LinkedIn has undergone significant changes that could have an impact on LinkedIn Outreach and the experience of virtually all LinkedIn users. While LinkedIn has not released any official information about these changes.
Here's what we've discovered so far:
1. For users with free LinkedIn accounts (excluding Sales Navigator, Recruiter, or Premium subscribers), there appears to be a limit of 100-200 personalized connection requests per week. These numbers can vary based if you have a good Social Selling Index score and your account is old, you can go up to 200 invitations per week.
2. The character limit for connection notes in LinkedIn messages has been reduced from 300 to 200 characters.
It's important to note that these changes apply exclusively to free LinkedIn accounts. If you have a LinkedIn Premium, Recruiter, or Sales Navigator subscription, the character limits and other restrictions remain unchanged.
Warming up your LinkedIn Account
Preparing your LinkedIn account will help you sidestep penalties and setbacks when it comes to generating leads on the platform.
By dispatching connection requests in a gradual, incremental manner, you can witness a gradual increase in your weekly LinkedIn invitation limit. This method ensures that a slow and steady approach will grant you additional weekly connection request capabilities.
However, it's essential to be mindful of adverse outcomes, such as delayed or no responses from other users or rejection of your invites, as these can lower your overall LinkedIn connections limit.
The recommended approach is to initiate with 5 requests per day and progressively increase this number to 10, 15, and so forth per week.
Guidelines for Effective LinkedIn Invites in Lead Generation
In today's digital era, LinkedIn stands as a robust platform for lead generation and professional networking, boasting a user base of over 700 million worldwide. However, sending LinkedIn invites haphazardly can jeopardize your chances and tarnish your professional image. Given the weekly limits on invites, here are some actions to take and others to avoid to maximize your opportunities.
The Do's:
The Do's:
Add a Personal Touch: Whenever you send a LinkedIn invite, take the extra step to personalize it by explaining why you'd like to connect. Personalization showcases a genuine interest in the recipient, increasing the odds of your invite being accepted. Highlight common interests, mutual connections, or how you can provide value to the recipient to boost your invitation's effectiveness.
Be Transparent: Clearly state your purpose for connecting. Whether it's to explore potential business opportunities, discuss synergies, or request a meeting, transparency sets expectations from the start and reflects professionalism.
Research First: Before sending an invitation, delve into the recipient's profile. Understand their background, achievements, and experiences. This research will not only help you tailor your invitation but also provide insights for meaningful post-connection conversations, making you appear genuine and well-prepared.
Engage Actively: Engage with the recipient's content before sending an invite. Liking, commenting, or sharing their posts demonstrates interest in their work and shows that you value their contributions. This engagement enhances the likelihood of your invitation being accepted.
Follow Up: Don't stop at the acceptance of your invitation. Send a personalized message expressing gratitude for connecting and reinforcing your intentions. This goes a long way in building relationships and maintaining open lines of communication.
Provide Value: Always strive to add value when connecting on LinkedIn. Share relevant insights, offer assistance or guidance, and connect them with resources or contacts that could benefit them. Being a valuable connection increases the chances of your invite being accepted and establishes a positive foundation.
Craft a Strong Profile: Before sending invites, ensure your LinkedIn profile is professional and comprehensive, showcasing your skills, achievements, and experience. A well-crafted profile enhances credibility and the likelihood of your invites being accepted.
Personalize Follow-Ups: When following up with those who accept your invitation, keep your messages personalized. Instead of using generic templates, mention something specific about the recipient or their work, demonstrating that you value the connection.
Join Relevant Groups: Another way to connect with potential leads is by joining pertinent LinkedIn groups. These groups facilitate industry-specific conversations, sharing insights, and connecting with like-minded professionals, positioning you as an authority in your field.
Be Patient and Persistent: Lead generation on LinkedIn takes time and persistence. Be patient, don't expect instant results, and be ready to invest in nurturing relationships with your connections. Regularly engage with their content, offer assistance, and stay on their radar to build genuine relationships and unlock future opportunities
The Dont's:
The Dont's:
Avoid Generic Invitations: Refrain from sending generic connection requests without context or explanation. These come across as impersonal and spammy, reducing your chances of acceptance. Take the time to craft meaningful and personalized invitations to leave a positive impression.
Don't Overwhelm: LinkedIn restricts the number of connection requests you can send. Sending too many in a short span may raise red flags and lead to account restrictions. Space out your requests and focus on connecting with individuals genuinely relevant to your goals.
Acknowledge Personalized Invites: When you receive personalized invitations from others, ignoring them is a missed opportunity and can harm your professional image. Even if you choose not to accept, acknowledge their effort and respond courteously.
Avoid Early Promotion: LinkedIn is a professional networking platform, not a marketplace for aggressive self-promotion. Instead of leading with a sales pitch, concentrate on building genuine relationships and offering value to your connections. Establish trust and credibility before discussing business.
Mind LinkedIn Etiquette: LinkedIn has its etiquette and guidelines. Ignoring these can make you appear unprofessional or offensive. Familiarize yourself with LinkedIn's terms, privacy policies, and etiquette to ensure your invitations adhere to these rules.
Offer Context: Invitations sent without context can confuse recipients and reduce acceptance rates. Always provide a clear reason for wanting to connect, making it easier for recipients to determine the potential benefits.
Customize Your URL: Customize your LinkedIn URL to enhance your personal brand and professionalism. Neglecting this customization can make your profile appear less professional and memorable.
Don't Neglect Existing Connections: While expanding your network is essential, don't forget your existing connections. Continue to engage and support them by sharing content, offering assistance, and introducing them to relevant opportunities. Nurturing existing relationships can lead to referrals and further network expansion.
Choose Connections Wisely: Be discerning about who you connect with. Sending invites to irrelevant or inappropriate contacts can damage your professional reputation. Focus on individuals relevant to your industry, profession, or business goals, prioritizing quality connections over quantity.
The Solution - lemlist
With lemlist you can create personalised campaigns with visits, invitations and messages.
This allows you to create targeted and personalised campaigns for your target market and leads.
To find out more how to integrate linkedin steps and make them grow your business please check the following article
As you know from reading the do's and don'ts, one of the most important part is limiting the amount of actions you make with your LinkedIn profile.
This is easily accomplished by using the global limits within lemlist.
Within the settings of your account you can find the limits and adjust them to your individual wishes:
To find out more about limits please take a look at the following article
As always, if you have any questions or require assistance please reach out to our live support chat.