Thanksgiving provides us with a day to concentrate on what we appreciate most in our lives. While we are all thankful for family and friends who support us and help us grow, our business and social network deserves just as much thanks. For many people, the friendships and connections they have made throughout their careers have supported them and helped them grow. Thanksgiving provides the perfect opportunity to be thankful for those who are supportive. Whether the support comes through a tweet, like, pin or endorsement, being thankful on all communication platforms is essential.

Colleagues who refer work to you.

A colleague who refers work to you deserves a huge thank you. Not only does your colleague believe that you have the skills and expertise that is needed for the job, he or she is also giving you the opportunity to expand your client base and network.

Clients who recommend you to others.

We should all be thankful for our clients, especially when they take the time to recommend us. A client’s recommendation affirms that you have done your job well and that your client believes your services are valuable.

LinkedIn

There are many ways to be thankful and show support through LinkedIn. Whether you are expanding your network or helping others expand theirs, LinkedIn provides many options to thank clients and colleagues. My colleague Brynne Tillman shared some great points about being thankful on LinkedIn and I would like to share them with you…

Endorse your Connections

• Endorsements are powerful and help support your connections. When endorsing a connection select skills and expertise that your connection has or that you have seen your connection demonstrate.

Introduce Connections

• You might have two connections that would benefit from knowing one another. Introduce them through a LinkedIn message and refer to their profiles to show why they would benefit from connecting.

Comment on your Networks’ Posts

• Engaging in a discussion, liking or commenting on posts shows your support and demonstrates to others in the network that their thoughts and opinions are worthwhile. It takes time to create posts and start discussions. Offering feedback or your opinions shows that your connection’s hard work and time was well spent.

Recommending your Connections

• Just as a recommendation from a client shows their thanks and support, so does a recommendation for one of your connections. Writing a testimonial on LinkedIn is a great way to say thank you. It also helps your connection’s prospective clients see the skills and expertise the person or company has.

Sharing your Networks’ Content

• Re-tweet, post, and share your connections’ content. Sharing content with your network is always a great way to support others’ ideas and help expand their reach.

• Facebook — Facebook allows you to show your thanks through likes, commenting and sharing. You can show your support for colleagues or clients through liking their posts or posting a favorable comment on their business page. Sharing content within your network or on your own page is also a great way to help your colleagues or clients.
• Pinterest – Take the time to re-pin your colleague or clients’ pins. On a platform that concentrates so heavily on sharp and interesting photos it can be difficult to standout. That is why re-pinning your connections’ pins is so important. Also, when someone re-pins one of your pins, be certain to thank them by pinning one of theirs.
• Twitter — Following and re-tweeting someone’s tweets is one of the best ways to help increase their reach. If you read a tweet that would be relevant to your followers, be sure to re-tweet it and suggest that others follow.

Thanking journalists

Most importantly thank and acknowledge the journalists who take the time to write about or share your clients’ news stories and events. Journalists are constantly bombarded with news and information. So when they choose your story to run or your information to shared be sure to let them know you truly appreciate their time.

In today’s face paced and digital world, it is easy to let people know you are thankful for their work. By simply sharing or liking someone’s post, you are able to show your thanks and help them share their ideas.

Happy Thanksgiving!