I recently presented at the Texas Hemp Convention on the topic of LinkedIn and it was truly an eye-opening experience. I’ve been helping hemp-related firms implement LinkedIn for about 5 years now, but I wanted to know more about how hempers are making effective use out of LinkedIn.
Using LinkedIn itself, I reached out to 200 of my very best “hemper” connections (I have over 600). I was able to secure 30 1-on-1 calls with industry experts and leaders and learn a great deal about the industry and about what they want most from my social media platform of choice – LinkedIn. Many also had a lot to say about Facebook and it was not particularly flattering.
Join the largest network of hemp professionals, Kush.com >>
What they want most from LinkedIn was pretty clear. They want to build a community of fellow hempers, one that enhances their existing network. Some want to market and sell using LinkedIn as well, but they ALL wanted to build this special community.
Knowing this, my instructions are to start by connecting to folks you already know, people you have already met or communicated with. Take one look through your business cards or your email contacts for people you already know. Hempers in particular. You may have dozens or even hundreds. Send them a LinkedIn invitation with a simple note referencing hemp.
As they connect you can send personalized follow-up messages to strike up conversations with fellow hempers. It’s also really easy.
New Folks
Eventually, you run out of people you already know and it’s time to reach out to some new folks and keep the momentum going. This is where it gets really interesting as you add the hempers you want most to your LinkedIn network and follow up.
Join the largest network of hemp professionals, Kush.com >>
A simple LinkedIn keyword search on the word “hemp” or maybe even “hemp OR CBD” is a good place to start. Add a location (like United States), maybe some job titles (like CEO OR President of Owner) and you have a pretty good list of potential “new to you” hempers to connect with. This is what it looks like:
So, give it a try. Invite the people you already know and then search for new hempers to enhance your network. It’s fun and rewarding in so many ways.
About the Author
Mike O’Neil is The LinkedIn Rockstar – B2B technology sales engineer turned LinkedIn pioneer, expert, speaker, trainer, coach, consultant. Author of “Rock the World with LinkedIn” and 2x Forbes Top 50 Social Media Influencer.
Mike leads Integrated Alliances, where they are keenly focused on helping revenue producers dramatically improve results with LinkedIn strategy, Sales Navigator training and leading-edge processes, technologies and tools. Mike pioneered the TIME System LinkedIn Campaign Formula that makes lead generation simple and data gathering automatic.