By Cheryl Strege, The Partner Marketing Group
At first I thought everyone except me knew how to download LinkedIn connections anytime they wanted. But, after checking with a few people, I realized that most have never really thought about how to obtain a list of their connections. Or why they might want to.
Let me show you how easy it is:
1. Under “Me” in the top navigation bar, select “Settings and Privacy”.
2. In the Account section, scroll to “Download your data” and select “Connections”.
3. At this point, you’ll need to enter your LinkedIn password as a security measure and within a few minutes, ta-da! You’ll have a .csv file of all your contacts.
So now that you know how to get a list of your LinkedIn connections, the question is what are you going to do with it?
PLEASE DON’T SPAM
First, I’ll tell you what not to do with it. This is the list you absolutely positively do not want to SPAM with sales offers and other messages that do not build on your 1-to-1 personal relationship with the connection. This is not the list for your next mass marketing campaign.
What You CAN Do
Your objective with this list should be to continue to build personal relationships so your business connections will KNOW, LIKE, AND TRUST you. To get there, you should have an arsenal of relevant content to periodically offer so the relationship has value to your contacts.
For example, let’s assume you’ve developed a great checklist (in a whitepaper or eBook format) on the upcoming revenue recognition changes and how CFOs in private companies can prepare for the January 2019 deadline.
First, sort the list by title. Remember, in this example you have created an exceptional original “rev rec” checklist just for CFOs. (If you’re like me, you’re connected to lots of friends, colleagues, neighbors, and family members that wouldn’t know what ASC 606 is so don’t even think about widely offering this eBook.)
Next, ask permission of your CFO contacts, one by one, if they would be interested in a free copy of the invaluable checklist since you know that they work at a private company. Don’t just massively send the checklist to as many CFO contacts you can find. Asking first starts a conversation, which is critical to strengthening that personal relationship.
If your contact agrees, you can attach a PDF, PowerPoint, or image right in the message panel, further bolstering the relationship because you added value to it!
TIP: Before you start your relationship building campaign, get your own profile in order. Implement these 5 LinkedIn profile hacks to look spiffy (in a virtual way) when a prospect comes calling.
[bctt tweet=”Learn how to download your #LinkedIn connections in 3 easy steps!” username=”PartnerMktGrp”]
Summary
I can’t stress enough the DO NOT SPAM advice noted above. Your LinkedIn connections are “gold” and should be treated as such – with thoughtful 1-to-1 conversations that add value. As with any relationship, it takes time but will pay off handsomely in the future with qualified leads and referrals.
The pay-off is assuming, of course, that you have content for your high-value target audiences, whether it’s by title (CFO, CEO, IT manager, etc.) or by industry (dentists, franchisees, medical device manufacturers, etc.), company size or other variables. If you don’t, we can help you put your best foot forward with valuable content such as infographics, eBooks, whitepapers, blog posts, and more.
Written by: Cheryl Strege, The Partner Marketing Group
