How To Connect With Someone On LinkedIn
“So how to connect with someone on LinkedIn? We don’t all have the notoriety of Olivia Pope, so how do we connect with those people of influence?”
Abbie Coleman – MMB Magazine Editor.
Written by Abbie Coleman
A seasoned expert with a diverse background spanning over 20 years in recruitment. With 12 years of owning her own recruitment firm in the heart of Leeds, she brings a wealth of experience in talent acquisition and management.
Additionally, Abbie has dedicated 10 years to advocating for working mums’ rights in the workplace, championing initiatives to close the motherhood penalty and promote flexible work arrangements and returner programs.
Her expertise has been recognized and quoted in various reputable publications, including the Telegraph, Derbyshire Times, Personnel Today, HR News, and the CIPD returner report.
My top tips to help you build your network on LinkedIn with people you don’t know.
LinkedIn has undergone a remarkable transformation since my early days in recruitment over 14 years ago, and this article will help you to connect with someone on LinkedIn in a positive and meaningful way. After all, LinkedIn currently has over 700 million users in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. If your new to LinkedIn why not read our article on what is LinkedIn and why you should use it.
The LinkedIn network was utilized as a mass networking tool to help connect you to as many industry leaders as possible and is almost seen as a free CV database for recruiters. It used to be about getting as many first-degree connections as you could. This would be the best way to open up your network to show more 2nd-degree connections and 3rd-degree connections LinkedIn users to help you find more people within the sectors or industries you need to approach. Even the generic sending off as many LinkedIn message requests to increase the number of people you can see was the aim of the day to build an extensive network of names to mine.
A survey by HubSpot found that LinkedIn is 277% more effective at generating leads than Facebook and Twitter.
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Time has certainly moved on, and LinkedIn is now about the quality of connections rather than the number of connections and approaches. There’s almost a snobbery now to how an approach is made, and rightly so, and here are my tips on how to connect with someone on LinkedIn.
So, how do you connect with people on LinkedIn That You Don’t Know?
Long gone are the days of firing off a direct message with a connection request without a personalized message to many people in the hope of gaining as many new contacts as possible. That approach is a telesales cold call and will not gain you any favours with your target audience.
The note itself needs to make a great impression and express a common interest or a reason for reaching out. The typical generic message, ” I notice we have several connections in common, so thought we should connect”, is as weak as it sounds and generally met by a delete.
If you want to make a new connection on LinkedIn, ask yourself why. What about this person makes you wish to connect with them? What’s your common ground? Why would they want to link with you? Have they just written a great article that has challenged your thoughts on a subject, been on a great podcast, or even commented on one of the LinkedIn threads you follow?
Here are some tips on how to connect to someone on LinkedIn
“A study by the Pew Research Center found that LinkedIn is the only major social media platform where usage rates are higher among 30- to 49-year-olds than among 18- to 29-year-olds.”
- Join Specific LinkedIn Groups For your IndustryJoin a specific industry LinkedIn group where the industry professionals you want to connect with hang out and post. It’s a great way to chat and be seen as active in your industry, and people are more likely to want to connect with someone engaged and interested in what is being said by them and others in the sector. Your name will become familiar and make your LinkedIn profile stand out, and they will be more likely to accept a LinkedIn request. Do it right, and you may receive their LinkedIn request before sending yours!
- Reshare Linkedin Posts Of The People You Are Interested InReshare the posts in your status updates about the people you’re looking to connect with, why you’re sharing it, and why people should read it. This gives you an excellent opportunity for them to see you sharing their work, engage in what they say and share with your network.
- Share Great LinkedIn ContentShare great content you find from other social media channels on LinkedIn, establish yourself amongst other thought leaders and be seen in your given industry.
- Take Your Offline Contacts Online With Linked In. Who is a part of your offline network sounds simple, but have you LinkedIn with them as part of your network on Linkedin?
- CommentGet commenting on posts and comments made within your industry and by people you feel inspired by and be seen as someone interested in their content before you fire off that LinkedIn invitation.
- Personalise LinkedIn RequestsPlease refrain from assuming they will know who you are or be bothered to click on your profile to find out, so make sure you put details into your connection request. A few extras on how to connect with someone on LinkedIn
- Be concise. You are limited on the characters you can send, so make them count.
- Be sincere and genuine.
- If you can send a personalized note on LinkedIn with your message request, make sure it’s specific to them and not a generic cut and paste. Please explain why you would like to connect with them. Tell them if you loved what they said in a post or comment.
- Remember, it’s about having the right connections, not the most. Connecting with the right people can take time, but it’s well worth establishing yourself.
How to connect with someone on LinkedIn with no connect button?
If you’re looking to connect with someone on LinkedIn but can’t seem to find the trusty “Connect” button, don’t worry. It’s possible that the user has specific connection settings in place, or they might prefer to connect only with those they know personally.
However, there are still some friendly approaches you can try. Firstly, you can also opt to “Follow” them, which allows you to stay in the loop with their professional updates. Although it’s not a direct connection, it’s a subtle way to keep up with their activities. Look for shared interests, groups, or connections; mention these in your message.
Engaging with their content by liking, commenting, or sharing can also help you get noticed. If you’re part of the same LinkedIn group, participating in discussions can be an excellent icebreaker. And if all else fails, why not pick up the phone? Occasionally, users tweak their settings. Just ensure your privacy settings are not inadvertently preventing you from sending requests. Building meaningful connections on LinkedIn is all about genuine, considerate interactions, so take your time.
How do you address an unknown person on LinkedIn?
Why not read LinkedIns very own tips on how to address an unkown person on Linkedin.
Is your LinkedIn profile page up to scratch?
Before working on your online networking and connection invites, ensure your LinkedIn page profile makes an excellent first impression. Read our article on how to make your Linkedin profile stand out and how to get found and seen on LinkedIn.
- Do you have a professional profile photo? This doesn’t have to be a corporate headshot, but it reflects who you are and what you are about.
- Is your profile picture and header using the correct dimensions
- Do you have your career history up to date with your current position?
In short, LinkedIn is a powerful tool that can be used in many different ways to build a valuable network, one that you put time and effort into and one you also protect when it comes to those generic “we know many of the same people so I thought we should connect” messages.
So treat it like you would your most trusted network. Write great content, share great content, praise people on achievements, engage in conversation, and ask questions. It offers you an excellent opportunity to build a professional network at your desk.
You don’t always have to agree, but if you have an opposing view, make sure you deliver it in a way that engages your audience to think about what you have said, not enrages them. If you are both attending the same conferences, look to connect and grab a quick drink.
Keep in touch with your social network, from a phone call to an email. Reach out and see if you can help if you see they are looking for support in an area you have the expertise. Be the person you want to connect with on LinkedIn. This will build you a strong network and make it easy to connect with people you don’t know and do it right, and they will be sending you a LinkedIn request.
You will meet some great new people that hopefully, in time, you will meet in person, but some of my most trusted and valuable connections I have only spoken to and video called, so don’t de-value a network just because you haven’t been in the same room at a networking event.
I hope my article on How to connect with someone on LinkedIn was of help to you and of course dont forget to drop me a connect on Abbie Coleman on LinkedIn.
# How to connect with someone on LinkedIn
How to connect with someone on LinkedIn