What’s So Special About 500?

What’s so special about the number 500?

In numerology, if you frequently see the number 500 it means your life is about to change … for the better.

The 500th best college in the nation according to CEOWorld Magazine? New Jersey’s Stockton University.

LinkedIn gives the number 500 significance too, designating it as the minimum number of connections you need to make your LinkedIn network large enough to be valuable to you and your connections.

What does that mean in English?

LinkedIn emphasizes that it isn’t the quantity of your connections they deem important, it’s the quality of them.

In other words, your connections should be people you’ve actually met or with whom you have interacted or with whom you would like to interact/network with in a professional capacity.

With due respect, I haven’t found their declarations to be quite true.

If you have less than 500 connections, even if you know every single one of them, the algorithm won’t distribute your content as widely as a person with more connections, restricting your ability to break through to a wider audience (and more potential Ideal Clients).

The algorithm has no idea whether that other person mentioned above has higher quality connections than you do. So “Al” (my new nickname for the algorithm) is discriminating against you, even if you have quality connections, because they don’t exceed 500 in number.

It’s when you top that 500 connections mark that LinkedIn’s algorithm begins to take your posted content seriously, and then only when you post consistently and frequently.

What if your business is a relatively new one, and you haven’t yet amassed 500 connections?

Here’s what to do:

Invite everyone you know in business to connect with you.

a.       Current and past clients
b.      People with whom you’d like to work or collaborate
c.       Current and past co-workers
d.      College classmates. They may not be in your industry, but they may know people who are and would love to connect you. That’s the beauty of a network.

Remember  the connection request guidelines I’ve given you in past articles.

If you don’t know the person well and/or suspect that they might not remember meeting you:

1.        Use their name: Hello Mary!
2.       Remind them where you met them. Mention anything special about the meeting, for instance if they were one of the speakers, or if you met in passing at ABC Diner.
3.       Invite them to be a valued member of your LinkedIn network.

You have 300 characters to use, so it can’t be War and Peace, but you can certainly use that space to be warm and inviting. You’ll be happily surprised at how many say Yes to a great invitation.

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Debbie will answer your LinkedIn questions every week here in YES I CAN Living Magazine. Write to her at info@LinkedInBossLady.com, subject LINKEDIN QUESTION.

For further help or support from her, you can schedule a one-on-one Profile Review right on her calendar at https://LinkedInBossLady.as.me.

You can also connect with her here:

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