LinkedIn is known as the "professional network" and is the 'social networking' site many lawyers feel the most comfortable with, since it's all about business.
This post marks the first in a series of LinkedIn tips that I hope will help you to maximize your LinkedIn experience.
The first tip is about personalizing your invitations to connect on LinkedIn.
Making Better Connections on LinkedIn
Connections are one of the three building blocks of LinkedIn that Dennis Kennedy and I discuss in our book, LinkedIn in One Hour for Lawyers, published by the American Bar Association's Law Practice Management section.
LinkedIn is all about networking, and networking is all about connections.
If that last statement is true, then when you reach out to others on LinkedIn by sending them an invitation to connect, it makes sense that you should do everything you can to ensure that your invitation is accepted.
How can you do that?
- Make sure your Profile contains the most updated information about you, where you work, what kinds of clients you work for and what you do for them - many people won't accept a LinkedIn connection request without reviewing the requestor's Proile first - especially if they don't immediately recognize your name.
- Be sure your Profile contains a current photo of you - and that your LinkedIn settings allow that photo to be displayed publicly and not just to your Connections. Many people will remember faces before they remember names, and having your photo accompany your invitation will increase the chances that your potential connection will click the 'Accept' button.
- Don't use the default LinkedIn invitation (seen above); it is a missed opportunity!
- Do tell the person you are sending the invitation to how you know them (you are fellow alumni of the same law school, you are both members of the same LinkedIn Group, you follow their blog, you live in the same town, you met at a networking event, etc.)
- Do tell them why you would like to connect with them - and why you think it would be beneficial for them to connect with you. This is especially important if you have no other connection to them (perhaps you found them using LinkedIn's excellent search tools).
Employ these tips and I'm sure that the acceptance rate for your LinkedIn invitations will increase. Let me know your experience in the comments!
Want more LinkedIn tips? Join me for the Avvo webinar on LinkedIn for Lawyers tomorrow, Thursday, September 6, at 1 p.m. Eastern, or purchase a copy of LinkedIn in One Hour for Lawyers from the ABA website.
Allison, these are very useful tips that most of us take for granted, particularly the personalized message to connect on LinkedIn. There is a character limit but stating how you know the person and the benefits to the connection can greatly increase "accept" rates - at least it has for me.
Posted by: Loretta Ruppert - LexisNexis Firm Management | December 14, 2012 at 05:10 PM