Whether you use it for job seeking, as your professional resume, social selling, or recruiting, you probably think of LinkedIn as the a tool for business connections, but it's not, it's a tool for business relationships. Many people who use LinkedIn, and LinkedIn's mobile app, aren't aware of LinkedIn's other app - Connected by LinkedIn. Connected can help turn your business contacts into business relationships. Connected is mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. In the mobile app environment where new apps are constantly being advertised, it's easy for people to miss this app. Connected is basically a notification utility for LinkedIn. It make it easier to engage with connections and foster social relationships with your LinkedIn connections, but it can be much more than that. In this article, I'll explain the features of this app, and how you can use it to build social relationships that can provide you with serious business advantage.
What's the Difference between Connected and the LinkedIn App?
Connected shows you important notifications about your contacts from LinkedIn and allows you to send simple responses. So you're probably thinking, wait a minute, I can see notification in the "real" LinkedIn app. Yes you can, but you have to go looking for them, and not all of us do. In addition, many of us don't go looking for the right updates at the right times. What updates should you be looking at? Updates for connections that you're currently working with, trying to close deals with, or planning to meet with in the near future.
There are two big differences between Connected and the LinkedIn and primary LinkedIn app:
- First: It's all about notifications and responses. Open the app and any notifications you have are displayed, most recent first. At the bottom of the screen you can respond with a comment, a like, or send a message. It's the simplest way yet to see your notifications and respond to them.
- Second, it gives you smart notifications. In addition to the standard notifications such as job changes and work anniversaries, you can also see what they call smart notifications. These are notifications that are tied to your calendar activities and the people you're meeting with. So you not only see updates based on events in the lives of your connections, you also get updates based on the connections you're interacting with or planning to interact with.
Don't understand the difference? Let me explain. If you're meeting with Joe on Tuesday and he just took new job role last week, there's a good chance you just saw that notification, and are aware of it. You can adjust your approach and expectations for the meeting. If Joe changed positions two months ago, that may have fallen off of your radar. On Tuesday, now that Joe has transitioned and settled into his role, you might come in with the wrong questions and expectations, or need to spend the majority of the meeting getting caught up. Connected can help with situations like that. It looks at your calendar, and, on the day of the meeting, shows you and update history for Joe. That way you're up to date before the meeting starts.
Power through Synchronization
The real power of Connected comes from its ability to synchronize with the apps on your mobile device. It can synchronize with:
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- LinkedIn
- Mobile Address Book
- Mobile Calendar
- Gmail, Google Contacts and Calendar
- Yahoo Mail and Contacts
- Outlook Mail, Contacts, and Calendar
- Evernote
- Tripit
Once you configure something for synchronization, Connect will provide notifications from matching LinkedIn profiles based on upcoming events.
Connected Makes Staying in Touch is Easier
Social media is about relationships. That's the real benefit to the power of Connected, it makes it much easier to stay in touch with your connections. With a few swipes you can plug in, send quick congratulations about a promotion or work anniversary, ask if everything is okay when a job role changes, or send an email to catch up. Connect's simple, focused UI, makes it easy. It's one app I check every night, and every morning, and it's made me better about staying in touch. That's really the power of mobile coupled with a great app. I like these people, I want to stay in touch, but I don't always think to do so when I'm at my PC. But with a smartphone and Connected, I can do it from from the couch, while making dinner, while waiting in a store, from almost anywhere, quickly and easily.
Give Yourself an Edge in Meetings and More
Ever seen those movies where the suave business person is about to go into a meeting, and their personal assistant walks up with a folder and briefs them on the other meeting participants? Everything from birthdays, to recent job changes, to key communications they've participated in. Then they they walk into the meeting, extend their hand and look like the smartest person in the room? Now that can be you! With Connected, you have that assistant!
Snarkiness aside, every one of us can be better prepared for our meetings and each of us wants to be the smartest one in the room. When you have upcoming meetings, Connected will show you notifications about those you're about to meet with. You can view their profile, which will give you even more detailed information. Yes, this is information you could have looked up anyway, but Connected puts it in your pocket at your fingertips. That can be invaluable in terms of adjusting meeting expectations, making your time together more meaningful, and connecting on a personal level to your colleagues. It can also save you a lot of time!
Connect can Help Grow Your LinkedIn Network
One other, perhaps unforeseen, but important benefit of using Connected is to grow your LinkedIn network. We find a lot of people don't keep in touch with their friends on LinkedIn. Friends whose contact information might be on their mobile phone. If you configure Connect to synchronize with your mobile contacts, it will prompt you to connect on LinkedIn with people from your contacts. These people that you already have a relationship with will increase your network, your reach, and may help open doors to other opportunities.
Over to you.
If you use Connected, or have other ways of keeping up with LinkedIn contacts that you prefer, let me know in the comments.