Today's 15 Minutes a Day on LinkedIn will focus on the contacts and business cards you've acquired over the years as a means to build your connections list on LinkedIn.
Think of LinkedIn as a virtual rolodex. I know that for me, I have a binder FULL of business cards that I may occasionally reference, but typically when I need to contact someone quickly, I use their contact info on their LinkedIn profile.
Why?
1. I can access their contact info anywhere with web access: home, work, library, etc. I can't bring my business card binder with me everywhere.
2. If they are active on LinkedIn, I typically get a response within a day or two. Sometimes within a few hours even. I know that the LinkedIn INBOX is typically very business-focused and you only receive a handful of new messages there per day. Compare that to your work email (hundreds of emails per day) or home email (dozens of emails per day; most of which is junk, jokes, e-newsletters that I'll never read). Therefore, the odds of my message being opened and read is pretty good.
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| Ooh, I remember him... |
So for today's 15 minutes on LinkedIn, spend some time flipping through your Rolodex or stack of business cards that you've collected over the years.
Remember your first manager Sue? She's now the VP of Marketing at that big agency across town. And remember the client you worked with so closely for eight years at ABC Company? He's now in senior management.
You never know where your contacts may be, and chances are, they are on LinkedIn. And now thanks to LinkedIn, you can stay connected.
Brenda
