LinkedIn Requests ♦ Timely Tip

Not wanting to make this a rant.. (You all know it will be with this as a intro line..LOL)

There are unspoken protocols in social, particularly LinkedIn, which is the most business oriented social site out there. One of these protocols is the way that you make a connect request.

System messages in LinkedIn ‘ I’d like to add you to my professional network. -requester’s name’and the message ‘Since you are a person I trust’ which is the one you get when LinkedIn scrapes your contacts…

These are a dead give away that you did not make a choice to connect, you allowed LinkedIn to do the work for you.

In the first case choosing people it thinks are suitable and in the second, pillaging your contacts and in some cases sending out hundreds and hundreds of unasked for emails; sometimes to people with no interest or not in a position to use LinkedIn.

I believe we all need to take the extra minute, and connect with people that make sense. Those related to, or interested in your niche! I teach my clients that it is better to take those extra few minutes and use social best practices to ensure you get great connections.

You target your great leads, and prospects in marketing don;t you? It needs to be the same in LinkedIn.

Yes growing your network is great, and you never know with whom your latest connection is also connected. amplifying your reach on LinkedIn depends on growing a strong base. Note I said strong. meaning those with whom you have something in common, those in your niche and those you are looking to partner with and/or prospect.

That does not mean everyone and certainly not everyone in your contact list.

Aunt Sally who is 91 and suffers from dementia, may find the email frightening, Uncle Todd who uses email sparingly to keep in touch with family only may be offended.

Not good business form to use what amounts to a spray and pray method to get connections. the other important issue here is that you could be flagged for sending too many emails, or worse have someone report you for spamming.

Next LinkedIn Timely Tip I will look at ‘ reply best practices’ and ‘checking out your requests’.