LinkedIn is great. I use it all the time. But it’s not a world on it’s own. It exists in the greater context of networking and marketing. So why are so many people afraid to use the contacts they’ve made on LinkedIn to create greater connections outside of the system?
Did you know that you can export your LinkedIn contacts to a spreadsheet – including email addresses? Yep. Just because you connected on LinkedIn, doesn’t mean that all your communications have to go through that single system.
I just recorded a quick tutorial on how to export your LinkedIn Contacts.
So what can you do with this information? It’s easier to tell you what you shouldn’t do. And that means don’t add them to your newsletter list.
What you can do is send a note announcing that you have a list and give them some good reasons to join it.
I have a client who works with professional speakers. If her list sends out tips for improving the businesses of other speakers then I don’t see a problem with exporting the LI connections and letting folks know about it.
But if she were to send out weekly blasts about her services to folks that have not opted in then we are definately entering spam territory.
What do you think? When is it appropriate to use your LinkedIn contacts information to connect outside of the LinkedIn world?