Prospecting in 10 Minutes a Day on LinkedIn

With more than a half billion users, LinkedIn can become one of your most powerful relationship building tools. LinkedIn content is seen nine billion times—Every. Single. Week. Yet only about three million users share content weekly, giving you an opportunity to be noticed.¹ Here you’ll find simple, actionable tips for networking, identifying business prospects, and building authentic connections on LinkedIn.

The foundation of your LinkedIn presence is a strong, engaging profile. If you don't have one yet, build one today using the tips in our LinkedIn Profile Checklist. 

Maybe your profile is in great shape, but like most people, you’re strapped for time and feel overwhelmed at the sheer number of opportunities to get to know your network connections. Don’t worry—in just 10 minutes a day, you can go from scrolling to networking—and start to glean more prospects and long-lasting business relationships. Our simple five-step plan shows you how.

1. Post at least two to three times a week.

Posting helps build your professional reputation with your network, and finding post-worthy content is easier than you might think. A new career milestone, business outing, community event, or client success story worth sharing are all great opportunities to post an update. It doesn’t take long to do it—a few minutes or less—but regular posting can go a long way toward establishing your presence within your network.

Pro tip: Be sure to include a photo in your post for enhanced engagement or consider video—not all content has to be written.

2. Share often.

Be an employee advocate—someone who shares content on behalf of their business. According to LinkedIn, 86% of employee advocates say that sharing content for their business has had a positive effect on their own careers. Whether it’s an industry holiday, company update, or value-add resource, take a few seconds to click the “Share” button and highlight it to your network.

Likewise, as an expert in your field, you routinely come across articles, blogs, and statistics that are relevant to your clients and prospects. Sharing this info on your feed shows you’re on top of industry trends and prepared to talk with clients about issues that affect them. Check with your firm to ensure you are following any rules and regulations around sharing content through social media. 

Pro tip: Add your own thoughts to your shared post before publishing it to your feed.

3. Engage every day! Pick three connections a day to engage with.

Engaging with your connections is time well spent, because it shows your support for your peers and keeps your profile active and top of mind for your network. Share your unique perspective on a topic of discussion or debate and celebrate your connections’ successes by commenting on their LinkedIn posts.

Pro tips: Send them a direct message, but don’t deliver your pitch – yet. Use a direct message for a more personal, congratulatory message on a milestone or to set up virtual or in-person drinks with the purpose of getting to know your connection.

Look for the bell icon in the toolbar. This is a quick pull-down list of birthdays, new jobs, likes and comments that makes it easy to find reasons to reach out and re-engage with potential clients.

No matter the type of LinkedIn interaction, be sure to tag someone and mention them by name in the body of your comment by including “@“ in front of their name (e.g., your connection, the author of an article you are reposting, etc.). Do this whether you are posting your own content, resharing, or engaging in someone else’s post.

4. Be authentic.

The people in your network aren’t following your company, they’re following you. Building your personal brand means showing them who you are in a genuine way. Personal posts increase engagement and empathy among your connections—so follow these tips and let the real you shine through:

• Be yourself.
• Notice what you have in common with others—and engage with them when they post about those areas of interest.
• Most importantly, share what you love, what interests you – music, karate, golfing, hiking. Whether you connect your interests back to your business or just take people on the journey when you’re doing what you love. Connect you to your business.

5. Cross-reference your calendar.

Identify the clients or prospects with whom you have meetings in the next week and cross-reference them on LinkedIn. If you’re not connected, send them an invitation. Check out their feed and see what’s going on for them recently. This can help you better connect during your scheduled meeting. See someone in their network you want to connect with? Ask for an intro when you meet.

Let us help you grow.

As a leading national third-party administrator (TPA), we have the in-depth retirement plan expertise to deliver seamless solutions for every type of plan. Let us help you grow your practice and stay connected with us on LinkedIn for more practice management ideas, tools, and strategies.

¹Source: https://foundationinc.co/lab/b2b-marketing-linkedin-stats/