The Best Use for LinkedIn Endorsements

While many still consider LinkedIn Endorsements to be meaningless in terms of a testament to one’s skills and abilities,  they are still a relevant and productive tool to engage with your network. I often wonder if I’m a single endorsement in a connection’s day or part of a mass “endorse all” prompted by LinkedIn. To make the most of the endorsements I’ve received, I started to use them as reasons to follow-up and engage with my connections; many of whom I may not have spoken to in quite a while.

When I get notified that someone has endorsed me, I send a quick message back to them thanking them for the LinkedIn Endorsement and asking if there is anything I can help them with. This ensures that I stand out from the pack of endorsements that they clicked through. For those that provided the endorsement sincerely, it often means that I came to mind and they thought to reach out. Perhaps they’ve even been meaning to talk with me about my services. By acknowledging the endorsement, I re-open lines of communication for whatever is on their mind.

The message below is an example of my quick follow-up and the results it can produce. I hadn’t spoken to this connection in over 2 years. We both respect each other’s work and follow along with updates through LinkedIn. When I saw his endorsement, he immediately came into my thoughts and I recalled the work we had previously done together.  In his message, he mentions that he was considering attending a webinar I was producing. My timely message to him, helped seal his commitment to attend the webinar. I also received a nice update on what he’s working on which leads me to ideas for how I can help him with his current projects. The conversation will continue as I inquire to learn more about these projects.

LinkedIn Endorsements are a great way to put yourself on someone’s radar, especially if you’ve not been in touch for a while. Include endorsements in your LinkedIn strategy as another way to engage with your network.