It's one thing to have a lot of connections on LinkedIn. It's a whole other thing to actually connect with those network connections in a meaningful way. The easiest way to build networking into your life on a regular basis is to set aside time regularly to tap into your LinkedIn feed. See what's happening with your connections, and reach out to them to connect when you see there's news. If a connection announced a promotion or got a new role, send them a message to congratulate them! If someone wrote an interesting status update or article that's related to your line of work, let them know how their news or share was impactful. Example: "Hey Kat! Congrats on your new role, I see you made a pivot into business operations. I'm planning my own pivot into the space in the coming months, and I'd love to hear any insight you have on what worked for you. I'd also be down to jump on a Zoom with you for 15 minutes and connect. Here's a link to my calendar to make it easy to plan if that's of interest." (Side note: I don't think sharing a calendar is pretentious, but I have had some people say that. IMO, no one wants to go back and forth trying to find a time that works- this is a simple solution to get connected more easily! I use Calendly and it's worked out great.)
For new connections, it's not just the initial add to your network, but also the follow up that is super important. I like to give context to the connection for my own ease of reference. For example, if I sent a connection request with a brief note, I follow up after they accept it: "Great to meet you at the CMX conference recently in San Mateo. I enjoyed the conversation about your pivot into Customer Success and would love to stay in touch." Or, if I'm the one receiving the request: "Thanks for the connection! I'm curious what led you to reach out." It's a good time to mention connections you have in common, or refer to something in their profile that is interesting to you.
I challenge you to set a goal: Using what you learned here, reach out to three people in your LinkedIn network. Send them a message to ask them a question or share an idea or resource to engage! I'm interested to know how it works out! Reach out and let me know, Wendy at aboutworkstuff dot com.