Introduction
Think of a time when you received a LinkedIn connection request from a stranger, accompanied by a message. That must have piqued your curiosity. This small LinkedIn message with personalized content has the power to turn an anonymous LinkedIn notification into an engaging LinkedIn invitation for someone, highlighting not only who you are as a person but also the mutual interest in making a connection. It’s this personal touch that can open the door to fruitful and meaningful professional exchanges right from the start. However, as we’ll see in this article, that famous LinkedIn message attached to your connection request can be counter-productive.
Note messages in your LinkedIn connection invitation
Note messages on LinkedIn, or LinkedIn personalized messages accompanying connection attempts, play a fundamental role in this first interaction with a person.
LinkedIn note messages are short, personalized messages sent when you request a connection to a professional network such as LinkedIn. Unlike a standard connection request, a note message offers the opportunity to briefly introduce who you are, the reason for your request and the potential interest in connecting with someone. This personalization of the message aims to establish an initial link and arouse the person’s interest in the LinkedIn network. Please note that this message is limited to 300 characters, and believe me, that’s not very many!
How do I send a note?
Sending a note to someone on the LinkedIn network couldn’t be easier. When you reach the person’s LinkedIn profile, click on “Connect”.
Then a LinkedIn tab will open, and this is where you’ll have the option of adding a “Add a note” message.
All you have to do is write your LinkedIn message and click send! The invitation will go out with the LinkedIn message, and all you have to do is wait for the person to reply.
That’s for the “manual” side, but if you’re automating your Linkedin prospecting, remember that all automation tools offer this feature.
The benefits of LinkedIn notes
Note messages on LinkedIn offer a personalized and engaging first impression, highlighting mutual interest and the uniqueness of your approach. Here are the advantages of these LinkedIn messages for your prospecting:
Establish a genuine connection and initiate engagement on LinkedIn:
The personalization of LinkedIn messages transforms a simple connection notification into a genuine opportunity for exchange. This first step allows you to stand out from the crowd.
Foster a perception of common interest in your message
By contextualizing your LinkedIn connection approach, you respect your interlocutor and his or her time. It’s a question of clearly demonstrating in your message what everyone stands to gain from this relationship.
Personalize your message
When you ask for an introduction via a common LinkedIn contact or directly, specifying their first name, your post and, above all, your reason for doing so, lends a personal, thoughtful dimension to your LinkedIn message. This clarifies your intentions and underlines the importance you attach to this relationship.
Stand out from the crowd
A touch of originality and attention in your message can make all the difference on LinkedIn, positioning you favorably in the mind of your interlocutor.
Building trust and credibility
The personalization of your LinkedIn messages demonstrates your seriousness and professionalism, establishing a climate of trust from the very first line. Your prospects will recognize and appreciate the attention you give them, which is a solid foundation for lasting business relationships.
LinkedIn note messages are therefore useful when you have something highly differentiating to offer your prospect, and especially when you already know your prospect’s problems or issues well. That’s why I recommend using LinkedIn note messages for manual prospecting only. It’s impossible, even counterproductive, to add a note message when automating Linkedin prospecting.
The constraints of LinkedIn notes
While personalized LinkedIn messages in a connection invitation offer many advantages, they also have certain limitations that are important to consider when optimizing your LinkedIn prospecting strategy.
Investment in time and effort
Personalizing LinkedIn messages requires a considerable investment of time and effort. Every LinkedIn message needs to be tailored to the recipient to appear sincere and relevant, which can be time-consuming, especially when you’re aiming for a large number of connections. As far as I’m concerned, this is reserved for key account SDRs coupled with ABM automation.
Risk of inappropriate personalization of messages
There is a risk of not properly personalizing the content of the LinkedIn message, which can lead to a negative perception on the part of the recipient. Superficial or clumsy personalization can be perceived as an attempt at manipulation, damaging your professional image. With 300 characters, it’s really hard to personalize the content of your LinkedIn message enough.
Potentially low LinkedIn response and conversion rates
Contrary to what you might think, adding a note message on LinkedIn doesn’t guarantee a better response or conversion rate. In some cases, recipients prefer to receive direct connections without a message, perceiving them as less engaging and therefore less compelling to accept.
The importance of an optimized LinkedIn profile
For note messages to be effective, your profile must be sufficiently optimized to inspire confidence at first glance. An incomplete or unprofessional LinkedIn profile can undermine your personalization efforts, as the recipient will rely first and foremost on the general impression your LinkedIn profile gives off.
The influence of professional title
Successful LinkedIn connection validations can also depend on your professional title. Titles such as “executive”, “director” or high-level corporate positions tend to have a higher acceptance rate, as they imply added value for the recipient’s network.
Our experience: data to back it up
At MirrorProfiles, we’ve tested the effectiveness of note messages for you. By segmenting our test database and analyzing acceptance rates, we observed significant variations. For example, in a recent LinkedIn campaign, messages without a note generated a 25% acceptance rate among senior executives, compared with just 15% for applications with a note message.
This analysis showed that LinkedIn note messages, although personalized, can sometimes be perceived as too engaging by prospects, which can reduce their LinkedIn connection acceptance rate. This perception of early and high engagement can lead to a better selection of qualified leads, but increases the risk of missing out on potential leads.
Optimizing your prospecting strategy with MirrorProfiles
To optimize your LinkedIn prospecting strategy with MirrorProfiles, the platform offers your company the possibility of renting personalized LinkedIn accounts dedicated to automating your approach. This method not only enables your company to protect your personal LinkedIn account, but also to target your prospects more effectively thanks to segmentation tailored to your company’s needs.
With MirrorProfiles, you won’t have to choose between personalization and volume for your LinkedIn messages: the two can be combined! Combine personalization and volume in your LinkedIn prospecting campaigns. You can use your LinkedIn mirror accounts with automation tools to insert customizable variables to increase your LinkedIn prospecting messages tenfold. This flexibility, combined with the innovation of LinkedIn account rental, makes MirrorProfiles an invaluable tool for expanding your professional network.
Conclusion
Using a note message in your LinkedIn connection invitation is a double-edged strategy, whose effectiveness can vary depending on the target. At MirrorProfiles, we’ve observed that, while these personalized LinkedIn messages can enrich the application, they sometimes tend to reduce the acceptance rate.
It is therefore essential to test their impact on your specific LinkedIn audience. With automation tools, it becomes possible to adjust and personalize the content of your large-scale LinkedIn prospecting approaches, enabling you to strike the right balance between personalization and efficiency.
