LinkedIn is being called THE go-to Social Media site for 2014.

Does that strike fear in your entrepreneurial heart?  We’re getting the hang of Facebook, and expertly bemoaning the drop in post reach.  We’re even tweeting, using Twitter to reach our target market, our business idols, and to get a quick customer service response.  And who doesn’t love Instagram’s fun platform?

But LinkedIn – it’s on your list to get to soon.  You know you have to figure it out.  You have maybe a few hundred connections, kind of a mish-mash of people you used to work for and your family and friends.  Every now and then you come across a really great LinkedIn profile and think “I need to contact her and find out how she got her profile done”.

I talk a lot about the components of a great LinkedIn Profile.  Today I want to talk about size.

YES, size does matter with LinkedIn.

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If you’re going to establish yourself as an expert in 2014, your LinkedIn profile can support and accelerate that status. The number of connections you have is an important part of that. Here’s why.

 

Reason Number One 

Unlike all of the other Social Media sites, you only need 501 connections to be considered in the elite tier.  Your connections won’t know if you have 501 or 50001, they’ll just know you’re a player, because when they see your profile, they see that 500+ connection count.  It’s not that hard to surpass that mark! Find ways to connect with people. Regularly post this on your other Social Media platforms: “Are we connected on LinkedIn? www.linkedin.com/in/yourname” You’ll start getting more connection requests right away.  Get involved with Groups, other members will start connecting with you.  There are so many creative ways to get more connections. Once you surpass that 500+ mark, your followers will believe you are GOOD at this LinkedIn stuff.

 

Reason Number Two

The more first degree connections you have, the more second and third degree connections you have.  These second and third degree connections are such a POWERFUL benefit of LinkedIn.If you’ve watched any of my workshops, (free at www.linkedinstars.com) then you know the power of those second degree connections. You literally are one connection away from being able to reach hundreds of millions of people.  Maybe it’s for funding, maybe it’s to find someone who has an oxygen bar for your next event, maybe it’s to find a great space in Barcelona to teach a guest yoga class. You have reach to all of that and so much more. The more first degree connections you have, the greater that reach.

 

Reason Number Three

LinkedIn searches look only for first, second, and third degree connections.  If you want to be found on LinkedIn, you’re doing keyword optimization and you’re thinking about what people are searching for when you want them to find YOU.  Here’s the thing.  You can do hours of keyword work and still not ever come up. LinkedIn’s algorithms put first and second degree connections to the top of the search results.  Even if you’re a third degree connection, you’re likely to be way down low, and free accounts will only be shown the first 100 entries.  By strategically increasing the number of LinkedIn connections you have, you’re giving yourself exponentially more power to be found in searches.

 

I do want you to have a strategy for your connections, and of course you can deny any connection you don’t feel comfortable with.  By staying active in relevant groups, and by sharing your LinkedIn URL everywhere, you’ll start to build those relevant connections.  I highly recommend putting your URL on your business card, so when you’re out at live events you’re making it really easy for the people you meet to connect to you, and to keep that connection warm.

Take a minute today and write down the number of LinkedIn connections you have in your business planner or on your calendar.  Then start schmoozing.  Grow those connections.  Size DOES matter.

Do you have a favorite way to make more LinkedIn connections?  Share it with us in the comments below!

Photo credit: Link Humans on Flickr