LinkedIn has over 30 million users in the UK alone and 40% of B2B marketers say LinkedIn is the most effective platform for driving high-quality leads (source). In light of this, it’s no surprise that LinkedIn is one of the most popular social media platforms for B2B business owners – a combination of a giant networking event and a social media platform dedicated to business posts.
LinkedIn is particularly effective for B2B sales since it gives brands a chance to highlight the people behind the business – along with what inspires and motivates them. Remember, people ultimately buy from people.
However, simply creating a profile on LinkedIn is no longer enough.
To be able to sell to people or create an awareness of your brand you will need to build your audience by connecting with relevant targets.
Read more: 6 unbeatable LinkedIn tips to grow your business once and for all
Why send a note along with your LinkedIn connection invite?
When you request to connect with someone on LinkedIn, you have the option to send a message alongside it. This allows you to introduce who you are and why you want to connect with them – and can often be crucial to getting your connection request accepted.
Professionals in all sectors are increasingly busy with less and less time to spend on things that don’t – in their eyes – benefit their business. By writing a message to go with your connection request, you can catch their eye and grab their attention for just long enough to accept.
Social media users, in general, are also becoming warier of spam and scams on their favourite platforms so they’ll often ignore anything that seems too generic – your connection invite message is a chance to include valuable personalisation.
LinkedIn Connection Tips
- Upload your current contacts to LinkedIn and connect with those who have LinkedIn profiles
- Research who your competitors are connected to and send requests to their key contacts
- Use search features and LinkedIn Boolean searches to find people that meet the target criterial for your buyer persona
- Connect with 2nd connections rather than 3rd connections as they will be more likely to accept your request since you both know the same people
- Create a habit of connecting with a handful of new people every day
5 things to include in your LinkedIn connection invite
- Recipient Name
Yes, we really do have to include this on the list… You’d be surprised how many people use a generic greeting like “Hi there” in a LinkedIn message. Unlike in emails, you know exactly who you’re talking to when you send a connection invite – nothing makes the recipient ignore a request faster than a greeting that has clearly been copy-and-pasted to 20 other people.
Look out for how the recipient is often referred to – while their profile may use their full name, do they tend to go by a shorter version or a nickname? Review their posts and public conversations with others to see how their existing connections refer to them. - Who you are
Next, make it clear who you are and what you do. You’re the one that has intruded on their time so don’t make them have to go to your profile to read more about you.
Having said that, do your best to keep it brief – a connection invite is no place to share your life story. Stick to your name, where you work, and what you help people do. - How you found them
It’s always a good idea to highlight why you chose to connect with them – particularly if they may not immediately recognise the benefit of being connected with you. E.g. Did you meet at a recent networking event? Did you see one of their posts and think it was fantastic?Top tip
DO NOT use a generic reason like “we’re in the same industry” or “we have several connections in common”. These reasons appear lazy and will make the recipient feel like you are simply sending a generic message.
- Why you want to connect
Ultimately, the recipient wants to know what you want from them and how much benefit they’re going to get from you. This is where you should use your buyer persona research to align your reason for connecting with their goals and challenges. E.g. have you solved a problem their industry is struggling with, would you like to learn from them, do you want to partner up and work together on a project? - Next steps
The part that most people tend to forget when writing their connection invite is the next steps. What’s going to happen after the recipient connects with you? People naturally fear the unknown (or the risk of spam messages) so remove this fear by telling them exactly what to expect.Top Tip
Follow up on accepted connection requests with a message thanking them and inviting them to chat with you. This will help you build a relationship!
Use our connection invite template to grow your network on LinkedIn easily and effortlessly:
Hi [first name]
I’m a [position] at [company name].
We both attended [event] last week but didn’t get a chance to talk.
I wanted to connect so [reason to connect]
May I arrange a call to [next steps]?
Regards
[your name]LinkedIn is arguably one of the best ways to reach professionals who may be interested in your offering but if you want to successfully grow your business through it you need to invest the right amount of time and effort.
At Logic Digital, we can help you develop your LinkedIn activity and take your business to the next level. Follow us on LinkedIn for more advice or get in touch to see how we can help you grow.
