When a business associate told me last week that she couldn’t understand why LinkedIn froze her account, especially because she invited only a few dozen people to connect within several months, I had a pretty good idea how that happened.
Three out of four of the people who invite me to connect with them on LinkedIn make the same mistake she probably made. They fail to explain on the invitation how we know each other, or how they know me.
If somebody invites you to connect and you don’t know them, LinkedIn gives you the option of clicking on “I don’t know this user” and “Report as spam.”
Scott Allen, who was my guest during a teleseminar on “How to Use LinkedIn to Promote Anything–Ethically & Powerfully,” said that if too many people say they don’t know you, LinkedIn can freeze your account.
I always give the person who’s inviting me the benefit of the doubt. If they send the standard “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” invitation, I always reply and ask, “How do we know each other, or how do you know me?” I ask that question so often that I’ve even created a macro key for it so I don’t have retype it hundreds of times.
Often, I learn that many of those people read my newsletter or heard me at a speaking engagement, or they were referred to me by a friend who follows me. So I usually connect with them and we start a conversation. If there’s no connection between us, I don’t connect.
Other LinkedIn users might not be so patient. It takes only a second to click on “I don’t know this user” or “Report as Spam.”
But it takes only several more seconds to type “I read your newsletter each week” or “I heard you speak when you were in Dallas” or “we worked on a project together at Bowling Green State University.”
What about you? Do three out of four people who invite you fail to explain how they know you? Do you click on “I don’t know this user” or “Report as Spam,” or do you probe like I do?
What’s the most annoying mistake you see people making on LinkedIn?
Joan,
When I first set up a LinkedIn profile 5 years ago it was a skeleton. I didn’t take time to learn it. But I still received invitations to connect and like you, I often had no idea how I knew the person. Sometimes I logged in and looked them up via search and still couldn’t figure it out. Very annoying.
Then sometime in the summer of ’08 I attended your tele-seminar on the subject with Scott Allen. It presented the big picture and had a number of useful tips regarding usage and how to set up a beneficial profile.
Plus you and your guest speaker also emphasized how to introduce yourself when requesting a connection and WHY that’s so important. If I hadn’t been muted you would have heard me shout a hearty, “AMEN!” to that advice.
When sending an invitation I do take the extra 20-30 seconds to share how the two of us know each other. Works every time. And I’ve even asked someone I know introduce me to a stranger. But in both “introduction” messages I explain why I want to connect with someone I don’t know. Thus far all requests to connect have been graciously accepted.
Also based on your tele-seminar I set up a detailed profile written to capture attention. It works and I’ve had a number of people comment on how informative it is.
Going back to your question – I haven’t reported anyone as spam yet. I do take time to do a bit of research. And amazingly enough, a few times when I’ve sent a reply asking “How do we know each other?” I haven’t received an answer! So I suspect those were spammers just trying to build their list of connections.
Karen, I love your idea of explaining why you want to connect with somebody you don’t know. I’m going to start adding that to my invitations.
This is true of other media, too. I always modify the standard message on LinkedIn, but amazed at how many generics from LI as well as Facebook I receive.
Oh, and one other thing I do: when someone friends me, I have a warm, friendly, resource-filled message I send back. yes it’s a template, but it has started some wonderful conversations.
I wish there was a way to do meaningful screening in Twitter. I actually wrote to Twitter founders Biz and Ev suggesting the new follower message give both the name and the screenname (the part within the parentheses)–much more informative about whose profile I should visit.
Shel Horowitz, primary author, Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green: Winning Strategies to Improve Your Profits and Your Planet
Nothing wrong with a template, Shel. It’s a time-saver.
I wondered why so many of the people who sent me invitations just used the generic comment. When I send an invitation, I always write a sentence or two of where and when we met and why I want to connect. I’d like to see the same from other people. I just think it’s more personal and friendly (and better manners).
I haven’t reported anyone yet, but I do the same as you; I respond back with an inquiry of where we know each other from, especially if they say we’re friends.
Great information. Thank you.
I think people use the generic invitation because they don’t know any better.
Hi Joan,
Recently I sent an invitation to you to connect on LinkedIn, first making sure that I listed how I know you in the options and also by personalizing the message so you would know that I am one of the Hounds who follows you via the ezine, newsletters, tips, your blog, etc. Valuable advice!
Other valuable advice given during the recent social media webinar was to make sure connections on LinkedIn actually MATTER! Having the largest network means nothing if the people to whom you connect can’t really help you achieve your goal, whatever that may be.
Quality is the key.
Thanks!
I agree that not including a descriptive message is a mistake. How many people have received invites to connect with a message saying I have an employment opportunity for you, connect with me and I’ll share the details? Since I am currently seeking employment, I accept the invite, but I also think it is a bit awkward to get an invite like that.
Jim
Jim, were the “employment opportunities” actually opportunities for them to sell you something?
Joan,
In addition to them not knowing any better, I think it’s just sheer laziness. The one real weakness that LinkedIn has is that messaging system – no signatures or saved templates, or even to save drafts.
The best solution to the problem is to use the LinkedIn Outlook Toolbar, which allows you to invite people to connect directly out of Outlook and you can save multiple “invite” templates requiring you to add just a little personalization – if any!
I highly recommend it as a much quicker and simpler way to send invitations (and you also have a record of it in Outlook!).
Thanks so much for the reminder…it definitely needs to be repeated to everyone over and over:-)
Crystal Thies
Social Media Strategist & LinkedIn Consultant
Some people ask me to connect, and then get offended if I ask if I know them or why they want to connect.
What is the best book or resource to get a simplified, clear, orderly reference on the ABC’s of using LinkedIn only. It appears to me that there is an underlying assumption that people just intuitively understand the mechanics of the social media sites. The site owners don’t have a robust section for newbies or the uninformed. Simple and orderly would be the operative words.
P.S. I’m hoping that any referrals won’t be to an entire program to immerse oneself in.
I love Joan’s community and appreciate your input and suggestions.
Norman (long time fan of Joan’s and customer)
There are two things that make me wonder what a person was thinking. One is putting your email address or URL in the headline or having a boring headline. The second is having a boring profile. By that I mean, they don’t have anything interesting like a reading list or something that they keep updated like their blog.
There’s no reason why people shouldn’t feed their blog into LinkedIn.
Blogs are a great way to promote your expertise and on LinkedIn, especially, you should bowl over people with how much you know about your topic.