Surprising Ways LinkedIn Can Help You Stay Connected With Past Clients

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or the newest social network. Whatever your level of experience is with social media, you've probably seen or heard about these online tools.

Perhaps more than you really care to hear about. And here's another one: LinkedIn.

But LinkedIn is a little different than the others. Many times I hear real estate agents say, 'Is anyone using LinkedIn? I'm not sure how to use it other than as an online resume.'

LinkedIn is generally considered the 'professional' social media tool. And while it's often used by recruiters and HR professionals to look for potential employees, LinkedIn is more than just an online resume shop. It's a terrific place to connect with your past clients!

Request a connection

The first thing you need to do is simple — send an invitation to connect. Through the ups and downs of a real estate transaction, you connected with your clients on several levels. This is just another way to do so. Send them a LinkedIn request; they'll accept it.

Pro tip: Even though you have an established relationship, it's always a good idea to personalize the connection invitation. It's much nicer than the generic 'I'd like to connect with you on LinkedIn' message.

Endorse client skills

Another way you can strengthen relationships with past clients is to endorse their skills. From the LinkedIn Help Center:

Don't endorse clients solely in the hope that they will in turn endorse you. Endorse them because you mean it (although often you will get an endorsement in return).

Interact with your network

Visit LinkedIn often and actively participate. No social network will work if all you do is create an account and never do anything else. Post and share articles and industry updates from your home page or in group discussions. This is a great for staying top of mind with your past clients.

Participate in groups

LinkedIn groups provide a place for people in the same industry or with similar interests to share content, find answers, make business contacts, and establish themselves as industry experts. You can search for and join existing groups, or even create your own group.

Pro tip: Create a Past Clients group and invite your clients to join it. Stay away from using the group as a vehicle for the hard sell. Make the group a place your past clients can go for local real estate information. Share market updates and links to interesting real estate articles.

LinkedIn provides a great opportunity to connect online with your past clients in a more professional way than you might on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Demonstrate your knowledge and expertise, and your clients will ask you for help the next time they want to buy or sell a home.