In a Pickle with LinkedIn? Maybe it is Your Canned Approach
Unless you’re living in Turkmenistan, you’ve repeatedly read or heard that success on social media is closely linked to engagement. What do we mean by engagement? Definitions abound, but I like this one from a marketing page on Wikipedia: “Engagement measures the extent to which a consumer has a meaningful brand experience when exposed to commercial advertising, sponsorship, television contact, or other experience.”
Ah yes. There it is. “Meaningful brand experience.” If you’re a sole proprietor working from a home office, you might not think of yourself as having a brand. In terms of social media though, you do. And nowhere among social media sites is this realization more important than on LinkedIn.
If, despite your best efforts at engaging with others on LinkedIn, you’re going nowhere fast, something is clearly wrong. What could it be? In most cases, it’s not your effort…it’s your approach.
Let’s pretend for a moment:
You’re standing in line at the store. You hear a voice saying your name. You turn around to see a good friend standing behind you. You smile big, your eyes widen, your voice rises as you exclaim, “Hey!”…in fact, a host of physical changes take place automatically which generally signal, “I’m happy to see you!”
You’re standing in line at the store. You hear a voice saying your name. You turn around to see someone you don’t recognize. You step back slightly with a quizzical look on your face. Who is this guy? How does he know your name? Oooh, this is creepy. You begin to sweat. Your body is screaming “Danger!” as your brain kicks into high alert and looks for a way out.
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Moral of the story? People talk to friends. People buy from friends. People tell friends about friends. Your friend in line at the store comes with ‘built in’ value that immediately puts a smile on your face. The stranger…not so much.
Ergo…while your job on LinkedIn is to network, you must do so with real value behind it. How can you add value? The easiest way is to drop the canned LinkedIn messages. You know, the one that says “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn”, or, “I’m sending this to ask you for a brief recommendation of my work that I can include in my LinkedIn profile.”
Is that how you talk to your friends? These canned messages have all the pizzazz and personality of dry toast. When you choose to invite someone to join you on your network, tell the person why. Explain who you are and why you believe there is reason to connect. Something like, “Dear John, I noted you are employed with ABC Company. My company, XYZ, does business with ABC. Let’s connect!” Isn’t this more enticing than a canned message? Or, if you’re asking for a recommendation, wouldn’t you rather receive, “Mary, I’d be honored to receive a recommendation from you based on our collaboration on the JKL project.”
Word of Caution: don’t go overboard and send your entire resume! A few sentences will get the conversation started and put you on the path to creating a deeper connection.
It takes only seconds to write something fresh and meaningful! Next time you feel like you’re in a pickle on LinkedIn, review your approach. Look for ways to entice others to be part of your network. If you run out of ideas, think of Elvis, who once said, “I learned how important it is to entertain people and give them a reason to come and watch you play.”
Alternatively, call me at 800-614-4619, and let’s brainstorm on other great ways to strengthen your LinkedIn profile and get more business.
Victoria Ipri is CEO of Ontogeny, Inc., a full service Internet marketing firm with an emphasis on copywriting and social media. She welcomes your questions and comments about optimizing your LinkedIn profile. Look around the Green Buzz Agency Blog for her other excellent articles on Linkedin.
Feel free to send an invite to connect with members of Green Buzz Agency on Linkedin: Sara Evans, Jennie Nowers, Tod Plotkin, Brittney Grove, and Jennie Ryon. Or join the Green Buzz Agency Linkedin Group.
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