Linked In help

[maggsthegreat]

I know this has been asked probably five million times but I need some help getting to grips with Linked In. I have been freelancing (copywriting, journalism in niche area) for a few years now, always for the same two main clients, plus some smaller one-off projects.

My last child is off to school soon and I am looking to expand and find some more clients. I am on Linked In but I have connected with everyone I know and my 'connection count' is rather embarrassing (I am not the most social of people....friendless goon). I hear that Linked In is this magical tool where you can rustle up hundred of new clients, but how?

Do I randomly send invites to people I don't know who could use my services or is there another, better way? I have always got clients the old-fashioned way (through people I know in real life) so I am at a loss at how to harness Linked In.

Do you find having a good website is preferable to Linked In? I can see all the people I would like to target but I don't know how to approach them.

Any help gratefully received (this is a genuine question, not some crappy marketing ruse by the way).

Excuse my rubbish writing and mistakes. Not a good advert. I have had some gin though....

Hi

I really liked LinkedIn and use it a lot. I am not sure it alone will generate lots of business. As jargony as it sounds, I think it contributes to your online brand.

A lot of ppl won't connect to contacts they don't know, so not sure randomly connecting will help.

You should start using it to share interesting content which your connections then see. Some of this can be your own blogs or articles that you publish on LinkedIn.

If you want more clients I'd think about where they are likely to be and what problem you can help solve and then decide how to approach them.

It could be worth of doing a mix of things - online content sharing/writing, networking in RL and contacting potential clients with very taliored messages via email or a postcard mailing.

LinkedIn is helpful for working out, which contacts work where.

That help?

You can't contac people you don't know unless you upgrade to a premium (or whatever the paid for account is called) service.
Try joining some groups, look at the people you want to target and join some of the same groups. Share stuff with them, add comments that are more than 'buy from me' type of stuff.

Can you ask some of your existing to write recommendations for you?
It's a pretty slow burn for me leads.

Thanks for your replies. I write about a very niche area. There aren't many writers doing what I am doing as far as I can see and the market is huge. I just don't know how to approach other institutions that go beyond my own contacts. I like the idea of a tailored email approach but would be worried that, because the target organisations are so large, they wouldn't get seen. I like the idea of a postcard mailing.

Thanks for your advice, very helpful.

Have you really connected with everyone you know? Not your just your close contacts or colleagues, but everyone? I pretty much connect with everyone I come into contact with. And are your recommendations up to date?

I don't feel like I put a lot of effort into LinkedIn but two of my big relationships started out there. It's worth a bit of an effort. But it will never be my main way of getting work.