Continuing with my video series answering the question, “How much time do I need to spend on LinkedIn,” in this video, I talk about what you should do with your Connections.

The short answer is that lawyers who spend only 15-30 minutes a day or a couple of hours a week can get results on LinkedIn. But how you spend that time is what’s really important.

The last video talked about how to spend that time on the first of the three building blocks of LinkedIn – your Profile. In this video, we’ll tackle the second building block – Connections.

You can gain some huge advantages from LinkedIn by using your Connections wisely even if you don’t do any of the things we talk about in the Participation building block. It’s about building relationships.

First use that time to build out your LinkedIn network and start a conversation with your connections using the ideas from my videos, How to Build Your Network on LinkedIn, LinkedIn: Your Modern-Day Rolodex, and Make Your LinkedIn Connections Work for You.

 You want to approach these conversations with an attitude of helping or providing value – and not just the value you provide as a lawyer in your practice area.

I was at a conference for the NYS Bar Association earlier this week and one of the other presenters was talking about the importance of establishing not just a referral network, but a resource network. You want to be the “go-to” person for your clients, colleagues and potential clients, and that means building your resource network so that even if you can’t help someone, you can direct them to someone who can. So you’ll want to think about that when you’re building your network as well.

But the real value of LinkedIn Connections is using them to enhance your real-life networking. In 15 or 20 minutes, you can make a lot of progress on:

• Setting up phone calls or coffee dates with your connections.
• Inviting LinkedIn connections to attend an event with you.
• Reviewing attendance lists for events you are attending to see if any of your LinkedIn connections will be attending so you can make it a point to introduce yourself. You can even send them a note ahead of time so you can plan to meet.
• Reviewing your LinkedIn Connections before you travel to see who lives or works in the area of the event and try to meet them.

When you meet a LinkedIn Connection in person, take a photo and post it on LinkedIn, tagging your Connection.

Want to learn more about how to use your LinkedIn connections? Contact me by email or through LinkedIn to set up an initial consultation.

See more LinkedIn videos:

• What Does It Mean To Be Yourself And Add Value On Social Media?
• Notify Employees of LinkedIn Posts
• Saving LinkedIn Posts
• Taking Control of Your LinkedIn Feed Part III
• Taking Control of Your LinkedIn Feed Part II
• Taking Control of Your LinkedIn Feed
• 5 Ways to Take LinkedIn to the Next Level
• Why Create a Poll on LinkedIn?
• Two Ways to Build Engagement on LinkedIn
• Writing Effective Comments on LinkedIn