In light of last month’s connection-spam lawsuit, we thought it’d be wise to talk about how to connect with new professional contacts on LinkedIn. After all, the point of social media is to be, well, social, which involves introducing yourself to new people and starting conversations. Today, we’ll discuss the top three unwritten rules of “connection invitations” over LinkedIn.
1. Never use the “import your address book” feature to add connections.
Until this function undergoes a dramatic overhaul and lets you pick the active contacts from the “used once and never again” addresses, it’s simply too unwieldy to use.
2. Connect only with those you have “spoken” with online.
Yes, this is a social media site, and forming relationships with new people in your industry is highly encouraged. The strongest bonds initially will be with those you know "in real life" and outside of the computer screen, but you'll soon be reaching out to form friendships and partnerships with those you admire and respect within LinkedIn itself.
That said, don’t send connection requests out of the blue to someone you’ve never interacted with. Comment on someone’s updates, start a conversation in an industry-specific forum, or ask for an introduction from a mutual connection. Then—once your prospective connection has a context in which to put your request—send the connection invitation. This unwritten rule also applies in the other direction: you should seriously question the wisdom of connecting with those you haven't "spoken with" previously.
This may seem counter-intuitive to the social nature of the platform, but it's for a good reason. Those you connect with on LinkedIn will have access to your personal information, including professional email addresses, phone numbers, and social media accounts. Unless you want to drown in unrequested sales pitches and sketchy file shares—both on LinkedIn and elsewhere—keep the connections to those you wouldn't mind having immediate access to you without any sort of gate guard.
The sole exception to this rule might lie within your purpose on the platform. If you're on LinkedIn to speak with the parents of future students, for example, you may be more willing to accept connection requests "blind" if they meet a certain set of criteria that places them in the prospective parent audience-bucket (e.g., they live within a commutable distance of your school or you recognize their names from a list of visiting parents).
3. Customize your connection request.
“I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” is the default message sent to a one-click invitation request. It’s professional, mundane, and provides absolutely zero context for why you’d like to connect with someone—not to mention dismissive of the recipient’s time. Don’t put the onus on your prospective connection to investigate you and why you’d be useful in his/her network. A simple salutation and explanation for why you’d like to connect is enough to upgrade your introduction from automatic to personal.
For example, a message reading, “Hi, Jane, I read your post on paid time off and would love to pick your brain sometime about its application in a private school setting” would be great. “Good afternoon, this is Dr. Joe. I just wanted to reach out on behalf of Private School to say that we look forward to teaching your child this year!” is another good request message.
The key to any successful connection request is to be personable while staying professional, and offer a reason for the connection. Sure, not all connections will read the invitation itself, but investing the effort to type out a sentence or two will pay in the long run.
By introducing yourself and treating the connection request personally, instead of (virtually) thrusting your business card at a stranger and expecting them to welcome your invitation, you'll initiate more authentic relationships—and that's the reason you're on social media in the first place!
Do you understand the power of online peer networks like LinkedIn, but feel intimidated by the scale of the site? Have you poked around the various profile pages and search functions, but wish you knew what was important and what should be left behind? Join us on December 16 for our webinar, Professionalize Your LinkedIn Presence: Why and How. Our presentation will focus on the basics of establishing your professional LinkedIn persona—with time at the end for any lingering questions or concerns.
Additional ISM resources:
The Source for Private School News Vol. 14 No. 4 LinkedIn for Administrators, Part One: Spruce Up Your Profile
The Source for Private School News Vol. 14 No. 7 LinkedIn for Administrators, Part Two: Your Activity Wall
The Source for Private School News Vol. 14 No. 8 LinkedIn for Administrators, Part Three: The Lawsuit Connection
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 40 No. 10 Marketing Communications and the Student
I&P Vol. 34 No. 10 Professional Development During Hard Economic Times
