7 tips for personalized LinkedIn invitations to grow your network

Twitter is like going to a bar and speaking with a lot of (new) people. LinkedIn is like having diner with one person.

When you keep this in mind, it makes sense there is a different between the two channels when it comes to social selling. Twitter is a place where you can follow and unfollow a lot of different people and have a network of people you don't know. Your LinkedIn network is based on people you can add value to and people how add value to you. Your LinkedIn network is a place were you build long time relationships and it is place where you send and share information personalized and relevant for your network. Building a strong LinkedIn network takes time and investment. And this all starts with a personalized LinkedIn invite to the people you want to add to your network.  

A personalized LinkedIn invite is honest

There can be different reasons to add a person to your network. Maybe you are prospecting the person, maybe you want a job at the company they work for or maybe you have a personal interest in their career. No matter what the reason is, be honest about why you want to connect. You have a low amount of characters, so try to keep your message short and explain why you want to connect.  

Tell the person you want to connect with how you know him

LinkedIn's network still grows extremely. This means that you, and the people you want to connect with, get a lot of invites. A lot of people only accept invites from they people they know or see the value of adding the person to their network. This means it makes sense to tell in your invite how you know him or her. Maybe you don't know the person, if so, tell how you found their profile and why you found their profile. This explains why you want to add them to your network. 

Make it personal

One size fits all invites, fit nobody. Don't waste your time sending similar invites to different people. Write personal invites to connect. When you spend a bit more time per invite you will have a higher number of people accepting your invites. Let's think about this; how long does it really take to add a short message to your invite?

Find something you have in common 

When you work at the same company, you went to the same school, you have the same interest or you are active in the same LinkedIn group you have something in common. When you mention this in your invite people are more willing to accept your invite. It is always interesting to speak with people with a similar interest or background. 

Don't be lazy, read profiles

Before you send the invite, take the time to read the person's profile. You can use the information from their profile in your invite. This shows you've done your homework. But it also shows you have an interest in their career. A personal interest is always a good reason to accept your invite. 

Be enthusiastic 

Be enthusiastic in your invite. This makes it not only a very nice message to read, people find it really hard to say no to enthusiastic people. And let's be honest, would you say no to a message like that?

Say thank you

When people accept your invite, say thank you. This shows you're happy to have them in your network. And it shows again a personal interest. After sending the invite, your "thank you" message is the next step in building the relationship and engagement. Again, spend a bit of time on sending the thank you message, the results will be amazing!

I personalize almost every invite. It helps me grow my network and build stronger relationships. When I receive standard invites I ask people why they want to connect with me. A strong and valuable LinkedIn network helps you during your whole career, that's why it is worth spending some time on building it!