Categories: LinkedIn Updates

LinkedIn’s New Catch-Up Feature

If you logged into your LinkedIn account recently You’ve likely noticed LinkedIn’s new feature under the My Network button. If you click the My Network tab you see both Catch up and Grow.

This is LinkedIn’s effort to get you to engage with the network you already have. I have written about this in several blog articles on the topic of nurturing your network.

The Grow tab is focused on connection and event invitations, tracking who you’ve invited and who has invited you to connect.

Catch-Up prompts you to reconnect with the network you already have! These prompts include significant life events such as job changes, birthdays, work anniversaries, and educational achievements. Think of these as touchpoints you can focus on with the people in your network.

What you’ll notice next to the prompt is to give a reaction (the thumbs up) or leave a comment.

The thumbs up has no value for YOU. If you want to truly reconnect with someone, I encourage you to leave a comment because this opens the door to further conversation, the thumbs up is a dead end!

How do you reconnect with everyone?

The answer is…you don’t.

What LinkedIn is NOT good at is optimizing LinkedIn to focus on key relationships. Those that meet your goals, those that are with you for the long-haul, those deeper and more meaningful relationships versus transactional ones.

One to many?

LinkedIn can feel like a one-to-many model. Well, of course there are those marketers that want you to show you it’s that simple. But therein lies the flaw with LinkedIn. Having a meaningful network is all about quality of those relationships’ vs quantity.

Before you catch-up

So before you start giving all the people in your ‘catch-up’ page a thumbs up – consider this…

Identify the relevant people who can add specific value to your efforts and desired outcomes.
For each person you noted in question 1, how can that person help? What do I want to learn from or gather through them?
What do those people value? What are the most effective investments I can make in them?
Why would they want to connect or reconnect with me more deeply?
How can I get their attention?

This is the start of mapping out your ideal relationships.
TO LEARN HOW TO LEVERAGE THE NETWORK YOU ALREADY HAVE
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This training is really a rapid growth system that guides you on how to evaluate the people in your network that would be most valuable to your long-term success and the numerous opportunities to leverage those relationships to meet your goals faster and easier.

Connect smarter – reach your goals faster!
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JoAnne Funch

Helping business owners and corporate leaders use LinkedIn and relationship building strategies to gain more exposure for their brand so they have more impact, credibility & income.