Connecting with a Person on LinkedIn and the Difference between Connect and Follow

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Do you want to learn how to connect with someone on LinkedIn and expand your professional network? You are in the right place.Keep reading to learn how to connect with people on LinkedIn and why you should do it.

How to send a connection request on LinkedIn

To add people to your LinkedIn network, you need to send them a connection request.You can find people to connect with;
  • Using the search bar
  • By importing your email contacts
  • Or by visiting the My Network page and browsing through the People You May Know section.
Once you’ve found a person you want to connect with, visit their LinkedIn profile and click the blue Connect button.Connect with someone on LinkedinA pop-up window will appear, giving you the option to include a message with your connection request. It’s not necessary to write a message for every LinkedIn connection request you send, but it is highly recommended.Invitation button to connect on LinkedinIncluding a custom message with each connection request will greatly increase the likelihood that the recipient accepts your request.Once you’ve drafted the message, click the “Send Invitation” button.That’s it!You just need to wait for the person to accept your request.While you’re waiting, read the next section to understand why you should continuously strive to expand your LinkedIn network by connecting with new people.

Why connect with people on LinkedIn?

Connecting with people on LinkedIn is a great way to expand your professional network and meet industry professionals.It also allows you to access content from thought leaders in your field, enabling you to broaden your knowledge and improve your skills while staying up-to-date with industry news and trends.LinkedIn is also a place where you can connect with potential clients and generate leads, helping you to keep your sales pipeline healthy and your sales team engaged.

What’s the difference between connecting or following on LinkedIn?

As a LinkedIn user, you can have connections and followers.Connections are people who are part of your LinkedIn network. When you are connected with someone on LinkedIn, you can see each other’s posts and updates, as well as send messages through the platform.Followers, on the other hand, are people outside your LinkedIn network who have chosen to follow your posts and updates without being part of your network.While they may follow the content you post, they cannot send you messages (except when using LinkedIn InMail). You cannot see their content updates either.

Best practices for connecting with people on LinkedIn

There are a few best practices to keep in mind when connecting with people on LinkedIn.

Ensure your LinkedIn profile is compliant

Before you start connecting with people on the platform, fill in all the sections of your LinkedIn profile and make sure it matches your target audience.You’ll want to add a professional profile picture, create an engaging headline, write an appealing summary, and add your current position, professional background, skills, and education.A detailed LinkedIn profile will help your contacts understand who you are and what you do, thereby increasing the chance they will accept your request.

Customize the connection request message

If you want people to take your connection request seriously, do not send a generic message that gives the recipient no idea of who you are and why you want to connect.By customizing the connection request message for each person you are trying to connect with, you will significantly increase your chances of connecting with people and building a large network on LinkedIn.Start your message by introducing yourself and letting the other person know what you do. Explain how you found them and let them know why you want to connect.If you share a link or mutual interest, you can also mention it in the message.

Be concise in the connection request

While you should provide information about who you are and why you want to connect with this person, remember that most people will not have the time or willingness to read a long connection request message.Remember that this is just an introduction. Two or three sentences should be more than enough to say everything you need at this stage.

Do not try to sell

You should not try to sell to people in your connection request message. At this stage, your only goal is to join their LinkedIn network and get on their radar.Wait to learn more about your new connection and interact with them on the platform for a while before you try to arrange a call, meeting, or attempt to sell to them in any way.

Bonus: how to disconnect from someone on LinkedIn

Perhaps you followed our advice and successfully connected with people on the leading B2B social platform. Or maybe you have received and accepted a number of connection requests yourself.However, you later discovered that you don’t appreciate the content of one of your connections or decided that you no longer want to be part of their LinkedIn network for some reason.It is quite simple to remove contacts on LinkedIn.Go to the person’s LinkedIn profile, click the More button, then click Remove connection.Disconnect from a LinkedIn profileΒ This will instantly remove the person from your network. You will not be asked to confirm the action, so make sure you really want to disconnect from someone before you act.

Start expanding your LinkedIn network

Connecting with people on LinkedIn is a great way to expand your professional network, learn from industry professionals, and generate leads and clients.Before you start sending connection requests, make sure to completely fill out your LinkedIn profile. Customize each connection request you send to increase the chances that recipients will accept your request.Lastly, remember to keep your introduction message brief and avoid trying to sell to recipients before getting to know them better!
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Louise
An expert in B2B growth, Louise helps companies set up high-performance multi-channel prospecting campaigns. On the Leadin blog, she writes practical, actionable content on LinkedIn prospecting, emailing and conversion tunnel optimization.

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