LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 810 million members. Making connections on LinkedIn can help you build your professional brand, find job opportunities, establish business relationships, and more. However, sending connection requests to strangers rarely leads to accepted invites. The key is to use effective LinkedIn connection strategies to get the right people to connect with you. This article will provide tips on how to get more LinkedIn connections in 2023.
Who Should You Connect With on LinkedIn?
When trying to expand your LinkedIn network, focus on connecting with people who can benefit your career or business in some way. Here are some of the best people to connect with:
Colleagues & Coworkers
Current and former coworkers make great LinkedIn connections. You already have an established professional relationship, so the connection request is more likely to be accepted. Staying connected on LinkedIn allows you to maintain the relationship even if you or they change jobs.
Clients & Customers
Connecting with current, past and prospective clients on LinkedIn helps nurture these important business relationships. It also allows you to easily share company updates and content with them.
Vendors & Partners
Connecting with vendors, freelancers and other business contacts on LinkedIn makes it easy to stay in touch and access their professional profiles. This is valuable for maintaining supplier relationships and partnership opportunities.
Industry Influencers
Following and connecting with thought leaders, experts and influencers in your industry provides valuable insights. You can learn from their content and expertise. They can also help expand your network by introducing you to new connections.
Alumni From Schools
Fellow alumni make natural LinkedIn connections since you already have an institution in common. You can network with alumni working in your target companies or in roles you aspire to.
People You Meet at Events
Conferences, networking events, trade shows and seminars are valuable places to make new professional connections. Collect business cards and connect with these new contacts on LinkedIn after the event.
Friends of Connections
LinkedIn shows you 2nd and 3rd degree connections, who are the connections of your existing connections. Reaching out to connect with relevant 2nd degree connections expands your network.
How to Send Effective LinkedIn Connection Requests
When trying to connect with people on LinkedIn, send personalized connection requests so you stand out and they are more likely to accept. Here are some tips:
Write a Personalized Note
Always customize the connection request with a quick note. Mention where you met them, why you want to connect, or what you have in common. This shows you made the effort rather than just spam connecting.
Explain Who You Are
Briefly explain who you are if you think they may not remember meeting you. For example, “We met at the Digital Marketing Conference in March where I was speaking on SEO.”
Make the Ask
Let them know you would appreciate connecting on LinkedIn. You can say something like “It would be great if we could connect here as well so we can keep in touch.”
Highlight Shared Connections
If you have any shared 1st degree connections on LinkedIn, mention them in your request since this helps establish legitimacy. For example, “I see we are both connected with John Smith.”
Reference Any Prior Interactions
If you have engaged with any of their content online such as an article, mention that as another point of context. For example, “I enjoyed your post on digital transformation in the healthcare industry.”
LinkedIn Connection Request Etiquette
Following proper LinkedIn connection etiquette improves your chances of getting accepted and building positive relationships. Here are some etiquette tips:
Connect With People You Know
Only send connection invitations to people you have actually met or interacted with. Don’t try to connect randomly with complete strangers.
Personalize Each Request
Take the time to customize every connection request with a unique message as already discussed. Mass sending generic invites will likely get rejected.
Make Introductions if Appropriate
If a shared connection can provide a warm introduction for you, politely ask them to connect you first before reaching out directly.
Respect Their Decision
If someone ignores your connection request, do not resent an invite or try to persuade them. Respect their choice and move on.
Don’t Abuse Messaging
Once connected, avoid abusing messaging to overly self-promote or pitch your products/services unsolicited. Focus on building the relationship first.
Strategies to Get More LinkedIn Connections
Applying the right strategies will help you continuously expand your high-value LinkedIn network over time. Here are some of the top strategies to get more LinkedIn connections:
Complete Your Profile 100%
A fully optimized LinkedIn profile has a much higher chance of attracting connections. Ensure you add a professional headshot, headline, summary, experience, education, skills, recommendations etc.
Engage With Content
Commenting on posts, sharing content and posting your own content will attract more profile views. This increases the chance of connection requests.
Join LinkedIn Groups
Participate actively in relevant industry and professional groups to meet new people. You can connect with interesting group members directly.
Follow Company Pages
Following company pages of target employers or partners gets you noticed. Some even allow you to connect directly with employees.
Connect After Live Events
As mentioned earlier, collect business cards or contact info when meeting people at conferences, trade shows etc. Then connect with them on LinkedIn afterwards.
Search for Connections
Use LinkedIn’s advanced search to find people working in your target companies and roles. Reach out to connect if you have something in common.
Upgrade to a Paid Account
Premium LinkedIn accounts allow you to message anyone, see full profiles, and get more InMail credits to directly contact people outside your network.
Follow Up with Connectors
If someone introduces you to one of their connections, be sure to follow up afterwards and build on that new relationship.
Thank New Connections
When accepting a new connection, send them a thank you message. This helps start the relationship off positively.
Offer Value
Look for ways to offer advice, resources or other value to your connections without expecting anything in return. This builds goodwill.
Make Warm Introductions
Rather than cold connecting, ask existing mutual connections to introduce you first with a recommendation. This carries more weight.
Share, Like & Comment
Proactively interacting with other people’s content leads to more profile views and engagement, potentially leading to new connections.
Connect with Alumni
Fellow alumni are usually open to connecting on LinkedIn. Look up your university and past companies to find new connections.
Best Practices for Managing LinkedIn Connections
It’s not enough to just amass as many LinkedIn connections as possible. You need to actively manage your network. Here are some best practices:
Organize Connections Into Groups
Use LinkedIn’s connection organization features to group connections (for example, by company, location or industry). This makes your network more usable.
Segment Key Connections
Add the most important connections to your “VIP” segment on LinkedIn to regularly engage and nurture those relationships.
Proactively Message New Connections
After connecting on LinkedIn, follow up with a message within a few days to start a dialogue rather than waiting for the other person.
Know When to Follow Up
If someone has not responded to your initial connection request after a few weeks, it’s appropriate to politely follow up one time.
Reconnect With Dormant Connections
If you notice you haven’t interacted with someone in a long time, use this as an opportunity to revitalize the relationship.
Remove Irrelevant Connections
Do an occasional audit of your connections. Remove any that no longer make sense to be connected to in order to keep your network focused.
Share Your Connections’ Content
Help increase the reach of your connections by liking and sharing their LinkedIn posts with your own network when relevant.
Provide Recommendations
Write LinkedIn recommendations for connections you have worked with or believe in. This strengthens your relationship and presence.
Prioritize In-Person Meetups When Possible
Try to meet your important LinkedIn connections periodically in person when feasible to build deeper bonds.
Offer Introductions to Your Network
Make warm introductions between your own trusted connections to help them expand their networks.
Conclusion
Building a strong LinkedIn network full of meaningful professional connections takes time and effort. It requires using personalized connection invitations, solid relationship-building skills and consistent nurturing tactics. However, putting these LinkedIn best practices to work can help you continually expand your network. This will provide access to key insights, opportunities and relationships that can further your career or business goals.
The key is to be strategic and targeted as you connect with others on LinkedIn. Focus on forging bonds with those who have relevance to your professional objectives vs. generic contacts. With the right approach, a robust LinkedIn network can yield tremendous long-term value.
LinkedIn Connection Best Practices |
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Customize connection requests |
Follow proper etiquette |
Leverage profile optimization strategies |
Engage consistently with your network |
Organize and segment connections |
Provide value to your connections |