Have you heard of the Magic 500?
If you’re on LinkedIn, you should definitely familiarize yourself with this concept. It can be a super helpful tool when it comes to generating buzz about your brand, connecting with more people, and boosting your profits.
Why Is It Important to Have 500+ LinkedIn Connections?
One of the features that makes LinkedIn different from other social networking platforms is the fact that, once you exceed 500 connections, only you will be able to tell exactly how many people you’re connected with. Everyone else will see “500+” on your profile.
Once you’ve hit this Magic 500, LinkedIn gives you several nice extras that can help you take your networking game to the next level.
Why should this be your goal?
- It's impressive! With more connections, you'll have more credibility on the platform. After all, if you have more people in your network, you must be doing something right!
- The more connections you have, the more likely you are to show up in searches, thanks to mutual connections. This can increase the odds that someone will feel confident hiring or working with you.
- You’ll get noticed because your posts will show up on more people’s feeds. This also means your posts may be shared by more people, further expanding your reach. This can also be beneficial if you’re trying to get more traffic to your website.
Side note: There’s a difference between LinkedIn connections vs. followers. While followers can see your activity, they won’t be in your network. Unlike a 1st degree connection, following isn't mutual unless you choose to follow back. When we refer to the Magic 500, we’re talking about connections, not followers.
Get to Know LIONs to Reach the Magic 500
If you’re like a lot of people, you might be struggling to reach the 500+ club, but we’re here to help you get there.
When it comes to acquiring LinkedIn connections that will help you make a bigger impact on the platform, it’s important to get to know LIONs (LinkedIn Open Networkers).
What’s a LION? Basically, it’s someone who’s willing to connect with just about anyone, even if they’ve never worked with someone or if they work in totally different industries.
As you can imagine, a LION will usually have more than 500 connections. Therefore, if you become a LION, you can grow your network and start getting more recognition on the platform.
Also, if you request to connect with more LIONs, it will be easier to get to 500 because they’ll readily accept your request.
A word of caution: While being a LION or adding a lot of LIONs will certainly help you increase the number of connections you have, these may not all be valuable connections. The overall quality of your network might suffer if you’re careless about who’s in your network. If you take this approach, you should consider weeding out irrelevant connections once your network has grown further.
How to Get More LinkedIn Connections: 5 Strategies Anyone Can Try
Are you ready to reach the Magic 500 and start reaping all of the benefits of increased credibility and search visibility?
Without further ado, here’s our list of 5 ways to get 500 LinkedIn connections:
1. Find and Connect with LIONs
Let’s say that you’ve already connected with all of your friends, colleagues, and users with mutual connections. Now that you’ve exhausted all of your options, what can you do to grow your network? Turn to the LIONs!
How can you find LIONs? It’s simple, really.
All you have to do is type “LIONS + {industry}” in the search box.
In the results, you’re likely to find people who’ve established themselves as LIONs somewhere in their profile. Because they work within your industry, you can connect with them, boost your connection numbers, and maintain the quality of your network.
2. Find Professionals Working in Your Industry
Another way to get to 500 LinkedIn connections is by using the search function to find and connect with relevant prospects in your industry.
You can start by typing in the title of a professional you’d like to connect with in your field. For example, if you work in video production, you might look for producers who run projects you can apply to.
But don’t just click the Connect button! Instead, add a personalized note to introduce yourself and explain why you want to connect with them. Making a great first impression will boost the odds that they’ll accept your request.
3. Join Relevant LinkedIn Groups
You can quickly find new prospects by joining LinkedIn groups that are relevant to the work you do.
A lot of people are surprised by the large number of professionals who are in LinkedIn groups. You’ll find them offering each other tips and advice, and sometimes even asking for recommendations when they’re looking to hire someone.
Once you join these groups, be sure to interact regularly so you can prove your worth and expertise.
4. Connect Your Existing Contacts
When you join LinkedIn, you’re given the option to import and sync your phone and email contacts to the platform.
Take advantage of this ultra-easy way to quickly find and connect with people you’ve already interacted with and gotten to know. No need to manually search for each individual one by one!
Extra tip: You can also use this feature to invite contacts that aren’t already on LinkedIn. They can join you once they make an account, helping you further expand your network.
5. Promote Your LinkedIn Profile
Finally, there's no shame in including a link to your LinkedIn profile in all your online accounts and signatures.
Here are some examples of places where you can add your LinkedIn URL:
- Your email signature
- Your website
- Your other social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
Cleverly Can Help You Reach 500!
Whether you’re brand new to LinkedIn or you’ve been on the site for a long time without being able to reach the Magic 500, Cleverly can help.
We can show you how to get LinkedIn connections and assist with lead generation so you can increase revenue with ease. Contact us to learn more!
