Do you use LinkedIn on the go? The main LinkedIn mobile app is a great tool for checking your news feed, corresponding with connections, and — importantly — getting the 411 on people you’re about to meet.
But actually making connection requests? Traditionally, not so much. Selecting “Connect” from the mobile app sends the common yet inexcusable generic connection request: “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.”
The generic connection request is a giant problem, something I discuss in social media workshops all the time, and a frequent topic in many groups I belong to.
But there’s hope!
The latest versions of the LinkedIn mobile app do indeed allow you to personalize your LinkedIn connection requests.
Instead of selecting the “Connect” button on your target’s mobile profile page, tap instead on the menu icon (the three dots) in the top right corner of the screen. That will surface a new menu featuring — hurrah! — an option to “Personalize Invite.”
Do it the next time you connect, and every time. Tell your potential connection who you are, where you met and why you should be connected. Give him the context for your request so he knows how you can help each other.
The LinkedIn connection is the single most important transaction on LinkedIn, and it’s worth doing right. If you need a refresher on this, try our earlier post, How to Connect Like You Mean It on LinkedIn.
Doesn’t that make the main mobile app just a little more useful?
(Have more to say? See the LinkedIn version of this post, How to Personalize Connection Requests on Mobile.)
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