Depending on what kind of business you have, LinkedIn can be a great place to network to make B2B connections. Like with any other kind of networking, there are different approaches you can take even within one platform. Today, I am sharing a few tips for you to try to be more effective with your own LinkedIn networking!
Customize Your Invitation to Connect
One of the first steps to being able to network with someone on LinkedIn is connecting with them. LinkedIn prompts you with a button to connect, and they have made life easier for you by creating a standardized message so all you have to do is hit “Send” to send the invitation to your hopeful new contact. Just because LinkedIn has simplified the invitation process for you doesn’t mean you have to use their canned message, though!
If you are going to send a LinkedIn invitation to a new contact, try writing your own message. #linkedin #socialmedia #marketing #business #smallbusiness #smb #biztips #entrepreneur
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If you are going to send a LinkedIn invitation to a new contact, try writing your own message. It can be as short as a one sentence message. Greet the contact by name and let them know how they know you. If you don’t know each other yet, put a sentence to state your role and why you are interested to connect. The contacts who accept your invitation may be more invested now that they can place who you are and what inspired you to reach out. For those who are reluctant to accept requests from people they don’t recognize, this may help them decide to take the chance.
Interact Before Making a Pitch
Cold calls or cold emails are a slightly more accepted – or at least more traditional – practice. But sending an invitation to connect on LinkedIn and immediately following it with a cold pitch in a direct message can be seen as bad etiquette. This is all a matter of personal preference, but the reality of social media platforms is that they were invented to be relationship building and social tools. If you lean into that, you are more likely to maximize such platforms.
Sending an invitation to connect on LinkedIn and immediately following it with a cold pitch in a direct message can be seen as bad etiquette. #linkedin #socialmedia #business #biztips #smallbusiness #smallbiz #smb
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Those who take the approach of inviting then immediately pitching are probably doing this sequence in high volume. And, in high volume, any approach has the potential to bring you leads – but is it the most efficient use of your time?
If you really want to build a relationship with a contact, try checking out their activity and engaging with their posts. React to their content. Better yet, comment in insightful or supportive ways. As you start coming up in their notifications, they will recognize you as a person who listens and may be more apt to listen to you when you put a pitch out there. Check out this tip about why engagement is more important than posting on social media.
As an introvert, I also want to give a word of caution about immediately inviting someone to coffee or a call. Some people may love that approach. For time-protective introverts like me, being invited to coffee or a phone or video call by someone you don’t know with very little context as to what that conversation will entail is off-putting. If you are someone who uses this strategy, be aware that you never know who is on the receiving end. Chances are, making it a habit to engage with the person’s content first will increase your conversion rate to coffee or phone calls.
Mind Your Keywords
Keywords matter for LinkedIn, just like they do for so many other types of online marketing. LinkedIn enables running a search for keywords to find relevant posts or people, which means anyone could find you or your content that way. So, first of all, make sure that your profile has the right keywords in it. When was the last time you checked your LinkedIn profile to make sure that what you say there is still relevant for your current business or the network you are trying to attract?
Once you are sure that your profile is serving you, then remember to think about keywords every time you post new content. It may just help new people discover you!
I hope these tips help you in your journey with LinkedIn. What are some of the best practices you use?
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