Advice For Reaching Out On LinkedIn and Networking
I've been getting more and more generic LinkedIn invitations lately. While I'm not a LION (LinkedIn Open Networker) I do like to connect with other business professionals to build my network and help other business professionals.
I started responding to these generic invites with the following: "Thank you for the invitation to connect on LinkedIn. I am happy to do so; however, I do not accept generic LinkedIn invitations to avoid spambots. Please let me know how I can assist you or your firm. Best regards, Tom."
Unfortunately, response rates have fallen below 10% leading me to believe there's a lot more spam on LinkedIn which is disappointing given the value of the network.
If you're going to reach out to someone on LinkedIn, take the time to let them know where you met, why you want to connect, what value you be able to provide.
LinkedIn has been a tremendous resource for me as I shared in a previous post:
Spend a few minutes every day seeing where you can give back and share your knowledge to keep the network vibrant and viable.
I want to see LinkedIn continue to grow and be a valuable resource for business professionals rather than a black hole of spam and fraudsters.