Use LinkedIn to Nurture Your Network

Of all the social media sites, I use LinkedIn most frequently to make professional connections and to inform my network about my career updates and accomplishments. I have joined several groups and participate in discussions, post comments, and develop new relationships through my growing network of career minded individuals.

The beauty of LinkedIn is that it provides a forum for me to cultivate new professional relationships and steward existing members of my community. It also empowers me to showcase my personal brand with my home page profile as well as my participation in discussions or relevant events.

I have found that most people don’t used LinkedIn to its best advantage so I’d like to share 7 ways that you can enhance your LinkedIn usage.

These tips come from Susan Colantuono, Founder of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls: What Women Haven’t Been Told About Leadership from Career-Start to the Corporate Boardroom.

1. Open the weekly updates that come your way. This is a great way to see what people in your network are doing and to Nurture Your Network. It’s a simple click away to send someone an email about the promotion or new job they updated, events they posted or even if they’re coming to a city near you.
2. Post a network update…and if you’re on Twitter your update will automatically post to Twitter (for busy women, this is multitasking at its best) – thanks LinkedIn for the partnership.
3. Post an event – if you’re going to or hosting an event, let the world know. It’s a great way to invite people in your network – or to set up a “meet”.
4. Visit your home page – regularly to make updates and keep your information current.
5. Respond to discussions – if you’ve joined a group, take the time to selectively choose discussions to engage in. It’s a good way to build your online professional presence. This is especially important for women who have a reputation of being invisible (and if my observations are correct) initiate and respond to discussions at about 25% the rate of men.
6. Spread the word about a job – I often get emails about job openings. Since I can, I now post them through the Leading Women group. It’s a great way to help a colleague (or yourself) spread the word and increases the candidate pool.
7. Recommend a book – great reads that enhance your professional brand and will help people in your network learn and grow are always welcome.

Nurture your network and enhance your virtual brand with this amazing online tool. And as Susan says – Network ON!