In the digital age, making meaningful connections on LinkedIn can be a game-changer for professionals and businesses alike... when it's done properly. 

At the recent i-Convert Summit, Jason Buckner hosted an invaluable session with LinkedIn guru John Bellamy, revealing the secrets to "The Ultimate LinkedIn Connection Message Strategy for Higher Acceptance Rate." This blog post delves into John's expert advice on optimizing your LinkedIn outreach efforts to not only grab attention but also significantly boost your connection acceptance rates. From the importance of concise messaging to the power of video in building digital bonds, get ready to transform your LinkedIn strategy and double your leads and sales.
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​Watch this quick, no-fluff video now:

JASON BUCKNER:
"Now, is there a particular way these communications that we're doing with people on LinkedIn need to be structured to get the right results?"

JOHN BELLAMY:
​"Yes, many of us would have probably heard of 'above the fold' when it comes to web design. The more people have to scroll, the potentially less likely they are to tune in.

What we find is that, particularly in your connection message, you are limited to a number of characters. That does change from time to time with LinkedIn. So, you want it to be short, sharp, and punchy from a connection message standpoint.

For me, if we just focus on that connection message for a moment, the whole goal of that connection message is to get somebody to hit the blue accept button. That's it. The message has done its job once they've done that. Because if you're doing it right, and once again, if you're investing in Sales Navigator, you know that you have a very high likelihood that I am putting a connection request in front of somebody that I actually want to connect with. We're not just shotgunning it out there. This is where you can be quite specific and targeted in that connection message.

When we're now talking about the follow-up messages, this will really depend on what your goals are, what your objectives are on LinkedIn.

Am I looking for this from a lead generation perspective?

Am I looking for this to secure podcast guests for my podcast that I'm running?

Am I looking for this from a recruitment perspective?

There are so many different variants from that.

But if we look at it through the lens of lead generation, one of the things that I really love to encourage our clients to do is, in that very first message once somebody has accepted the connection request, incorporate some type of video. Okay?

Now, it doesn't necessarily need to be a personalized video to Jason, right? It could be just more of a generic video where you link them back to like a Keap Landing page or a WordPress website, ClickFunnel... whatever that might look like.

But the whole idea here, and why I love to incorporate that video, is it gives us that chance to create that digital bond. And most importantly, people can see that you are a real human being.

There's also, I can't remember who said it, but from the copywriting perspective, many— I'm trying to think of the person's name— but what they've said, the research shows that once somebody hears your voice and then they start reading your messages, they actually read the message in your voice in their head.

So, there's that correlation of that deeper connection, right?

So, instead of just sending text-based messages, you can incorporate a video in there, have an offer on the back of that. But for me, the messages need to be short, sharp, quite conversational, not overly salesy. But at the end of the day, people aren't silly. They know that if you're a business reaching out to them, you want them to buy something. So, don't try and be sly about it. The more direct and honest you can be, that's perfectly fine.
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And guess what?

People are going to tell you to go away. People are going to tell you to stop messaging me. People are going to tell you, get off my list. And that's perfectly fine, right? And I think there's this complex that a lot of people have. They go, 'So many people or I don't want to be on LinkedIn because people spam me.'

There is no difference from that than seeing a Facebook ad, or seeing a LinkedIn ad, or receiving an email in your inbox, or an SMS. It's just because your experience is, this person's trying to sell me something, I don't like being sold to.

So, utilize that as a learning, and really connect with— hold on a second, how did it actually make me feel? But more importantly, why did it make me feel that way? What was it in the language that turned me off, that gave me that ick feeling? And how can I make sure that when I'm crafting my messages, that I can do the best I can to sort of mitigate that from happening as much as possible?

Because that's the key, right?"

John Bellamy's session with Jason Buckner at the i-Convert Summit offers a treasure trove of strategies for anyone aiming to master LinkedIn for business growth. This blog post has just scratched the surface of John's deep well of knowledge.

If you'd like to fully harness the power of LinkedIn, from connection messages to follow-up strategies, watching the full interview is essential. It's packed with actionable insights and innovative techniques that can redefine your approach to LinkedIn networking.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to elevate your professional presence—access the full interview for free now via the button below.
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