"Hi David. I'd like to connect with you on LinkedIn."

WHY? WHO ARE YOU?

As strong a platform as LinkedIn has become--and it's fast becoming a preeminent content publisher in addition to everyone's online resume--there are some limitations in LinkedIn's basic structure. Chief among them is the default "I'd like to connect with you/I'd like to add you to my professional network" message that populates the invitation message user's send to one another. You get them. You've sent them. I get them every day.

It takes 30 seconds to write a brief, personalized invitation. When your goal is to connect to someone whom you've never met, and perhaps with a larger goal of developing a business relationship with them, take the time to articulate why it would be beneficial for the recipient to accept your invitation. First impressions matter just as much online as they offline! You wouldn't go to a networking event and walk up to each person and say "Hi ______, I'd like to add you to my network of professional contacts," hand them a business card and then walk away, would you? (Actually, if you would, you have deeper issues).

The same holds true on LinkedIn. How will I benefit from accepting your invitation to connect? How will you benefit from connecting with me? Personalize the invitations you send to address these questions. It need not be a paragraph; one or two sentences works well.

This morning, I received a generic invitation from a woman I've never met before, online or off. Her profile is virtually empty, and there's no profile pic, just the generic silhouette LinkedIn assigns to fill that space. I wrote back, asking what the purpose was of her invitation. Her response: "the reason i was trying to connect was to know [if] you or members of your team [would] be interested in attending the upcoming world's largest Social Media Marketing conference. The event takes place in San Diego, California on March 25, 26 and 27, 2015."

OK, so you're attempting to recruit attendees to a conference by conducting a LinkedIn search for "social media marketing professionals" and then sending generic invitations to connect, which if accepted will then trigger a follow-up message pitching the conference. This is very poor form. This is the social media cold call. I hate cold calls.

A more effective approach would be the following:

"Hi David,

My name is ____ and I'd like to connect with you here on LinkedIn, as we're both social media marketing professionals. I'm working with ____ on the world's largest Social Media Marketing Conference, taking place in San Diego March 25-27. The lineup includes X, Y and Z as featured speakers, as well as seminars on A, B, and C. We'd love for you to attend! Here's a link to our website for more details, and I'd be happy to speak with you to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you,

Your new LinkedIn contact."

Please, personalize your invitations to connect. As the old saying goes, you only have one chance to make a first impression. Don't blow it!

Gins