It’s great to have a large number of connections on LinkedIn, but if the relationship never leaves the site, what’s the point?

Networking is so important today.

Create connections that matter, remember to always focus on the quality of the relationships – not the quantity!

Here are five tips on how to easily turn your online connections into offline business:

  1. Build online rapport and relationships by following people you admire on Twitter, retweeting their content, liking and commenting on their statuses. Do the same on LinkedIn with their content and status updates. Supporting others helps you build a strong network.
  2. Post a status update on LinkedIn in advance of any travel to another city for work or for a conference so you can easily connect in person with others in the area. It also gives you the opportunity to promote any speaking engagements you have or exciting opportunities in other cities – just remember to always “humblebrag” – meaning, don’t sound overboastful and try not to pat yourself too hard on the back.
  3. Regularly write content that is valuable to your connections and share it on social media with brief introductory text on why they should read it. Consider highlighting a few key points in your synopsis to catch their attention and always use an eye-catching visual to accompany your post.
  4. Be generous – like and share others’ posts and congratulate others on their successes, especially your VIP connections. While they may not be ready to hire you at this moment, they will likely be in that position in the future. When they reach that point, you will be top of mind.
  5. Compliment someone. Ask them to be on a panel. Feature them a blog post. No one dislikes being asked for insights.

Interested in learning more? Follow me on YouTube.