Your Biggest LinkedIn Message Mistakes (And How to Fix Them!)- Pt.1
Spam messages. We’ve all gotten them in one form or another: Instagram Dms, emails, and now LinkedIn messages. Although LinkedIn isn’t actually all business suits and ties as you might think, it IS after all a platform to conduct business. Some spammers are pretty obvious, but others can be pretty stealthy! In this series, we’ll show you a few examples of spammy messages I’ve received on LinkedIn, what you can look out for, and what NOT to do in your own messaging. Check out “Your Biggest LinkedIn Messaging Mistakes (And How to Fix Them!)- Pt. 1!
Your Biggest LinkedIn Messaging Mistakes (And How to Fix Them!)- Pt. 1
Message #1
Let’s unpack. This is one message I think could easily be interpreted as a genuine message… until the end. Here’s what’s wrong:
- This person jumped right into talking about themselves and what they can offer. When sending a “cold” connect, it’s best to either find something about the person’s profile/work that caught your attention and bring it up! Maybe you have things in common, maybe you are in the same line of work, or maybe you saw that they were passionate about something you admire! It isn’t really great etiquette to launch right into your pitch before you’ve spoken to the person and fostered a connection with them.
- Obviously, there are some issues with capitalization, punctuation, etc. I get that that isn’t everyone’s strong suit, but when sending business connections, it’s best to try and get those things right!
- By the end of the message, we’ve derailed. The ‘DEAR’ is pretty out of place for the conversation and it’s become a run on sentence.
I should also note, this person provided their email in the message as well as a link to a portfolio. If you’re feeling uncertain about whether a message is spam or not, don’t click any links!
How to Fix This
- Start the message with a personal greeting i.e. “Hi Haley!…”
- Find a way to connect what they do with what you do. Ex: “I saw you you’re promoting a new course! I do work in graphic design…” This may spark a conversation about the course, needing some promotional marketing materials, and could lead to a greater conversation!
- Keep it short and sweet! End it with something like “I look forward to connecting!”
- Make sure your grammar, punctuation, etc. are all appropriate!
- Avoid sending portfolios and things right off the bat. Strike up a genuine conversation first and find a way to slip that in once the conversation is established and only if it’s right.
Message #2
- Our world is so accustomed to text abbreviations, but I would avoid those in a business message.
- This person provided me with a phone number (we don’t know who that belongs to). Then, they asked me to send said strange phone number a text that includes my address. Don’t give out your personal information unless you are certain that the person you’re chatting with does, in fact, exist!
- I’ve never spoken to this person before and they launched right in to offering me a product that they are assuming I’d be interested in. They didn’t take any time to foster a relationship, again, they jumped right into the sale.
How to Fix This
- Start with a greeting
- Note what brought you to their profile, rather than jumping right into a sale and making them feel like just another profile or number
- Provide a brief background on what you’re doing or what your company does
- Make sure your grammar, punctuation, etc. are all appropriate!
- Avoid including any personal information like phone numbers in your initial messaging. Only exchange business information and only if it feels appropriate.
And that’s Your Biggest LinkedIn Messaging Mistakes (And How to Fix Them!)- Pt. 1! Stay tuned for part 2 of “Your Biggest LinkedIn Mistakes (And How to Fix Them), there’s plenty more where these came from! Have a spammy LinkedIn message you’ve received that you want to share with us? Follow us on Instagram @propegy and send us a message!
