As a professional network with over 660 million members worldwide, LinkedIn offers many opportunities to connect and build relationships. With so many profiles to browse, you may be wondering where your LinkedIn contacts are coming from and how to grow your network intentionally.
1. Current and Past Colleagues
One of the most obvious sources of LinkedIn contacts is people you currently work with or have worked with in the past. Since LinkedIn is designed for professional networking, staying connected with colleagues is one of the main uses of the platform.
After starting a new job, sending LinkedIn connection requests to new coworkers is a quick way to expand your network. You can also look up past coworkers from previous jobs and send them invites. Especially if you haven’t kept in touch otherwise, LinkedIn is a great way to reconnect.
Even for remote employees or freelancers, LinkedIn can help you stay connected to employers, clients, contractors and other professional contacts. Since you don’t see these people face-to-face on a regular basis, LinkedIn provides a space to nurture those relationships.
2. Friends-of-Friends
Another source of LinkedIn contacts is friends-of-friends. LinkedIn’s algorithm looks at your existing network and makes suggestions of people you may know based on shared connections.
For example, if you are connected with John who is also connected to Sarah, LinkedIn may suggest sending Sarah an invite since you share a mutual connection. Sarah then becomes a 2nd degree connection.
Sometimes these can be colleagues from the same company or industry. Other times they can be completely random people that LinkedIn suggests just because you happen to have a connection in common.
It never hurts to grow your network, so don’t be afraid to accept invitations from new 2nd and 3rd degree connections. Having more connections increases your visibility and reach on LinkedIn.
3. LinkedIn Groups
Joining LinkedIn Groups related to your industry or interests is another way to connect with more relevant contacts. Groups provide a space to have focused discussions, ask questions, establish yourself as an expert, and get to know other engaged professionals.
Once you’ve joined some relevant Groups, be an active participant by commenting on discussions and responding to questions. You can also post interesting articles or start discussions to share your own thoughts and perspectives.
As you become more active in Groups, you’ll start developing relationships with other members. At that point it’s appropriate to send them an invite to connect directly via LinkedIn.
4. LinkedIn Search
You can also find new contacts directly through LinkedIn’s extensive search function. Using keywords and filters, you can find profiles of people working in your industry or at companies you want to connect with.
For example, you could search for marketers working at companies in your city. Or programmers who graduated from your alma mater. Get specific to find the kinds of connections that would be most relevant and valuable.
While cold outreach may seem intimidating, a personalized message can go a long way. Reference shared experiences, groups, or interests to explain why you’d like to connect.
5. LinkedIn ProFinder
LinkedIn ProFinder is a relatively new service that allows you to get matched with freelancers, contractors and agencies for short-term projects. After you post the details of your project, interested professionals can submit proposals and their rates.
As the client, you can review proposals, evaluate consultants’ profiles and experience, and ultimately hire the person that seems like the best fit. Many talented independents rely on sites like ProFinder to find new clients.
Even if you don’t have an immediate project need, browsing through ProFinder profiles can help you make connections with skilled professionals in your field. Nurturing relationships with contractors can lead to future collaborations.
6. LinkedIn Advertising
If you want to take a more proactive approach, LinkedIn’s advertising platform allows you to target specific demographics with customized messages. You can choose criteria like location, job title, company, skills, and more.
While ads may seem intrusive, targeted messaging relevant to someone’s professional interests can spark new connections. Experts recommend keeping a 5:1 content-to-promotional ratio — sharing valuable insights, not just sales pitches.
One tactic is promoting an upcoming webinar, event or gated content to attract new followers in your niche. Lead generation helps you identify prospects and build your contact list.
7. LinkedIn Publisher
LinkedIn Publisher allows users to publish long-form posts which appear as articles on your profile. These posts give you an opportunity to demonstrate thought leadership and expertise.
Writing about topics relevant to your industry positions you as an influencer. Publisher also increases your content’s reach, since your articles can be shared, commented on, and distributed more widely through your network.
Publishing thoughtful content, whether original or curated, is a great way to get noticed by and engage with a wider range of professionals who would be interested in connecting.
8. LinkedIn Events
Attending in-person conferences, networking events, trade shows and seminars related to your industry is another way to make relevant connections. While not hosted directly on LinkedIn, promoting your attendance at events provides visibility.
During in-person events, you can collect business cards or LinkedIn profile information from new contacts. Follow up with event attendees afterward to connect virtually.
You can also interact with other attendees through the LinkedIn Events app. It allows you to view who’s attending, message people you want to meet, and stay networked after the event is over.
9. Company Followers
Following companies you want to work with, do business with, or that are influential in your field helps you stay up-to-date on their news, job postings, product updates and more. It shows you’re interested in and engaged with those brands.
Company | Industry | Reason for Following |
---|---|---|
Apple | Technology | Industry leader in consumer electronics and innovative design |
IBM | Information Technology | Pioneer in enterprise technology solutions |
American Marketing Association | Marketing | Leading industry organization for marketers to gain knowledge and connections |
When employees of those companies see that you’ve followed their brand, they may be more inclined to accept a connection request since it shows your genuine interest in their work.
10. Conferences and Trade Shows
Industry conferences, conventions and trade shows attract hundreds or thousands of professionals within a specialized field. They provide incredible networking opportunities to make connections face-to-face.
At large events, you can collect business cards and LinkedIn information from new contacts to connect with afterward. You’re likely to meet people working for companies you want to follow or hiring for jobs in your desired field.
While in-person networking is very effective, don’t forget to also engage through the LinkedIn Events app. You can message other attendees, see who you may have already been connected to, and keep the conversations going after the event.
11. Connecting with Sales Prospects
For sales professionals, sending LinkedIn requests to leads and prospects can be a key part of the sales process. However, caution should be used not to come across as spammy.
Warm leads that you have prior rapport and engagement with are great candidates to connect on LinkedIn. This allows you to continue nurturing the relationship and keep your brand top of mind.
Before reaching out to cold prospects, do research to personalize the request. Reference common connections, interests or activities to show it’s not just a sales pitch.
12. Connecting with Potential Hires and Recruiters
Those exploring new career opportunities should actively use LinkedIn to connect with people at desirable companies, headhunters, staffing professionals and recruiters in their industry.
Follow relevant companies on LinkedIn to see their job postings and get insights into company culture. When you see openings that interest you, connect with the recruiter or hiring manager.
Joining industry or regional LinkedIn Groups can also facilitate connections with recruiters trying to fill local job openings. Be an active participant to get on their radar.
Conclusion
LinkedIn offers many avenues to organically grow your professional network through colleagues, shared connections, groups, content and events. You can also pursue more direct outreach through targeted ads, sales or recruiting efforts.
Focus on making relevant connections that can lead to career opportunities, business partnerships, knowledge sharing and mutual support. Nurture both new and existing contacts through regular engagement.