LinkedIn is now the main social media for developing your personal brand and your business relations on Internet. LinkedIn has more than 380 millions business partners and potential clients ready to do business with you. Use this social media wisely and it could bring you a lot!

Here’s 10 tips to build your LinkedIn network:

1. Don’t wait and take action
   Having a profile is good, but you need to use this tool to your benefit. LinkedIn is a social media… which means you need to initiate. To maximize your use, don’t be afraid to follow influential people. Don’t wait for people to come to you, make the first steps.
2. Take part in group conversations
   Groups on LinkedIn are places for thematic discussions, which usually bring together experts on a specific field. You can share tips, feedback, thoughts, and thus represent an opportunity for you to share your knowledge. Open groups are more interesting, from a networking point of view, since it is easily accessible and discussions can be shared on Facebook, for example.
Sharing your knowledge will be positive for you. You will be able to work your notoriety by establishing yourself has an expert.
3. Follow companies
   This will help you stay alert on new employers, your suppliers, your clients, your prospects and your competitors. It is not uncommon to see these same companies follow yours in return. This will allow you to make a competitive watch; useful information for your personal and business developments.
4. Look who viewed your profile
   It’s possible to see who viewed your profile with the option on the top-right of your profile. This will maybe ease a first contact with this person, even if he’s not part of your network.
5. Fully complete your profile
   Before promoting your business services on LinkedIn, you need to build your expert position. This starts with your personal profile page. Take care of your image on the web, don’t fall into the trap of simply rewriting your resume on LinkedIn. Your information needs to be arranged as a funnel: from the most important to the less important. Use the progression tool to know the strength of your profile.
6. Get a professional photo
   Put all chances on your side to make a good first impression, and get a professional photograph for your profile picture. The investment will be rewarded! Get a simple photo, pleasant and cropped on your face.
7. Add keywords
   LinkedIn is no exception; keywords have a significant influence on ranking. As you would do on you website, optimize your SEO of your LinkedIn profile when writing it. Make sure most of the elements are visible to everyone and share your LinkedIn page on other social media, in your emails, on your website, everywhere! This way you will increase the visibility of your profile and encourage sharing.
8. Show your full resume
   The summary section should be at least two paragraphs. In the first one, it is important to emphasize and outline keywords of your experience and your skills. In the second one, share you objectives and goals. Add a last line with the best way to reach you.
9. Stay up-to-date
   Update your profile every two months. You can add new skills and refresh your summary. With automatic notifications, your network will note the change.
10. Recommend someone and ask for referrals
    Don’t forget to maintain your network! One way to do this is to point out the implication of a person on your projects (past or present) by recommending them. Don’t wait for them to ask: take the lead and as soon as a project is done recommend the people who toke part in it. This represent only a few minutes for you, but for them, this is a public acknowledgment of their talents and maybe a few clients more. If you do it for them, they will think to do it for you!