LinkedIn Strategy: I’m Sorry, Do I Know You?

BC, if you could use some additional socmed perspective from rural Western Mass, feel free to tweet me at @prostylus.

Good post Scott,

It seems with all the twitter craze lately, everyone has forgotten about Linkedin professionally. Linkedin is also evolving with the social trends, but I see Linkedin as a powerful reverse-referral generation tool. I agree with the engagement part above and feel that ALL networking should be from the value proposition of what can we do to help each other, not what can you do for me...

Here is what I do.

You have to do a little work and create a list of potential target companies. Then, do a company search, see who you know (1st level) or who is a 2nd level contact in those companies. Then, follow the yellow brick road and ask your contacts to help you.

It is a win-win, your referral partner does nothing other than introduce you. In turn, they feel great because they were able to help you. It's a win for you because you get an endorsement from someone who knows your target. This really speeds up the process and allows you to have some control over the referral process.

Of course, if you have 100 contacts and only know 3 of them, you are going to have trouble getting 'IN'-dorsed - so connect and meet for Starbucks first!

I'm liking this a lot.

When we talk about "think global act local", for me, we require that local level of action to engage someone and turn that into a genuine connection.

What is local interaction these days? Well something with proximity, as per the definition of 'local'. A phone call / email / even meeting face to face.

Still mulling on this idea but your article has helped!

Unless we've met, had a phone conversation, exchanged email, or done business together, I generally don't connect with folks on LinkedIn. I am of the mindset that networks are only of value when they are of a size that can be managed. There is no use in having thousands of friends/connections/followers other than for the implied social currency.

I am more likely to exchange email with someone, have a phone conversation, or even meet for coffee than accept a random connection that is devoid of context. Want to connect, give me a ring or send over an email, but out-of-the-blue connection requests will most likely be denied.
@sean_bartlett

I’ve found I’ve become a lot more selective about adding new Linkedin connections the higher my own numbers go.

The question used to be how much potential professional value an invitation signified. But lately I’ve begun asking myself how well I’ll be able to actively maintain a new relationship.

If you can’t sustain professional relationships, it doesn’t matter whether you have one connection or 1,000.

Those quick hits lead to business on both sides of the equation. I connect to anyone that requests (I only send invitations to those I have a reason to want to connect to) to connect and then I provide as much value as possible through helping them utilize LinkedIn more effectively...through the Linked Intuition blog.

When I look at the 1 to 5 people each week that contact me for my service (health insurance) most are people that I don't know. It's these unexpected opportunities that make LinkedIn a significant business driver for me.

There are valid reasons to limit your connections as well as valid reasons to be open in how you connect. As long as you have goals in mind and your connections strategy makes it happen, then you're doing what's right for you.

Warm Regards,

Sean

Am I missing something here, I thought the point of Linked In was to expand your network and yes that means introductions to people you didn't previously know. Linked In's advantage over Twitter is that the resume is public and forum is "primarily business". Twitter can be a crap shoot when it comes to quality.

Maybe us folks in rural markets think differently about the value of these services because we don't have a conference a day or can't meet up with Peter Shankman for yougurt on a whim. Mmmm... hey thanks... I think I'll go blog about that...

Your point about social networking's value to professionals in rural markets is a fascinating topic. I hope you blog about it!

Maybe my beef with LinkedIn stems from not using it as prolificly as I should, or as prolificly as others to. Twitter is my preferred network, so I probably judge other networks through that prism.

I prefer Twitter as an ice breaker precisely because of it's brevity and "streaminess". If someone jumps in with an @reply, both parties can make an instant judgment: Am I getting value from this convo? If yes, I'll follow...and connect on other platforms, often. If not, thanks for the convo...and the convo soon fades away in the stream.

Thanks Scott... I have been chatting up the topic 'round these here parts and hope to emerge with some insights on urban vs. rural approaches to social media... Thanks so much for your comment. I agree with you re: Twitter... it's my daily cocktail networking hour where I hope to meet interesting people, see old friends, talk about new ideas and have conversations that are enriching for myself and anyone listening in at that moment.. Twitter has a karmic quality for me that Linked In does not have, a streamy, lose culture that appeals to how I like to work, unstructured, free-form...

If they are someone within a company or organization I am involved with, I'll link even if I haven't met them face-to-face. It's one more way to broaden the net.

I have, however, marked strangers as unknown. Why? One of two reasons:

I'm not interested in linking if I suspect someone is collecting contacts because they get off on having a large number of points, whatever we want to call them ("friends", "followers", "connections").

Also, and more importantly, my LinkedIn profile has more personal and contact information than any other social media site. And, yes, I'm a little protective.

Someone legitimately looking to connect on a professional level, however, even if we're not BFFs? I want them to be able to find my phone number if they need it.

In related news, I've had people mark me as unknown even when we have connected in some other way. In hind site, I've wondered if they didn't recognize my name or photo.

In nosy news, I noticed you have a link to your LinkedIn profile in your "About" section ... right next to Twitter and Facebook. That seems contrary to what you've posted here, but maybe I'm not looking through the same lens you are.

Great post, Scott. Thanks for getting the conversation started.

Best,
Rhi B.

I have to agree with @LisaHoffmann I get LinkedIn requests from folks I don't know all the time, usually after an Ad Age post goes live. I find that folks don't often "want" anything other than an open channel for possible future connection. Additionally, I've asked for LinkedIn connections to people I don't know -- and one actually turned into a real biz opp.

For me it's about being 'open' versus 'closed' -- I'll stay open and take those "random" connections as long as the person on the other end doesn't act like a DRUT. The moment they do, bye bye connection.
@TomMartin

It's a fine line - if someone contacts me and wants to connect, I look at their profile and network. If we don't have anything in common, I don't connect. If they look like they might be someone I'd like to meet in person, I will connect.

On the other hand, I've asked people who don't know me to connect, but I always try to find a reason for them to be interested. If I am writing and article and want to interview them, or they are a "friend of a friend" and have been recommended, that sort of thing, then I will send a request. I'm not going to be hurt if they don't want to connect, but so far no one has turned me down.

Like the other social media, I believe in having a network of people I either know personally, have worked with, or would like to shake hands with, in my network.

I especially object to people who are clearly out to sell me something or worse - like the porn connections.

Gail@business-strategies-etc.com

I see your point, Scott - and respectfully disagree. LinkedIn is the place where I'm MOST likely to accept an invite from someone I don't know. I don't want to limit myself to only those people I have time to meet in person, on the phone or even in other online communities. Of course, I check out their profiles first. And if they send me something junky or behave questionably, I simply unlink them, and send them packing.

The beauty of networking online is the number and quality of people I'm meeting that I'd never have the time or connections to reach in real life. Two important things I've discovered:

1. Social media types (me included) tend to shun the people who are making a real living through online businesses. I'm learning that, with a few caveats, this is a mistake.

2. Some of my most significant learnings have come from people I would have rejected based on your guidelines here.

This is an individual decision, and everyone needs to do what's most comfortable to them. On LinkedIn, I'm more uncomfortable guarding my professional information than sharing it freely.

At the risk of being a waffler, I'll concede there's a lot of validity in your argument. I suspect this isn't a "right or wrong" debate, so much as a "what's your strategy" discussion.

While some people make money online, there's a difference between making money and being a self-serving huckster. And, in my experience, a significant number of those who ask me for a LinkedIn connection with no prior context just want to fill their own coffers.

Still, your point is taken: Keep an open mind. My LinkedIn door isn't closed completely...I just keep the latch on ;)

I always wondered how other people handled requests from strangers on LinkedIn. On Facebook, I friend most people who send a requests, but I'm much more cautious on LinkedIn. I think Amy hit the nail on the head. Members of my LinkedIn network are a professional reflection of who I am. That said, if I don't know you, I'm not real comfortable connecting with you. But, if we've tweeted or exchanged messages on blogs or some other forum, then I can see accepting your request.

Of the social networks that I participate, LI is by far the least interactive. I'd rather a stranger reach out to me on Twitter or Facebook first and try to establish a relationship and then move to the next level. As I write that, it almost sounds like we're dating. First date: Twitter/Facebook. When we're in a committed, longish-term relationship, then Linkedin. :)

Heather (@prtini)

The short answer: No way.

The longer answer:

I only accept LinkedIn invites from people I know (either in person or through VERY long-term [i.e. numerous years] online relationships). Why? It's not because I'm antisocial, rude or mean. It's because my LinkedIn profile contains more personal information than the version of my resume that's posted on my own Web site! If I were to accept every LI invitation I received, my network would contain more strangers than people I actually know. Why would I go to the trouble of creating a more private "Web version" of my resume if I was just going to accept every LI invitation I received?

It also agitates me that, despite the fact that I am extremely diligent about only inviting people I *know*, I have somehow ended up with enough people clicking "I don't know this person" for me to be getting a warning from LI every time I try to add someone. What's that all about?!

Oh, and I always try to send a more personalized version of the invitation, unless it's someone I know REALLY well ... or unless I import a bunch of new contacts and it just sends the invitation without giving me the option to put a personal touch on it (which is why you and several others I met at BlogPotomac received the lame-o, generic invitation from me earlier this week; my apologies for that!).

Thanks for this post, Scott. I am always unsure what to do when I get a LinkedIn request from someone I don't know and haven't met (and it's even worse when they don't personlize the invitation to add some context as to how I should know them).

I approach LinkedIn from the same way you do - I typically don't connect unless it's someone I've had an interaction with previously. I'll connect with people after meeting them at a conference or networking event or if I've built up a relationship with them online.

But a big part of LinkedIn is the size and degrees of separation of the network. If I'm connected with someone, that person becomes a "second-level connection" to everyone in my network. So if someone else in my network sees that affiliation and then wants me to broker an introduction, it can be difficult for me to do that if I don't know either party terribly well. It's why I don't understand people who have thousands of connections on LinkedIn. How can they really foster and make connections among those in their network if they don't even know the people they're connected with?

I concur with you about Mr. LinkedIn Power User. It's not to say someone couldn't have 1000+ connections, but I question the strength of those connections in many cases.

Brokering an introduction is a valuable networking skill, and one LinkedIn seems built to encourage. If LinkedIn were an unanchored tool -- in other words, if they had a desktop app, phone app or integrated into Tweetdeck, Seesmic, etc. -- it would be MUCH more useful. Managing relationships via websites is tedious.

I have, on a couple of occasions, accepted an invitation to connect from someone I haven't interacted with in person. While I never accept random invites, I will accept an invite from someone who I've had a meaningful, relevant conversation via a professional group discussion on LinkedIn or on twitter. I only connect if I think there's potential for us to help each other down the road. If we know people in common, that also contributes to whether I say yes, but is not a standalone reason to connect.