Weekends aren’t what they used to be — and it’s not just because the world looks significantly different from it did just a few months ago.
We’ve lost the routines and boundaries that make weekdays feel like weekdays and, well, weekends really feel like weekends. Ultimately, this isn’t sustainable or productive in becoming successful and healthy work-from-homers.
So how do we disconnect from emails that show up on our phones, shut down our laptops, and reclaim our time spent with family come Friday afternoon? For me, it’s all about making a valuable LinkedIn checklist so that I’m set up for success come Monday morning.
The following is a seven-step LinkedIn checklist for you — so that you can leave your work at “work” and finally take back your weekends.
- Make sure you’ve connected with everyone you may have talked with during the week. Through LinkedIn messaging, you can send them additional value-add information to add to your conversations. This is a great way to stay top of mind with your prospects.
- Reach out to three people in your existing network to re-engage. Consider downloading your contacts in an Excel spreadsheet and check off those that you’ve sent messages or those you will send to next week. Make sure you are sending content that offers valuable insights that apply to the challenges we face in today’s environment.
- “Endorse” key contacts that have helped you with your sales journey. Endorsements are a great way to give skills recognition to affiliate partners, referral partners, and advocates. By endorsing, you are creating meaningful engagement within your influencer channel while also helping to build your influencer channels’ professional brand. Make sure to be specific and authentic — only choose to endorse skills related to you and your contact’s relationship.
- Give “Kudos” to three key connections. Kudos are like giving someone a virtual high five and can be given to clients, co-workers, or anyone in your connected ecosystem. It’s a great way to publicly acknowledge or thank someone — whether that was because you were impressed by a recent blog post they wrote, an impact in their industry they made or connected you to a prospect within their network.
- Create a video message. Video messaging is a new feature on LinkedIn that is great for recapping a recent introduction or sales call. By using a medium like video, you are often able to communicate clearer, connect deeper, and convert more quickly than text alone. When using this feature, make sure to keep the feel of your message unscripted, look presentable, and sit near a natural light source. Note: Video Messaging is located on the LinkedIn App by heading to the “Messaging” icon.
- Find a few people within your social proximity that you are interested in connecting with for next week. LinkedIn is the only platform that gives you direct access to your connections’ professional network: use it! By exploring your connection’s network, you may learn that a potentially powerful connection is closer than you thought. Create a shortlist of people you would like to connect with and use this as an immediate action item come Monday morning. On Monday, reach out to your mutual contact and see if they would be willing to make an introduction, whether via a video conference, network meeting, or LinkedIn message.
- Engage with content on your LinkedIn feed. Your LinkedIn feed is filled with valuable content shared by your network. It’s important to not just “like” a post as that doesn’t encourage engagement. Instead, comment on a post with your perspective, whether that is pulling out a quote that resonated or an experience you had in your industry that relates. Your contact will be grateful for the engagement as it sparks engagement with others in thought-provoking and relevant discussions.
This checklist helps to not only re-engage with your network and stay connected with prospects but also sets you up for a successful Monday morning. By creating a practical Friday afternoon routine on LinkedIn, I hope your weekends become a little more screen and stress-free.
Should you be interested in learning more for you or your team, feel free to contact me @ sallyjo@socialsaleslink.com, connect with me @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallyjolamont/, or schedule a 15-minute call at ScheduleaCallwithSallyJo.com.
This article was originally published at VARinsights.
