 They say your network is your net worth, and this is also true when you talk about your network on LinkedIn. And as the hospitality industry has changed and evolved over the past couple of years, our LinkedIn networks have never been more important. So today we're looking at ways that we can nurture intentionally our LinkedIn networks so that we can attract leads, opportunities, and grow our relationships. Stick around. I'm Leanne and networking is one of the best ways to grow and build trust with partners and friends in the meetings and events industry. And when COVID threw a wrench in our networking plans, we were no longer allowed to get together in person. LinkedIn became a great playing ground for us to grow, find, and nurture new relationships. In today's video, we're going to explore how to find those people on LinkedIn, and then we're going to explore how best to connect with them and start growing those relationships. But before we look at these ideas, don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel and click on that little bell to be notified of new content. I have new videos around LinkedIn and personal branding coming at you every week, and I don't want you to miss a thing. Let's start by looking at the different ways on LinkedIn that we can find these new relationships. The first and most obvious is using LinkedIn's search bar at the top of your homepage. Using the search bar, you can search by keyword, job title, maybe even the specific person's name or their organization's name, or perhaps even by using a hashtag. Once you've gone through that initial search, you can then drill down further using the advanced search functions to find individuals that meet your needs. Don't forget when using the search function to include some of those boolean search hacks we've all learned. Use boolean search terms such as and, or, and not, and of course those operators in brackets to narrow your search even further. Another way of finding new connections is through your current connections. Anyone connected to your first degree connections now becomes your second degree connections. And if your connection is an industry professional, chances are there are other industry professionals connected to them as well. Another powerful way to find like-minded individuals is inside of LinkedIn's groups. If you haven't spent time in LinkedIn groups, I encourage you to find groups that talk about your industry and talk about topics that interest you. Inside of those groups are professionals that share like-minded principles. A fifth way of finding new connections is to look at the people who are following you. Remember, follow and connect are different as follow is more of a one-sided relationship where they can see your content. But when you're connected with someone, you can also see their content in return. So you might be able to find some new connections through the people that are already following you. A sixth way is through people who have viewed your profile. There are a number of people on LinkedIn who serve as more passive observers and maybe they've viewed your profile perhaps even engaged on your content but didn't do much to further the relationship. You can see those profile views and see if that person is a good addition to your network. One of the most powerful ways to find new connections is through people who have interacted with your content. If you have created a piece of content and people have either liked, commented or shared that piece of content, you're now looking at people who already know who you are because they saw your post. What a great way to start a new relationship. And the final way is through industry lists. Regardless of what your industry you're in, including hospitality, our publications and memberships usually post lists. It could be a top 40 under 40 list. It could be an upcoming speaker list for an upcoming event. All of these industry professionals are thought leaders and people really making a difference in the industry. These are connections that you can reach out to and invite into your network. So now that we have found someone that we want to connect with, what are some of the best ways of connecting with them so as we get our relationship on the right track? First and foremost, when extending an invitation, make sure it's a personalized invitation. Mention common points of interest, be it the individual that perhaps you know in common, common groups that you're hanging out with, or common interests and affiliations in both of your profiles. By mentioning these things, you've already created a warm start to your relationship. Number two is to provide value to your new connection. Nothing nurtures a connection more than giving something selflessly to your growing network. It could be a resource, a website link, perhaps even an introduction to another connection. If it's something that can help them with their day, their career, or their job, and you don't expect anything in return, that puts your relationship on the right footing. Number three, ensure that you do not sell your product or service when you're building that relationship. The hard sell won't work here, especially in the initial days of creating that relationship and in that initial request invitation. You'll lose interest very fast if you try to feature dump your product right from the get-go. Rather, use LinkedIn as a place to build trust and then start to move that relationship offline where you can now talk about the sell of your product or service. The fourth strategy and probably the most powerful is to start to engage in their content by either liking, commenting, or sharing their post. This increases your visibility to that connection tenfold. They'll see your name, they'll see your comment, and they'll see that you're contributing to the conversation. Engaging in other comments also increases your visibility with other members of their network. So go behind the like and the great post comment and create some more thought leadership in your industry to receive more eyes on your profile. The fifth strategy is to maybe tag those second-degree connections when you find a piece of content that you know they will be interested in. In this way, they'll be able to find that resource and, of course, they'll be able to find you. But remember to only tag them in content that you know they'll find interesting and valuable. You don't want to come across as spammy by tagging them on every single piece of content that you see. And finally, don't forget to nurture your advocates. As your networks grow, it's going to be difficult to nurture one-on-one with everyone, but identify a list of advocates, those that have regularly engaged in your content, and nurture them to find other like-minded individuals just like them that might find value in your future content. Do you think these connection strategies can help you build your network on LinkedIn? Let me know what connection strategy you want to start using in the comments below. And if you're looking for some low-hanging fruit and the ways that you can use LinkedIn to level up your LinkedIn game fast, join me for my upcoming webinar, where we explore three things that you can do today to level up your LinkedIn game. Head on over to liankaldorwood.com for a slash masterclass to save your webinar seat. And my friend, if you and I have not connected yet on LinkedIn, I encourage you to do so. Drop me a personalized invitation referencing this video and start practicing your LinkedIn connection skills. Thanks for watching today's video, and we'll see you next time. Bye for now.