LinkedIn Will Help You Have Your Best Year Ever

By Wayne Breitbarth, Andersen Alumnus and CEO-Power Formula LLC (Author of “The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success: Kick-Start Your Business, Brand and Job Search’)

LinkedIn is loaded with features that will improve your chances of accomplishing your business and career goals, and frequently I'm asked which ones are the very best for all LinkedIn users.

So, as we embark on a new year, it's the perfect time to share my very best LinkedIn strategies that can help you make 2019 your best year ever.

Note: Everything I'm sharing can be done with a free LinkedIn account.

Leverage the relationships you already have

If you're like me, you've been using LinkedIn for a number of years and have built a network that's not only sizable, but it's loaded with a lot of people who are in your target audience.

Here are two powerful LinkedIn features that will help you capitalize on the network you already have.

Connections of Advanced People Search filter. This hidden gem allows you to filter through the networks of your first-level connections and find the exact people you want to meet. Then hopefully your first-level connections are willing to introduce you to those people in their networks. You can filter their networks by title, location, current and past company, industry, and schools they attended.

Additional Resource: I have outlined in this article exactly how to do this. So before you meet with clients, past colleagues, or just well-networked friends, be sure to use this technique to find the people in their network you would like to meet.

Direct message a targeted group of connections.

Too often LinkedIn users fail to communicate with their connections on an ongoing basis. Once you are connected, you have the opportunity to direct message people about changes in your business or employment status, new resources your company provides to people like them, or simply to say hi and ask if they'd like to get together sometime soon.

Action Step: Put your cursor in the top search box and select Search for People. Then choose All Filters, click the 1st Connections box, and proceed to select any of the available filters to narrow your search and receive the perfect list. Next, use the Message box to the right of each entry to send a message with up to 1900 characters—and you can even include attachments.

Search for and connect with new people in your target audience

Start by making sure you have defined what your target audience is and the best keywords to use when searching for them. These keywords typically include titles, company names, location, schools they attended, certifications they hold, etc. Once you have assembled this information, LinkedIn's one-of-a-kind database is the best place to find the exact people you want to meet.

Advanced People Search feature and Alumni feature. Use these features to access LinkedIn's 600 million profiles and put together a great targeted list of people you'd like to meet. Then send them customized invitations to join your network.

Just think—if you set a goal to add ten new connections each week in 2019, you'll wake up a year from now with an additional 500 people in your target audience that you can directly communicate with at any time.

Additional Resources: If you need help putting together a targeted list using the Advanced People search filters, click here; for an article on the Alumni feature, click here; and for an article on custom LinkedIn invitations, click here.

There you have it—the very best LinkedIn strategies to make 2019 a record-breaking year. See you at the finish line!

SPECIAL OFFER

If you'd like me to demo these LinkedIn features as part of a specially priced $197 one-on-one LinkedIn consultation, you can book your session here. I will share my computer screen with you during the call and send you a marked-up copy of your profile prior to the call.

Whether you’re using LinkedIn to find your next high-impact customer, raise your organization’s profile, or land the job of your dreams, this session is for you.

There are limited spots available, so don't delay. Book your session today by clicking here.