I had a lightbulb moment on a sales call the other day.
She was frustrated about “not seeing results” from her LinkedIn efforts.
She’d been posting consistently, engaging with content, sending connection requests.
All cold outreach. All strangers.
Then I asked her: “What communities are you part of? What events do you attend?”
Turns out, she’s active in several professional communities and attends networking events regularly.
But she wasn’t following up with ANY of those people on LinkedIn.
…She was missing the biggest opportunity right in front of her!
The Missing Piece
Most LinkedIn advice focuses on what to do ON the platform.
→ How often to post
→ What content performs best
→ How to optimize your profile
→ When to send connection requests
But here’s what no one talks about:
Your LinkedIn strategy should start BEFORE you ever log into LinkedIn.
The Offline-to-Online Strategy
Think about the last business opportunity that came your way.
I’m willing to bet it didn’t come from a cold LinkedIn message.
It probably came from someone who already knew you. Someone who’d seen your work. Someone who trusted you.
Here’s my approach:
Step 1: Get Strategic About Your IRL Presence
You can’t have coffee chats with everyone. Nobody has time for that.
But you CAN be strategic about where you show up.
Look for communities where:
→ Your ideal clients naturally gather
→ People who serve your ideal clients hang out
→ Your expertise would genuinely add value
Examples:
→ Financial advisor? Join entrepreneur communities
→ Marketing consultant? Find business owner groups
→ Health coach? Look for working parent or wellness communities
Step 2: Show Up Authentically
Don’t join communities to pitch your services.
Join to genuinely contribute.
Share insights. Ask thoughtful questions. Offer help.
Be the person others think of when they need what you offer.
Step 3: Connect Strategically on LinkedIn
Here’s where LinkedIn comes in.
After you meet someone IRL (or virtually), connect immediately.
Don’t wait. Don’t overthink it.
Then create bookmark folders to stay organized:
— Conference connections
— Community members
— Local networking contacts
— Former colleagues
Step 4: Nurture Consistently
This is where most people drop the ball.
They connect and then… nothing.
Instead:
→ Engage with their content genuinely
→ Celebrate their wins publicly
→ Share insights that remind them of your expertise
→ Offer help without expecting anything back
My Real-World Example
Perfect case study: I’m part of Entreprenista (shout out to my Entreprenista readers!)
I’m not very active on the community platform.
But I’m incredibly active with Entreprenista members on LinkedIn.
I have a dedicated bookmark folder for these connections.
I support their content, schedule virtual coffee chats, engage regularly.
The result?
They’ve become my biggest word-of-mouth advocates.
I get tagged in community posts when people have LinkedIn questions. (I kid you not, just this weekend someone wrote a post titled, “LinkedIn Support” and 5 people tagged me in it.
Multiple clients have come from these relationships.
And here’s the key: I never pitch them. Ever.
It happens organically because I’ve built genuine relationships.
Why This Works Better Than Cold Outreach
In this trust recession we’re living in, warm relationships are everything.
People are skeptical of strangers sliding into their DMs.
But they trust people they actually know.
When someone needs what you offer, who are they calling?
— The person who sent them a LinkedIn pitch last week?
— Or you – someone they’ve actually interacted with and trust?
The Compound Effect
Here’s what I’ve noticed:
About half the people I engage with on LinkedIn are existing relationships from IRL interactions.
The other half are new connections I meet through the platform.
But those IRL relationships? They compound faster.
They refer others.
They become advocates.
They think of you first.
Because the relationship started with genuine connection, not a sales pitch.
Your Challenge This Week
Audit your current communities and commitments:
→ Where are you showing up IRL?
→ Are these places where your ideal clients hang out?
→ How many of those connections are you nurturing on LinkedIn?
If you’re not part of strategic communities yet, find one this month.
If you are, audit your LinkedIn connections from those groups.
Start nurturing what you’ve already built.
Your future self will thank you.
Until next time,
Natasha
P.S. The best part about this strategy? It doesn’t feel like “networking.” It feels like building genuine friendships and professional relationships. Because that’s exactly what it is.
P.S.2: Speaking of building relationships – I’m making a big change to my new program, The REALationship Growth Method, launching this Fall. After working with clients for over a year now (some I still meet with weekly!), I realized there’s ongoing value because LinkedIn never stops evolving. It’s still the same but I’ve ditched the “6-month” model and turned it into a lifetime membership instead. This also means founding members get an even more special rate. Reply “REAL” if you want the details!