In this article, I’m going to take you through the importance of LinkedIn invitations in detail. Although many LinkedIn users send connection requests without any kind of note, this is a huge missed opportunity in my book!
Let’s take a look at how to make the most of LinkedIn invitations, both as a sender and a receiver.
Where Should I Start?
Building and nurturing relationships with the right group of people is far more important than worrying about how MANY LinkedIn connections you’ve got.
Let’s start with people that you already know. Go through your email and mobile contacts list and reach out to those people. They may be former colleagues or university classmates, and some of your friendship group may be able to help as well. People who already know you are more likely to support you in your growth and engage with your content.
It’s a strategy that’s worked really well for me. I made contact with people I knew from university, who set up meetings for me with their firms’ partners, who became my clients! As you have something in common, it should be easy to personalise the message so you stand out.
You should also send personalised Linkedin invitations to people you have met recently, whether face to face or online. This is a really good way of building your network and also getting some leads as quickly as possible. As you’ve met them recently and have spoken to them, they’ve already put a face to the name. You’ll also have a record of how you met when you look back over your messages. This could be very useful in future.
Quality Not Quantity
I firmly believe that a targeted, credible, specific network of LinkedIn connections is much better than connecting with too many people, which can make you appear spammy or unprofessional.
Instead of focusing on sending LinkedIn invitations to lots of people just for the sake of it, the key is to find people who are closely aligned with your products or services, and who you’ll enjoy working with.
By identifying your ideal client profile, it’s much easier to locate the people you want to work with using Linkedin searches, as you can be very specific about the terms used using advanced techniques such as Boolean Search. You may have more than one ideal client profile if you work across different sectors, so it’s good to target each with a specific search.
Personalise Your Invitations
Once you’ve identified your prospective clients, the next stage is to connect. A vital part of the LinkedIn lead generation process is to start the relationship as you mean to go on.
The aim of sending a LinkedIn connection request is to get accepted by your prospective client. Nothing else. No selling, no pitching.
Start by including a personalised message when sending LinkedIn invitations. The key is to make them feel natural and authentic. Spend 10-15 minutes daily connecting with 10-15 targeted individuals – you’ll soon have a high-quality network aligned with your business objectives.
There are plenty of great resources in my Complete LinkedIn Mastery Course that you can use and tailor to help you get the wording right if you find this difficult.
What If I’m Using Mobile?
Did you know that you can also personalise LinkedIn invitations sent from the LinkedIn mobile app?
When you’ve identified someone you’d like to connect with, click the three dots to the right of the ‘Connect’ (or ‘Follow’) and ‘Message’ buttons. You’ll see an option called ‘Personalize invite’. This will allow you to add a personalised note with your request.
Welcome Them to Your Network
Once your Linkedin invitations have been accepted, follow up within a couple of days with a message to welcome your new connections to your network. It’s a great way to get a two-way conversation going. You can let them know you’re there to help and will be giving them value as you build your relationship.
Keep the message short and friendly. At this stage, you are NOT trying to sell or pitch. Nurture the relationship and earn the opportunity for a phone call or meeting when the time is right. Look for clues in their LinkedIn Profile to work out what to include in the message. It’s a good opportunity to offer them something free, such as a download or other resource. This will make them feel good about being connected to you.
Again, the LinkedIn messaging scripts included with my Complete LinkedIn Mastery course can really help you.
Check Your Invitations
Don’t forget that people will be reaching out to connect with you on LinkedIn. It’s a good habit to review the LinkedIn invitations that you’ve been sent on a regular basis. You might get some good leads that way!
See if the people who have invited you to connect look like they could be a good prospect, or if they can help you in some way – particularly if they’ve taken the time to personalise their connection request. Don’t feel that you have to accept ALL connection requests – if someone doesn’t look like a good fit, or they are a competitor, for example, then just click on ‘IGNORE’.
When you accept people into your network who have sent YOU a connection request, especially when they’ve taken the time to personalise their request, I would always recommend sending them a welcome message. It’s a nice way of getting the conversation going, and of starting the process of nurturing the relationship.
Final Thoughts
If you’d like to learn more, I’d recommend you check out the resources on my website, including my free LinkedIn Masterclass, where you can find out more about me and my approach to social selling.
And if you’re serious about getting the most out of LinkedIn, and would like to see how I can help you, including finding out more about my Complete LinkedIn Mastery Course, then I’d be delighted to hear from you. If we’re already connected on LinkedIn, you can drop me a DM, and if not, I’d be delighted to connect with you (don’t forget the importance of personalising your LinkedIn invitations!), or simply drop me a line at [email protected]
