LinkedIn, the social media powerhouse, says don’t contact people you don’t know, but then what’s the point? With that in mind, when reaching out to someone you don’t really know, someone you don’t know, or even someone you only know a little bit about, use your best elevator pitch to introduce yourself and tell them why you want to connect.
Note that they can still click the “I don’t know” (IDK) button, but if you don’t try, you’ll never get the connection. I often start by saying “we both know this and that” as very few people will actually use the “present” function. On the other hand, don’t treat this as spam. I’ve even used the IDK button for people sending general messages.
The “real” people you want to connect with are those who are considered true experts in your industry. Do your due diligence and search for those people by name. See if one of your connections is connected to them, then ask your connection to introduce. I once received a submission request that went through three other people before it reached me for the final submission. Now that is someone who really wants to seriously connect with my connection.
I was later informed that it resulted in a six figure consulting contract for my connection. That’s the real power of being linked to LinkedIn and the rest of the social media world. If you want to attract potential customers, you owe it to yourself and the financial future of your business to learn all you can about social media.
