{"id":1296,"date":"2022-05-25T20:56:30","date_gmt":"2022-05-25T20:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wiza.co\/blog\/?p=1296"},"modified":"2022-05-25T20:56:31","modified_gmt":"2022-05-25T20:56:31","slug":"write-the-perfect-linkedin-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wiza.co\/blog\/write-the-perfect-linkedin-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write the Perfect LinkedIn Connection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Nobody likes a spammy LinkedIn connection message. \u201cI\u2019ve taken a look at your profile\u201d just doesn\u2019t feel believable anymore. And yet LinkedIn is still the best place to reach B2B decision makers, bar none. Take a look at these <a href=\"https:\/\/techjury.net\/blog\/linkedin-statistics\/#gref\">eye opening stats<\/a> about LinkedIn\u2019s user base:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>There are 660 million LinkedIn users<\/li><li>80% of these users think that professional networking is vital for success<\/li><li>50% of B2B buyers use LinkedIn when making purchasing decisions&nbsp;<\/li><li>60% of users have over 1000 connections&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s time for your business to build a LinkedIn community. The only way to get in on this action is to <a href=\"https:\/\/wiza.co\/blog\/22-linkedin-tips\/\">create your LinkedIn profile<\/a> and start connecting with colleagues, customers, partners, and thought leaders. To be successful, you\u2019ll have to give people a reason to accept your LinkedIn connection request. Today we\u2019ll cover why connection requests are so valuable, what you should definitely <em>not<\/em> do while using LinkedIn (no spammy messages!), and how to write the perfect LinkedIn connection request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Connection requests are valuable<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike other social media sites, like Facebook, the goal on LinkedIn isn\u2019t to connect with everyone and anyone that you might know or want to know. LinkedIn is about strategically building relationships with people in your business network. This includes thought leaders who are sharing cutting edge information for your industry, or valuable insight on professional development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LinkedIn is also the best destination for job hunting. By connecting and engaging with your past and current colleagues, you\u2019ll have one foot in the door when pursuing a new job. Who knows, these people just might end up at your dream company before you\u2014and then, there\u2019s your in to finding out when the next position opens up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s also one of the best places to sell to customers and potential buyers. Sellers who engage in <a href=\"https:\/\/business.linkedin.com\/sales-solutions\/social-selling\/what-is-social-selling\">social selling tend to outsell their peers<\/a> who don\u2019t use social media by 78%. Social selling doesn\u2019t take the traditional approach, which may include cold pitching your products or services in your first message to a new connection. Instead, it\u2019s about delivering value through your posts and messages and starting conversations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s also a ripple effect to LinkedIn; when you connect with one person, you get access to more people. When someone accepts your connection request, and becomes a 1st degree connection, that makes everyone in their network your 2nd degree connection. If someone is completely <a href=\"https:\/\/wiza.co\/blog\/linkedin-message-or-email\/\">out of your network<\/a>, you can\u2019t see them at all. So the more connections you have, the more reach you have to new people.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>What <strong>not<\/strong> to do when sending a connection request<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Just like with in-person networking, there are some faux pas to avoid when writing a connection request on LinkedIn. Common mistakes that that people make when attempting to connect or sell to people on LinkedIn include:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Only talking about yourself or your business.<\/li><li>Starting the conversation with a cold sales pitch.<\/li><li>Neglecting to personalize your message and sending generic text.<\/li><li>Spamming your connection with too many messages too often. (They haven\u2019t even decided to talk to you yet and you\u2019re giving them a reason to say no!)<\/li><li>Using the default message: \u201cI&#8217;d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.\u201d<\/li><li>Telling the person that you read their profile, then proceeding to write a message that shows you CLEARLY did not.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In order to avoid the ire of those you\u2019re trying to connect with, plus LinkedIn\u2019s spam rules, don\u2019t send hundreds of generic requests to random people. They may mark your request as spam and if that happens enough, LinkedIn will suspend your account or even ban you from the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You also don\u2019t want to bombard a new connection with a sales pitch. Just like with cold emails and phone calls, you have to have a strategy for who you reach out to and why. You wouldn\u2019t call a prospective customer and immediately launch into a sales pitch without knowing anything about their business, would you? Usually, that leads to a swift end to the phone call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other ways that sales professionals drop the ball when trying to network on LinkedIn include:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Connecting with the wrong people. If you sell marketing services, having hundreds of engineering and developer connections won\u2019t do you any good.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Trying to engage at the wrong level. A marketing specialist doesn\u2019t have buying power, you should be reaching out to VPs of Marketing.<\/li><li>Having no strategy for optimizing your networking efforts. Make sure that you\u2019re delivering something of value to people, not just prodding them to accept the request.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>How to write the <strong>perfect <\/strong>LinkedIn connection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that we\u2019ve covered the \u201cwhat not to do\u201d basics, let\u2019s dive into some of the best practices that help you connect with more people, expand your network, and get the most out of your social selling. Best practices include:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Use a tone that\u2019s thoughtful and courteous. You\u2019re asking for just a minute of their time so proceed respectfully and politely.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Get to the point. There are limited characters available in a LinkedIn connection request so you\u2019ll need to refine your message to be concise and valuable.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Treat your request as if you approached someone at an in-person event and are asking for a handshake. Approach respectfully and openly.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Offer praise or acknowledge a milestone. There\u2019s a reason you\u2019re contacting them. Let them know that you admire their work, that you\u2019ve learned from their posts, or that you\u2019ve personally benefited from their products or services.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>TL;DR: Make it personalized! By taking the extra time to read up on the person you\u2019re connecting with and show you actually care about them, you will already stand out from the influx of spam messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>5 templates you can use today&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, writing a personal note doesn\u2019t mean it has to be completely different each time. There are certain templates for success when crafting the perfect LinkedIn connection. Here, just for you, we\u2019ve put together five example messages for reaching out to a colleague, thought leader, job candidate, someone you met while networking, or a prospective customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Colleague&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Hi (First name),<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was great meeting you at the company happy hour last week! My teammates say that you\u2019ve been a lifesaver on some of their big projects. I\u2019m looking forward to working with you myself soon. Let\u2019s grab a coffee in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All the best,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Your name)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Thought leader<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Hi (First name),&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve been following your work for a while now and I\u2019ve learned so much from your posts. I especially liked the article you shared on [ex: streamlining lead generation], it made a difference in my sales efforts. I\u2019d love to connect and speak over a call soon.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Your name)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Job candidate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Hi (first name),<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you for spending some time talking with my team today. We found you to be a talented and engaging candidate and look forward to potentially working with you. Please let me know if you have any questions about the job! Happy to hop on a call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Warm regards,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Your name)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Networking event&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Hi (first name),&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I enjoyed our conversation at the Expo last week and I\u2019m especially looking forward to the new product release that\u2019s coming out next month. Let\u2019s stay connected and I look forward to hearing more from you in the future.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cheers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Your name)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Prospective customer&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Hi (first name),<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you for taking my call today. I\u2019m really impressed with the product you\u2019ve built up at X company over the last ten years. I\u2019d like to stay in touch on LinkedIn, especially with how helpful your posts are. Looking forward to speaking again next week.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Best regards,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Your name)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note: These templates are examples; use them as inspiration to create your own personalized messages!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Conclusion&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Say goodbye to dry LinkedIn messages, because you\u2019re now well on your way to writing connection requests that make their recipient smile (and, click \u201caccept\u201d!) With these templates and teaching in your pocket, you\u2019re sure to start growing your network in no time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>P.S. Once you\u2019ve connected with a new prospect or customer on LinkedIn, you can take advantage of <a href=\"https:\/\/wiza.co\/blog\/inmail-how-does-it-work\/\">InMails<\/a>, plus supercharge your outreach by exporting your lead lists and adding them into your outbound sales email campaigns. Learn more,<a href=\"https:\/\/wiza.co\/blog\/inmail-how-does-it-work\/\"> here!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nobody likes a spammy LinkedIn connection message. \u201cI\u2019ve taken a look at your profile\u201d just doesn\u2019t feel believable anymore. And yet LinkedIn is still the best place to reach B2B decision makers, bar none. Take a look at these eye opening stats about LinkedIn\u2019s user base:&nbsp; There are 660 million LinkedIn users 80% of these [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v17.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Write the Perfect LinkedIn Connection - Wiza Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You have one shot to make a first impression on LinkedIn. 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