Use LinkedIn to network

Though many trade shows and conferences have been delayed or canceled, there is still plenty of hope for networking in 2020 – it just looks different. Between your social media profile and attending webinars, there’s myriad opportunities to connect in lasting ways.

As many of you may already know, one of the best social media platforms for professional networking as a business or individual is LinkedIn. But how should you go about making new connections and maintaining them on this platform?

There are several components to using LinkedIn to its full networking potential, including creating an informative profile, making connections, joining groups and continuing to interact through posts.

Start with your profile. According to LinkedIn, members with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through the platform. In addition to completing your experience and education sections, you should add some of your best work to the “featured” section of your profile.

Any posts you share or react to later will show up under your profile’s “activity” section. You can also have those you’ve worked with endorse your skills once you’ve connected with them to further round out your profile.

Make connections. LinkedIn makes it easy to sync up your contacts, so you can start by adding everyone you already know. You can also accept or look for connections with people in your field whom you’ve yet to meet in person. If necessary, you have the option to disconnect later.

Consider joining a LinkedIn Group. You can find groups to join by browsing for your interests or industry in the search bar. There are groups for the industry – which you can find simply by searching for the term “propane” – as well as alumni, volunteer organization and association groups you can join. These groups act as forums where industry members can ask for guidance and share insight, and are a great way to find more professionals to add as connections.

Update your status regularly. Once you’ve updated your profile and started making connections, it’s important to be active on the platform. You can provide updates on projects to your connections, share LinkedIn posts from others and create posts about articles you’ve found to be valuable. As part of interacting regularly, you should also react to and comment on your connections’ posts in order to maintain those connections.