You may have heard the phrase: “We are who we associate with.”

It applies to many aspects of our lives, including our social media presence, especially on LinkedIn. It’s best to take a strategic approach to whom you connect with. That way, you will be happy with your connections.

When I am not sure whether I want to accept an invitation to connect, I look for our shared connections. And I assume people I invite to connect are doing the same thing.

Too many LinkedIn users spend very little time on LinkedIn, often missing great opportunities to make connections.

Here are some tips for deciding which of your pending invite requests to accept. Next week’s article includes tips on sending out connection invites.

How to Handle Pending Invites

  • Decide who are the kinds of folks you want to be associated with on LinkedIn.
  • Connect with people who could be your clients or referral partners.
  • Connect with key members of organizations where you are a member, and with selected business colleagues or co-workers.
  • You may also want to connect with selected people where you used to work.
  • Make a point of being on LinkedIn at least once a week, if possible.
  • To find your pending invites, click on the silhouette icon called My Network. It’s in your menu bar.
  • Review the invites that show up and click on Ignore if you don’t want to connect and Accept if you do.
  • When you aren’t sure, click on Manage All right above your pending invites.
  • Now you can write a brief note to one or more of them by clicking on the Message button. Typically, I write “Thanks for the invite to connect. What prompted you to reach out to me?” Then wait and see if they respond. Based on their response, decide if you want them in your “family” of connections.
  • Many people appreciate the chance to write back and tell you why they reached out to you. Some of these folks have turned into clients. 😊

 

Get My E-Book to Help You Get Connections You Want

The fifth chapter of my recently published e-book 9 Ways to Stand Out on LinkedIn includes detailed instructions on how to handle pending invites.

Signing up to receive my e-book gives you access to the video tutorials that accompany each chapter. In addition, you receive monthly emails about trends and useful tips in all areas of social media.

And it’s free! All you have to do is sign up at: http://ow.ly/QM0J30eX60r

 

How About You?

 What kind of criteria do you use when deciding which invitations to accept or whom to send invitations to? Have you had to remove some connections? How have you found the connections you are happy to have?

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those ages 45 and older, to become more comfortable using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter.

She works with business owners, business development professionals, leaders of nonprofit organizations, job seekers, consultants, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.