Last week, I was having lunch with one of my clients, reviewing the year, his accomplishments and where he was headed for 2019. We got to the subject of ramping up his LinkedIn profile, and he let me in on a little secret that gained him 250 LinkedIn followers over Thanksgiving weekend.

Intrigued, I asked his strategy knowing full well that it might be connected to Sales Navigator, LinkedIn’s premium sales and marketing tool. In part it was, but it was a tactic that could also be used if you had a free LinkedIn account.

Try This Strategy to Grow Your LinkedIn Network

You might have noticed that there’s a certain ebb and flow to business during the holiday season with an almost pre-approved downtime. This is when people typically scroll through social media on their phones, and are more relaxed in their browsing.

Recognize this as a perfect opportunity to downplay your marketing efforts and send LinkedIn invites to strategic prospects or potential partners along with a short casual note, not a salesy pitch. Done right, you should be able to grow your list quickly, because it’s easy to say yes when you’re in scroll mode and not officially “on guard.”

TIP: You can use this strategy on LinkedIn’s free version, or you can sign up for the 30-day free trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator to get advanced research, streamline the social selling process and build your pipeline. Either way, be clear on who you want to connect with, and like dating, make your conversation light, bright and polite.

To make this strategy even more effective, be sure to download the LinkedIn app on your mobile device to take full advantage of this opportunity. With 562 million+ users worldwide, I promise you’ll have more than a few prospects to connect with.

Want to Reach More Prospects with LinkedIn? Keep Reading

The Entrepreneurs Complete Guide to Using LinkedIn for Sales via Social Marketing Solutions

LinkedIn by the Numbers: Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts via Omnicore Agency

17 LinkedIn Sales Navigator Secrets All the Best Prospectors Know via HubSpot