LinkedIn is a remarkably unique platform, and to this day, it remains the number one when it comes to professional networking. What makes LinkedIn stand out is the opportunity to discuss career and industry insights – something you wouldn’t normally do on other platforms like Facebook or Instagram.
Of course, like any social media channel, LinkedIn allows you to choose whom to share your content with. These are called “connections,” the platform’s counterpart for Facebook’s “friends” feature.
Before you can be someone’s connection, you need to send a request. It isn’t as black and white as Facebook, where users simply approve or decline a request. Professionals on LinkedIn can be more particular with filtering their network. For this, LinkedIn allows you to send a message to your connection request even before they hit the connect button.
LinkedIn personal messages are your chance to introduce yourself to a user and explain why you want to connect. With a 50/50 chance of getting declined, connection requests are crucial for B2B marketing lead generation.
LinkedIn connection message: The don’ts
Connecting with a user is the first step to sales pitching. Without a carefully-crafted LinkedIn personal message request, you’ll be missing out on dozens of leads that could skyrocket your sales.
To better explain what a good connection message is, it’s helpful to dive into the common mistakes that B2B marketers make when doing sending out requests.
Mistake #1: Focusing too much on themselves
People too often see connection requests as a way to introduce themselves and their brand. But this does more harm than good. Your leads will immediately sense that you’re connecting to sell; no one wants to get their inbox flooded with a variety of sales pitches.
Mistake #2: Hard selling from the get-go
The reason why social selling is extremely popular today is that people value relationships. It gives customers the impression that you value your clients over any business gain. If you start off your connection with a hard sell, you’re likely to lose any prospect that might have been interested in your business.
Mistake #3: Using a templated message
Another thing that annoys LinkedIn users is templated messages. Ditch the copy-pasted requests and inject some personal elements into your LinkedIn personal message request. Showing your leads that you did your homework by taking a quick look at their profile can already score you points for your business.
Mistake #4: Claiming to have read their profile
Buyers know if you genuinely checked out their profile or not. Faking interest in them and what they do will only give your business a money-hungry image. You can be a hundred percent sure that no one wants to collaborate with a company that lacks authenticity.
Customizing your LinkedIn connection message
Steering away from templated sales pitches isn’t as hard as it sounds, but it isn’t as simple as greeting your leads with their first name either.
There are easy ways you can personalize your connection message so you can avoid declines. Here are five that we found to be pretty useful so far!
1. Show your prospects that you scanned through their profile
Mentioning a detail about your prospect that’s available on his profile will show him that you’re not just here to make a sale. A genuine interest in your prospect’s work will help you stand out from all the other users sending him a request.
You can go further and use their track record as a way to connect and reach out. Mention how his experience helped him reach career heights, and how you admire him enough to offer a collaboration.
2. Highlight a project or accomplishment
Check out a project or accomplishment they listed on their profile. If they built their careers in the same industry, you could try to connect it to your brand and your products. This is an excellent way to grab their attention even before you start exchanging messages.
3. Ask for insights
LinkedIn is full of industry experts who would be more than willing to share their knowledge, insights, or opinions with you. Another excellent way to personalize your LinkedIn connection requests is to seek their perspective on a specific topic related to your industry.
You can also discuss an industry problem that your product or service seeks to address, but it’s important to first listen to what your prospect has to say about it. Their thoughts count as valuable feedback for your business, too!
4. Appreciate their content
Professionals commonly publish different types of content on their LinkedIn profiles, such as long-form posts and articles. When sending your connection requests, you can mention how their content has taught you something valuable in the industry.
Not only will this show that you appreciate their content, but it might also put them in a better mood to connect!
5. Look for a mutual connection
If you have a wide network, you’re at another advantage. Keep in touch and mention a mutual connection – a common mentor, a previous company, anything that you and your prospect share. Trust us, this will build your relationship almost instantaneously.
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