Connecting your Facebook friends to your LinkedIn network can be beneficial in several ways. LinkedIn is a professional social media platform focused on career networking, while Facebook is more personal. Linking the two allows you to leverage your personal connections for professional opportunities. However, there are some limitations and things to consider before connecting Facebook friends to LinkedIn.
Benefits of Connecting Facebook and LinkedIn
Here are some of the main benefits of connecting your Facebook friends to your LinkedIn network:
Expand Your Professional Network
Many of your Facebook friends likely have professional careers. Connecting with them on LinkedIn allows you to expand your professional network and opportunities. You can keep up with their career changes and progress.
Leverage Personal Relationships
Since you already have a personal connection with your Facebook friends, they may be more willing to connect professionally on LinkedIn. This gives you an advantage over cold outreach to strangers.
Increase Your Visibility
The more connections you have on LinkedIn, the more people can find and view your profile. This boosts your professional visibility and credibility. Connecting Facebook friends is an easy way to increase your LinkedIn connections.
Access New Opportunities
Your Facebook friends may share professional updates and opportunities through their LinkedIn network that you could benefit from. Connecting provides access to this new network.
How to Connect Facebook Friends to LinkedIn
Here are the steps to connect your Facebook friends to your LinkedIn network:
1. Enable Contact Syncing
In LinkedIn, go to your Settings and select the Contacts tab. Enable syncing contacts from Facebook. This will sync Facebook friends who are also LinkedIn members.
2. Send Individual Connection Requests
For Facebook friends who did not automatically sync, you can send them individual connection requests. Go to their Facebook profile, copy their listed workplace, and search for them on LinkedIn.
3. Import Facebook Contacts
In LinkedIn Contacts, click “Import from Facebook” to import your full Facebook friends list. You can then individually connect with each.
4. Share a LinkedIn Connection Request Link
Post a LinkedIn connection request link on your Facebook profile or in Facebook groups. This allows friends to easily connect their Facebook and LinkedIn profiles.
5. Join Facebook Groups of Professional Associations
Search for professional associations on Facebook that are relevant to your industry and connections. Join their Facebook groups to connect with more industry professionals.
Considerations When Connecting Facebook and LinkedIn
While connecting the two platforms can be beneficial, there are also some considerations to keep in mind:
Maintain Separate Personal and Professional Presences
Don’t overly blur the lines between your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. Maintain a more professional presence on LinkedIn. Be selective in what personal details you share.
Be Selective in Who You Connect With
Evaluate which Facebook friends would be genuinely beneficial professional connections, rather than connecting indiscriminately. Quality connections are better than quantity.
Consider Privacy Settings
Review your privacy settings on both platforms. Adjust them as needed to control what is shared between your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles and networks.
Send Personalized Requests
When sending connection requests to your Facebook friends, personalize the message rather than just using LinkedIn’s default text. This helps avoid coming across as spammy.
Allow Individual Choice
Do not pressure Facebook friends to connect on LinkedIn if they decline requests. Not everyone wants their personal and professional networks merged.
Best Practices When Connecting
To gain the most benefit when connecting Facebook and LinkedIn, keep these best practices in mind:
- Customize your LinkedIn request message with a personal note
- Only connect with Facebook friends you already know and trust
- Target Facebook connections working in your industry
- Segment Facebook friends into lists to manage requests
- Send follow up messages after connecting on LinkedIn
- Share professional content across both networks
- Engage with your connections – like, comment, and share
- Update your profiles consistently
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I automatically connect my Facebook friends to LinkedIn?
No, there is no option to automatically or bulk connect all Facebook friends. You have to send individual requests or use the import contacts feature. Even with importing, each connection has to be approved individually.
What happens when I connect Facebook and LinkedIn profiles?
Connecting allows you to see updates from that connection in your LinkedIn feed. It does not automatically share any posts between the platforms. You control what you actively post and share.
Is it safe to connect Facebook and LinkedIn profiles?
Yes, connecting just allows viewing basic profile information. You control what details are shared through your privacy settings. Never share login credentials between sites.
How many Facebook friends should I connect with on LinkedIn?
Quality over quantity – there is no magic number for how many to connect with. Focus on Facebook friends with shared professional interests who would mutually benefit your career networking.
What if my Facebook friends ignore my LinkedIn requests?
It’s fine if Facebook friends decline LinkedIn requests. Don’t take it personally. Focus on cultivating the connections who do accept. Also, limit sending requests to avoid coming across as spammy.
Conclusion
Connecting Facebook friends to your LinkedIn network can be a smart networking strategy when done thoughtfully. Consider who would make mutually beneficial professional connections and personalize your outreach. However, don’t overwhelm your Facebook friends with LinkedIn requests. Maintain separate personal and professional presences on each platform. With the right approach, this strategy can significantly expand your career opportunities.