Tweet

Legal Marketing: Best practices for connecting on LinkedIn

Guest post by: Tom Matte

Article Overview: You can only make your LinkedIn network so big with people that you know. So if you want to grow your network, you will have to start adding connections in the legal marketing field that you may not know. When inviting people to connect on LinkedIn, there are limited options to show your relationship.

Legal Marketing: Best practices for connecting on LinkedIn

Interested in learning ways to connect to more people in the legal marketing network on LinkedIn?

You can only make your LinkedIn network so big with people that you know. So if you want to grow your network, you will have to start adding connections in the legal marketing field that you may not know. When inviting people to connect on LinkedIn, there are limited options to show your relationship:

• Colleague
• Classmate
• We’ve done business together
• Groups
• Other
• And I don’t know…

Obviously if any of the first three options apply, use them.

• You can use the “friend” option without knowing the other person’s email address if you haven’t been “dinged” (reported). Many people don’t realize that if you try to connect to someone you don’t know, and they say they don’t know you, LinkedIn will eventually require that you enter an email address for every connection request you send. You don’t want this to happen. So if you can use the “friend” option, (or any of the other options) make sure you create a personalized message.Let people know why you are connecting with them. How did you find them? What about their profile intrigued you? You have a much better chance of getting your invitation accepted, or at the least, not tagged as an “I don’t know” (IDK) or spam if you tell them why you want to connect.

An option I will often use, if it is available, is the “group” option. As long as a LinkedIn member has joined a group that you also belong to, and has not turned off the ability to connect through a group, you can reach out to them this way.

Invitation using “groups” option

• Once you join a group, you might have to wait to be “accepted” by the administrator. After you get “accepted,” you can then send the person you want to connect with (in that group) a message asking them if they will accept an invitation. This is a great way to grow your network. This is more time-consuming, but will not cost you an “InMail” or an “Introduction.” If you ask them first to connect before you send the invitation, you will also be less likely to get spammed or IDK’d.

Your other option, of course, is to use one of your introductions. Take the time to fully explain why you want to connect, not only to the end party, but also to the person connecting you.

Introduction on LinkedIn

If you have a paid account, you can use an InMail.

• Some people will put their contact information in the “Contact Setting” at the bottom of the LinkedIn profile – and you can either use that information to contact them directly, or to get access to them as a “friend.” (Once again, be aware that you have a higher chance of getting IDK’d or reported as a spammer if you do.)

Use common sense. The Golden Rule applies to LinkedIn as well. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. I am a LION (LinkedIn Open Network), and I will accept your invitation. Others might not. But usually, with the courtesy of a well-crafted introduction letter and a genuine desire to connect, most people will grasp your outstretched hand and connect.

Related Articles
  Legal Marketing: More LinkedIn questions and answers
  Legal Marketing: LinkedIn's professional growth
  Legal Marketing: Being "active" and "passive" on LinkedIn
  How Franchises can benefit from Social Media
  Legal Marketing: Location is important
  The Truth About LinkedIn That You Might Not Want to Hear
  Is Your Online Business LinkedIn?
  Building Your Network on LinkedIn
  Part IV: Can LinkedIn Increase Your Sales?
  Leverage Social Media - LinkedIn Strategies
  Social Media Marketing: How to Build Your List Using Linkedin
  Social Media is Getting Even Easier
  How to utilize Linkedin!
  Get More Clients with Marketing Automation: Managing Your Social Networking Sites
  How to stop social networking sites killing your restraint of trade clauses
  Profit Success Using LinkedIn – Actions You can Replicate
  LinkedIN: The Most Unique Social Media Platform
  LinkedIn Secrets - 3 Reasons Why Most Small Business Owners Fail To Attract Clients Using LinkedIn
  LinkedIn or LinkedOut! It's time to get in!
  Part III: Can LinkedIn Increase Your Sales?

Article Tags: Atlanta, law firm marketing, law firms, legal marketing, LinkedIn, SEO, Social Media



Related Forum Posts
Re: The importance of connections that do not join your business - Thanks for sharing your story and welcome to the forums! How do you do most of your connecting? Twitter? Facebook? Blogs? LinkedIn? YouTube? Something else?
New Small Business Topic - Hello everyone, I'm on the lookout for new topics to add to my site. We just launched a Franchising section and are planning Human Resources section. Do you have any thoughts for a new section? Here's a list of what we currently have: Angel Investors Branding Bank Loans Business Coaching Business Plan Franchises (New) Insurance Legal Marketing Public Relations Sales Small Biz Loans Venture Capital
Re: The importance of connections that do not join your business - [quote="Evan":2yxhxjw0]Thanks for sharing your story and welcome to the forums! How do you do most of your connecting? Twitter? Facebook? Blogs? LinkedIn? YouTube? Something else?[/quote:2yxhxjw0] My favorite one is kooiii dot com because they have the feature social DNA, this allows me to share all that is posted on kooiii with major networks with one mouse click what saves me a lot of time. I can also monitor activity on my other metworks without leaving kooiii. I am also often on apsense dot com I think my friend Dave Gilbert has posted in this forum articles explaining social DNA
Re: On Which Social Media Sites Are You Most Active? - I'd be curious to hear how you guys use LinkedIn. I have close to 3,000 connections and never use it. I've been told the secret is to use groups (which I don't) so I'd love to hear how you guys are benefiting from LinkedIn.
Re: Twiiter an sales - [quote="soldlab":1ycb8vnm]I guess though LinkedIn is better for actual leag generation and personal contacts. What do you think?[/quote:1ycb8vnm] I've had a lot more success (thus far) with Twitter than LinkedIn or Facebook.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How To Be Happy at Work? Acknowledge Yourself

In the Year 2020 . . . Process

••••••>SEO Tip Of The Day: HTML Validation

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.