LinkedIn, Networking, social media, Uncategorized

Identify the “Link” Before You Send a LinkedIn Invite to Connect

June 20, 2018 weathergirl15 Leave a comment

Because I’m a digital marketing expert, and advise clients on social media strategy and/or serve as their social media voice, I felt I owed it to the many individuals who use LinkedIn — both the right way and the wrong way — to call out a major user “faux pas” and how to fix it.

Given the fact no job or business is ever 100% secure — times and interest in products and services by current customers change rapidly, management comes and goes, new technology makes certain products or services obsolete, etc. — if you are of employment age, then you should be maintaining an up-to-date profile on LinkedIn and actively using it to connect with both individuals you do know, and individuals you don’t. This will ensure you are adequately connected when you find yourself in need of identifying your next permanent or contract gig.

Don’t Commit This LinkedIn Faux Pas

So, now to the “faux pas”. If you’re going to reach out to someone via LinkedIn whom you don’t know well or don’t know at all, and it’s not totally obvious why you want to connect with them (for example, they are not a close friend, or former co-worker or manager), you should never, ever send an invite to connect without 1) devising a note of some sort that goes beyond the standard one of “I’d like to connect on LinkedIn.”; and 2) including in your note some context around why you want to connect.

As a marketer who understands “best practices” and the proper use of various forms of social media, for some time now, I haven’t accepted requests to connect from individuals I don’t know who haven’t taken the time to explain why we should “connect.” However, I’m kind enough to reach out to these “inviters” and ask them why they want to connect before I completely write them off as a possible LinkedIn connection. I hope by doing so, I’m teaching them how to better make connections going forward, so they they and all LinkedIn users will benefit.

A good salesperson knows you have to explain the value-add associated with any product or service you sell. In the case of LinkedIn, you are selling yourself, and you need to explain to your “invitee” why and how they would benefit from connecting with you. As the inviter, you have the responsibility to identify the “link” for your “invitee”. Hey you wouldn’t invite someone to a party or event without explaining what it’s all about, right? The “link” could be having careers in the same field, volunteering at the same organization or ones with similar interests, having attended the same college or graduate school, having a lot of mutual connections, having the same passions/interests, etc. The explanation you provide with your invite doesn’t have to be long. In fact, ideally it shouldn’t be (you can and should wait until your target “invitee” accepts before providing too much detail; you can use the LinkedIn “message” function later on to provide that greater detail). Sample explanations include:

“I’d love to connect with you because of our similar interests in healthcare technology”
I’d love to connect because I see we have quite a few mutual connections from our careers in community banking”
“I think we’d enjoy being connected because I see we are equally passionate about digital marketing”
“I’d welcome connecting because I really enjoyed your article, blog post, presentation, etc. about x,y, and z, and I’d love to keep the conversation going.”

How To Effectively Connect On LinkedIn

So, the next time you go to send a LinkedIn invite to connect, give some good thought as to why you want to connect with the individual in-question, and why they’d want to connect with you. If all LinkedIn users employ this protocol, we can improve on the great tool that LinkedIn already is and make it an even more effective environment for ensuring interesting conversations and beneficial connections happen between the right people.

Reach Out To Our Team Of Social Media Experts

In addition to LinkedIn, the social media experts at our Boston Digital Marketing Agency, can help you and/or your organization use social media networks/platforms to their fullest advantage (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram), i.e., optimize your online presence, particularly your social media one. We offer one-time social media strategy development services as well as ongoing, monthly social media “voice,” work. Learn more about our social media services, and/or reach out today with questions. We are always here to help!

marketing consultant, Memorability, staying current, Target Marketing

Memorability and Target Marketing 1.2

August 5, 2014 weathergirl15 Leave a comment

Note: Since I wrote the piece below the video referenced has been removed from YouTube.

I’ve been posting a lot recently about both the value of creating memorability and of knowing how to reach and speak to your target audience — two key principles that are ageless and will always be critical to the success of any advertising campaigns, regardless of their objectives.

Dos Equis has succeeded in implementing both these principles in its “The Most Interesting Man in the World” campaign. The beer giant understands that much of today’s buying power resides within the “Baby Boomers” group — and its “Most Interesting Man” campaign speaks to both women and men of that generation — women who’d like to meet the “most interesting man” and men who would like to be him.

You know a campaign is memorable when others spoof and/or want to capitalize on it as YouTube has done with its subscription campaign mirroring “The Most Interesting Man” campaign. Enjoy “The Most Interesting Puppet in the World”, if you haven’t already seen it, and “Stay Thirsty, My Friends”.

brand promise, marketing consultant, mission statement

Keeping Up the Fight

May 7, 2014 weathergirl15 1 Comment

As I’ve expressed to friends and family members, I want my new venture, “Results Communications and Research” to be about so much more than making money. Having known some really strong fighters — several are no longer with us, but many are — I want to offer as well as be a source of inspiration to those who find themselves having to fight hard to stay emotionally and physically well. I want to “pay it forward” to thank all those who inspired and supported me when I needed it most — through my battle with cancer and subsequent health issues resulting from cancer surgeries and treatment — and be a light in the darkness to those who need it.

(image courtesy of photostock/FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

In keeping (hah, hah) with the above, I have created a “Keep Up the Fight” page here at allintheresults.com where I plan to share inspirational words and music, and honor inspirational people and organizations — individuals and teams of individuals that refuse to let life’s challenges beat them or beat down the vulnerable populations they serve.

I hope you’ll visit this page when you find yourself in need of inspiration. Maybe you’re struggling with the demands of caring for an elderly parent or a sick loved one, maybe you’re feeling ill yourself, maybe you find yourself in a difficult employment situation, or maybe you just need some inspiration to keep up with the financial and physical demands of 21st century lifestyles. Regardless, I hope you’ll visit this page regularly, make suggestions for additions to the page — whether they be quotes, songs, people, or organizations you admire or that inspire — and that you’ll share this page with others who may need it.

I’ve already made a couple of additions this week based on items that friends told me inspire them. Thank you!

I’ll look forward to learning more about what inspires you when you need it most, so please do share it with me at gail.moraski@gailm.sg-host.com.