ContactingConnections


Contacting your LinkedIn Connections


Contacting your connections is good networking - as long as you contact them appropriately.

 

The following recommendations aren't ironclad. They are intended to represent generally-acceptable networking and LinkedIn behavior. Of course some people will complain if you send them anything. But an occasional complaint typically won't get you in trouble with LinkedIn customer service.

 

One caveat - you need to more careful if you have thousands of connections. In that case read our ActiveNetworkersGuide.

 

There are two different types of messages - networking and commercial.

 

Networking

 

Networking messages include personal or business updates or referrals that typically would be reflected in one's profile and are similar to what you could send directly from LinkedIn. You wouldn't send a networking message to someone outside LinkedIn as it would have little meaning and context.

 

In general it is acceptable to automatically send networking updates to all your connections on an occasional basis (such as once a month). But there are limits. Read more at SendingLinkedInUpdates.

 

How do you get the most out of your networking messages? You do the same thing you're already doing with your commercial marketing. Remember, this is business, not fun. So get serious about it. Create a NetworkingCampaign.

 

Commercial

 

Commercial messages are company or product pitches. You wouldn't want to send them unsolicited to a LinkedIn or networking connection as it would be perceived as irrelevant. Commercial messages should be on a formal mailing list, set up as opt-in, and comply with bulk mail laws. Check our Software recommendations for bulk mailing recommendations.

 

I recommend that you DON'T automatically add LinkedIn contacts to your commercial list and certainly not without also notifying them.

 

While you shouldn't automatically add people to your commercial lists, you certainly can market them. Include an opt-in link and description in your profile, when someone connects as part of personal welcome message, and as a part of your networking updates.