Since I conceptualized this blog as a place where I could talk about how we're all brands, I thought it might be time to talk about what building a brand next door looks like. And since it makes its presence known in my inbox pretty much daily, I'm going to start with LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is a beautiful thing. I believe in it. I was an early adopter of it. I've seen it work wonderful magic on many careers.
And I rant about it constantly. #AngryTweet
You see, LinkedIn is a professional tool - IMO - used to connect you to colleagues, friends, business partners, vendors, clients, potential sales leads and job candidates, etc. It opens doors. I believe that. I do.
But people abuse it. They spam. They ask for meetings and connections when I have never gotten an email or introductory note from them. They try to sell me tools I don't need with "InMail"s riddled with spelling errors and extra exclamation points. The worst ones try to use me to connect to others in my organization.
So if you're wondering how you can get anyone to accept your request, there are three ways I've found to be most effective.
I accept invitations from people I've:
Side note: Since I get requests so often, I'm considering starting a mini video series answering some of the FAQs I get about career path, tips for success, etc. I'm by no means and expert, but I have learned a lot in the past several years. Please let me know if you're interested. I'm not going to invest the time if it won't be helpful.
Happy Friday eve, everyone!
LinkedIn is a beautiful thing. I believe in it. I was an early adopter of it. I've seen it work wonderful magic on many careers.
And I rant about it constantly. #AngryTweet
You see, LinkedIn is a professional tool - IMO - used to connect you to colleagues, friends, business partners, vendors, clients, potential sales leads and job candidates, etc. It opens doors. I believe that. I do.
But people abuse it. They spam. They ask for meetings and connections when I have never gotten an email or introductory note from them. They try to sell me tools I don't need with "InMail"s riddled with spelling errors and extra exclamation points. The worst ones try to use me to connect to others in my organization.
So if you're wondering how you can get anyone to accept your request, there are three ways I've found to be most effective.
I accept invitations from people I've:
- Met
- Emailed with
- Gotten a personalized message from - even...
Hi Whitney,
Your professional experience looks really interesting. I'd love to take you to coffee next time I'm in Seattle and learn more about what kind of social media monitoring tools would make your job easier.
Hope to talk soon!
...would be better than...
Since you are a person I trust, I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.
It's nice to be trusted by someone I've never met. I'm flattered. But not flattered enough to accept the connection. It really doesn't feel very satisfying to do that. It feels kind of gross in my gut, honestly. Because I don't like having to deny a connection, but I also don't like getting spammed.
Side note: Since I get requests so often, I'm considering starting a mini video series answering some of the FAQs I get about career path, tips for success, etc. I'm by no means and expert, but I have learned a lot in the past several years. Please let me know if you're interested. I'm not going to invest the time if it won't be helpful.
Happy Friday eve, everyone!