LinkedIn is one of the biggest social media platforms for prospecting and recruiting. Still, there has been much debate over how people should approach a connection request on LinkedIn. There are two strong philosophies by which many LinkedIn members abide. The first philosophy suggests connecting with only your co-workers and people that you already know. The other philosophy recommends inviting anyone to connect that you feel could benefit your network.
Every LinkedIn member has multiple levels of separation from someone who could be a prospect or recruiter. The degrees of separation show who might be a future client or a meaningful connection. If you are continually ignoring those 1st and 2nd-degree LinkedIn invitations, you will be turning away potential prospects and recruiters.
In this article, you will learn about the importance of LinkedIn connections in today’s world, potential reasons for your ignored LinkedIn requests, and strategies to use going forward that will help you avoid being ignored.
The Basics of Making LinkedIn Connections
Your network on LinkedIn involves your 1st-degree, 2nd-degree, and 3rd-degree connections, as well as your followers and fellow members of your LinkedIn groups. You can build your network by sending invitations to connect with other LinkedIn members and contacts or accepting invites from others. The degree of connection you have with another member affects how you interact with them on LinkedIn.
1st Degree Connections
These are people you’re connected to because you’ve accepted their invitation to connect, or they’ve accepted your invitation. You’ll see a degree icon next to their name in search results and on their profile. You can contact them by sending a LinkedIn invitation message.
2nd Degree Connections
These are people who are connected to your 1st-degree connections. You’ll see a degree icon next to their name in search results and on their profile. You can send them an invitation by clicking the Connect button on their profile page.
3rd Degree Connections
Finally, these are people who are connected to your 2nd-degree connections. You’ll see a degree icon next to their name in search results and on their profile.
Why Having a Lot of Connections Is Important
The more people you have connected with, the wider you have cast your net of opportunities. If a job or project comes along for any of your connections, chances are you will be among the first to know.
The more connections you have, the more people are likely to share, like, or comment on anything you publish on LinkedIn. In addition, more connections make your account look more reliable, therefore spreading the word about your brand and unique value.
Once you reach the 500+ connections mark, your profile ranks higher in search results, making you more visible in searches.
Five Reasons For Ignored LinkedIn Requests
- You’re not using a personalized LinkedIn invitation message.
- Your profile lacks a significant piece of information.
- Your profile or message has spelling or grammar mistakes.
- You misspelled the person’s name.
- Your message comes off like you are trying to sell something.
Any of these reasons (primarily a combination of a few of these) could explain why you are not getting the connections you’ve hoped.
Strategies for Avoiding Each of These Reasons For Ignored LinkedIn Requests
Personalizing Your Message
Every person wants to feel like an individual. Because of this, all people are very fond of receiving personalized messages. Remember how excited you used to get as a child when you received something in the mail with your name on it?
Studies have shown that people are 26% more likely to open and interact with emails or messages with a personalized element. Before sending a message on LinkedIn, look at the person’s profile. Find something you may have in common and begin your message by introducing yourself and mentioning what you found. Your message should include a detailed reason for how this person could benefit from connecting with you.
Make Sure Your Profile Is Not Lacking Information
Your LinkedIn profile needs to include all the professional information someone would want to know about you. Imagine having a stranger walk up to you on the street and ask you to be a professional contact for them. You would probably be very confused, and the reason would likely stem from that person being a stranger about whom you know nothing. Making sure your profile is packed with relevant information is an excellent way for those you cold message to see who you are.
Information to Include:
- Headline: Describe your current career and for whom you work.
- Profile Picture: Having a current profile picture gives a snapshot of who you are and adds to the trustworthiness people feel towards your account.
- Summary: The summary is the most important content on your entire profile. It is vital to use every aspect of those 2000 characters to tell people who you are and what you have done. The most crucial part of your profile should not be plain; liven it up with links and media.
- Experience: Your profile will not be very compelling if you don’t include what you have on your resume. Adding relevant articles, photos, videos, and other media to your experience section can boost your profile.
- Connections: Maintaining an average number of connections is essential for prospects and recruiters. If you only have 10 or 20 connections, this is a pretty small network. Potential clients and recruiters will see that this isn’t a possible connection for expanding their network. To solve this problem, try connecting with all of your co-workers, fellow alumni, former colleagues, or friends before you send connection requests to prospects and recruiters.
- Customizable LinkedIn URL: Getting your URL for your LinkedIn profile is essential for your connection request to be accepted by other LinkedIn members. You can create your URL based on your first and last name or the industry you are an expert in.
Check Your Grammar and Spelling in Both Your Messages and Profile
The people you reach out to are likely to critique your profile before accepting or ignoring your connection request. If your profile has lots of punctuation, spelling, and other types of errors, people are much more likely to write you off.
Proper grammar and a polished-looking profile make you appear more professional to those with which you wish to connect. An excellent resource for achieving this is Grammarly. This is a service that can check grammar, spelling, readability, word choice, and plagiarism.
Always Double Check How to Spell Names
Spelling someone’s name correctly shows kindness, intention, and respect. Our name is central to our identity, so mucking it up means attacking people at their core. Making an effort to double-check how someone spells their name on their profile is very important. Doing this will set an example for others and show how easy it is. It’s not an inconvenience, and those extra few seconds are worth it to avoid another ignored the LinkedIn request.
Your First Form of Connection With Someone Should Not Sound Like You Are Trying to Sell Something
If you want to sell something to a prospect on LinkedIn, do not try to do so on your initial connection request. Contacting people on a professional network with a random sales pitch is an almost sure-fire way to have your message ignored. Many LinkedIn users want to grow and nurture their professional networks. They do not want to risk that growth by starting all their connections receiving the same random sales pitch.
The Importance of Making Connections on LinkedIn
Making connections on LinkedIn gives you a fantastic opportunity to learn about new industries and people. It allows professionals to get to know the world around them. To put it simply, LinkedIn is probably the best place for professional networking.
Networking: Networking is a practical and helpful skill. It helps you meet prospective clients, get ahead in a competitive job market, and gain better access to career resources. However, if you see a lot of ignored LinkedIn requests, it’s time to take a different approach. The best way to open yourself to business opportunities is through professional networking. With the tips in this article, you will create more meaningful connections on this helpful platform.
FAQ:
- Why are connections meaningful on LinkedIn?
- Do I need to have a profile picture to make connections?
- Why are people ignoring my connection requests?
- What is a first-degree connection on LinkedIn?
- What is a good number of connections to have?
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