Networking On LinkedIn

If you are familiar with Facebook, you have seen people post that they just got out of "Facebook jail". Apparently they violated the Terms of Service and someone complained enough that Facebook decided to lock them out of the platform for a number of days.

LinkedIn also has Terms of Service, and the most common rule that is broken is trying to connect with people who you don't know. To me, this sounds stupid, because why would you want, or need, to connect with people you already know? It defeats the purpose of networking.

With this said, I'm not ashamed to say that I've served time in LinkedIn jail. I wish I could give a story about standing up to the biggest guy in the virtual prison yard or someone slipped me a file in a cake, but I can't. I just couldn't get on. They locked me out.




I've covered some of this previously and in my book, but I thought I may shed some new light on this subject. With this in mind, here are a few tips on how to use LinkedIn effectively.

  1. Don't send out random connection requests to people you don't know or have any mutual connections with. People are already suspicious of scams and phishers on social media and LinkedIn provides a way to decline requests (which I do often if someone is in the Philippines or Bangladesh), as well as following up with an "I don't know this person" button. If you get enough people saying no to your connection requests you'll get a warning. And if you insists on trying this method, you'll get sentenced to a week or two of hard time. 
  2. Don't get on LinkedIn if you don't want to network. I know that sounds mean, but most of the people on LinkedIn are professionals who want to expand their circles. Several years ago I had a connection requests from a local artisan. I dropped him a notes stating that since we were just a few miles apart we should meet over a cup of coffee, my treat of course. His response was, "I don't want to meet anyone." A few hours later I posted to all of my connections that it didn't make sense to sign up for LinkedIn if they weren't willing to network. He took offense and commented "You're talking about me, aren't you?" Hey dude, shoe fits.
  3. Groups can be great if you use them correctly. As an insurance agent, I am in several insurance groups on LinkedIn, some with tens of thousands of people I don't know. I'm also in several other groups which are comprised of my fellow alumni, locals and various other ancillary interests. For instance, I also do some public speaking, so I'm in groups of speakers as well as people who may be looking for speakers. Take advantage of these groups by "liking"and commenting on various posts. Your next prospect may be in there waiting for you.
  4. Don't treat LinkedIn like you would Facebook or Twitter. LinkedIn is for business professionals who are looking to prospect, network and maybe even hire someone. No one cares about your political views or your drunken photos from your vacation.  And on a related note...
  5. Present yourself as a professional. If you can, have a professionally made head shot. A pic of you at a wedding with your cocktail cropped out looks bad. And just as bad is no picture of you at all. People want to meet you but not if you come across as a knuckle head. There are some exceptions to this. If you are a tree trimmer, no one is expecting you to wear a coat and tie in your photo, but maybe a picture of you (clean) next to your truck with lettering will do. 
So there you have a few tips on how to use LinkedIn a bit more effectively. I've managed to get some awesome business contacts through the platform and I hope it works for you too. As always, if you have any other suggestions, please put them in the comment section.


Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.
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