The Importance of Staying in Touch with People After Connecting on LinkedIn or Other Social Networks
Why is it so important to nurture and stay in touch with your network? Well, simply put, if you don’t stay in touch, you will quickly be forgotten and all your hard work of getting these contacts will be for nothing. This is especially true in online networking which sometimes takes a bit longer to make a meaningful connection. For that, you can also Buy Real and Active Tiktok Followers at Cheap Price to keep your account active all the time.
We know that you worked very diligently to build your LinkedIn network. However, now that you built it, what are you doing to stay in constant contact with your network? Here are some suggestions on how you can stay in touch, and continue to build on that initial introduction.
Send a message or e-mail to thank them for connecting with you, and ask if there is anything that YOU can do to assist them (only say it if you mean it). See an example of this in “11 Keys To Successful Job Search Networking” by Tim Tyrell-Smith (SpinStrategy).
Send a brief note to say hello, and ask them how they are doing. People appreciate it when you show a personal interest in them. Be sincere about it, and really listen when they tell you how they are feeling. If you are able to share encouragement, do so.
Always be ready to help others in any way that you can. Sometimes you might not be able to do very much, but something is better than nothing at all.
Here is a quote from Susan Guinn (Success Through Networking group) to give you an example of ways in which you can help others: “I am a firm believer in this quote and I have it listed on my website… “The best way to achieve your goals is by helping others achieve theirs.” When I connect with people on LinkedIn, I make a mental note of their main purpose for using the site (i.e., networking, looking for a job, keeping in contact with colleagues, etc.). Then when I see something that would be of interest to the contact, I send them the information. I do that with contacts outside of LinkedIn as well.”
What about if you don’t really know what to talk about, or what would be of interest to your new network contact? Google their name or company to find out something interesting about them. Ask a question or provide positive feedback based on your findings. Most people love that you took that extra step to learn more about them, but some might not.
We are all very busy these days, but if you don’t reach out to your contacts now and again, you will be quickly forgotten. Try to keep in touch twice a month, if you are able to. If you have a lot of contacts and find it difficult to contact them twice a month, then you might want to contact them once a month, or something close to that. For some people with very large networks, it might be impossible for them to contact each person; so they might have to depend on updating their profile and adding creative status messages to get people to contact them.
The key is to make sure that you are not out of contact for so long that the person has to say “can you remind me who you are again?” If that happens, you will have to start over from the beginning and rebuild that relationship. Trust me, it happens to me too. Sometimes I have to move on instead of trying to rebuild.
Have you been out of touch for a long time and feel guilty, or awkward about reconnecting? There is help for you! See what Linda Griffin has to say about reconnecting in her EzineArticle, “How to Rebuild Your Professional Network.” She gives practical suggestions on reconnecting after a long period of time and not feeling bad about it.
In conclusion, if you want to be a successful networker, it is important to stay in touch with your network contacts on a regular basis!
