5 Ways to Grow Your LinkedIn Network Right Now

LinkedIn is one of the most effective social media platforms for reaching out to prospects and building your credibility. A strong LinkedIn strategy will help you engage with your community, remain active in conversations, and build a network of agents, consumers, and influencers.  

We understand it can be intimidating to execute an ongoing LinkedIn strategy. So, the NFIP team has pulled together a list of tips to help you out.  

1. Stick to a content plan. The number one rule of social media growth is also the most boring. Set the number of times you want to post each week. It doesn’t have to be daily–two to three relevant weekly posts will grab attention and position you as a subject matter expert over time. Commit to being consistent.  
2. Set up your profile to maximize engagement. Your profile should inspire interest from prospects. You need a clean profile picture and an inviting headline. Use your background image to show your personality. Write your “About” section to educate your audience on why they might want to connect with you and start a conversation. Include your experience, skills, and how you can solve their problem. First impressions only happen once. Make it count. 
3. Polish your posts. Aesthetics matter. LinkedIn users don’t want to read through giants blocks of text. Keep your posts short and sweet, quick and informative. You can also leverage visuals from our Resource Library to maximize engagement. Bonus points if you create native LinkedIn videos.  
4. Make your content accessible. Consider your typical LinkedIn user. They’re scrolling and scanning, waiting for a piece of information, a visual, or a statistic to capture and hold their attention. When they land on your post, make it easy for them to access it. Either publish directly on LinkedIn or bring the user to a relevant site within one click. Readers don’t want to take multiple clicks off a platform to be entertained or informed.  
5. Follow relevant pages, people, and groups. To be in the conversation, you need to know where it’s happening. An easy way is to follow the NFIP and other active flood insurance agents. Search for hashtags including “Insurance Agents,” “Flood Insurance,” and “NFIP.” Look at the people who have high engagement in your region. What types of visuals are they using? How do they tell stories? What groups are they involved in?  

Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Whether you’re a sporadic social media user or seasoned pro looking to improve your engagement, use this list as a reference guide.