This article folows on from my post last week where I said that I would explain the follower / connection concept in more detail:
There’s a HUGE difference between a LinkedIn follower and a connection
Connections are two people who have Connected on LinkedIn and a connection automatically becomes a Follower.
Conversely, following someone on LinkedIn (not Connecting) allows you to see the person’s posts and articles on your homepage/in your feed (when the algorithms determine so!) without being connected to them.
However, the person you are following won’t see your posts at all (unless they Connect or Follow you in return)!
Taking my account for example, I have 11,000 connections, mostly in financial services as I don’t accept everyone into my network. However, I have 17,000 followers.
Got it?
In the following video I explain in more detail how to find out how to see who is following you and how to stop people following you.
I will follow a person who can add some value to my life – a potential client, someone who has provided interesting insights or perhaps someone who is geographically close to me as well.
Can Other LinkedIn Members See Who Follows Me?
No one but you can see who is following you, it’s private information.
Can I Prevent People from Following Me?
You can turn-off the ability for people to follow you if you wish BUT I can’t see the point in this myself. I’m on LinkedIn to engage, so if someone wishes to follow me, then I have no objection.
To stop someone from following you:
- Click on your Profile Photo in the top right corner to bring up the drop-down menu.
- Go to “Settings & Privacy” on your Profile,
- Scroll down to ‘Blocking and hiding”
- From there you can select if your Connections only can Follow you or if everyone on LinkedIn can Follow you.
There’s also a slider switch here which you can turn on to make ‘Follow’ the primary call-to-action when people view your profile rather than ‘Connect’. Personally, I would always keep my blue call-to-action button as ‘Connect’ as I’d rather have a meaningful Connection SO THEY GET TO SEE MY POSTS rather than have the default set as ‘Follow’.
How Do I Find Out Who My Followers Are?
Here’s a quick tip:
Use this URL to check on who you follow and who is following you on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/followers
Why? If people are taking an interest in YOU, learning from the valuable content– helpful videos, beneficial tips, insightful infographics, engaging podcasts or eye catching photos – you share, might there be an opportunity lurking somewhere? A chance to help them and begin to build a trusted relationship with them? An opportunity that could blossom into a new client, business partner or contact?
Why not consider following them back or even sending them a connection request? (Remember to always personalise requests with a note saying why you would like to connect, where you know them from or how you can help them.
For bespoke social media marketing advice to take full advantage of the opportunities available to you via #LinkedIn, schedule an initial phone consultation here: https://calendly.com/melaniegoodmantrevisan/call
