This guest blog has been written by Jennifer Holloway

If you, like me, remember Viscount biscuits, clackers and pencil rubbers that smelt like grape, you probably remember the Readers’ Digest prize draw*. You’d receive a personal invitation through the post from someone called Tom Champagne (seriously…I’ve checked it out and he was a real person) inviting you to take part in the draw to be their next big winner; but you knew that, apart from the fact it had your name at the top, there was nothing personal about this invitation – you were one of thousands receiving the same letter.

So what did you do with this impersonal invitation?

Apart from the first time I got one (when I dutifully sent back the slips and in return got nothing more than more bumpf from Readers Digest) they promptly went into the recycling. Because I’d quickly learnt that the invitations that deliver the most value, that are worth replying “Yes” to, are the ones that come with a personal relationship attached. Which brings me to LinkedIn…

There are two schools of thought when it comes to LinkedIn:

School 1: It’s about quantity not quality ie LinkedIn is a tool to connect you to as many people as possible, whether you know them or not, as the more people who you’re connected to the more opportunities can come your way.

School 2: It’s about quality not quantity** – LinkedIn is a tool to connect you to a select group of people, who you have met or would like to meet, with a view to forming a relationship which may mean more opportunities come your way, plus you can send more opportunities others’ way.

I’m firmly in the second camp, believing that gaining a connection without having any sort of relationship with them makes that person simply a number in your network. And as The Prisoner made clear, no-one likes being a number. So whichever road you take, I strongly believe the personal touch matters – especially when it comes to the invitation you send.

One of the most frequent questions that I get asked is what to do about strangers who request to connect with you on LinkedIn.

Although I generally advise people not to connect to strangers, there are exceptions to this rule. People trying to connect with you are not necessarily trying to sell you stuff. They may actually need your help, or they may want to work collaboratively with you. 

This guest blog has been written by Tim Watson

In the last quarter LinkedIn earned $33.3 million from Premium membership subscriptions. That’s 20% of LinkedIn revenues and its grown 87% in the last year.

Persuading more of the 90% of free members to upgrade is a major revenue opportunity for LinkedIn.

LinkedIn are using email to convert members, sending a free one month trial offer. I am a LinkedIn member and after many years still on the free package. As an early adopter of LinkedIn this makes me a target for Premium membership upgrade.

Just as I was putting the finishing touches to a new email copy & creative training deck of 87 slides a LinkedIn upgrade offer dropped into my inbox. It demonstrates several of the principles I’d just covered in the slide deck.

LinkedIn have optimised

What happened next was even better. I found a copy of the same offer from last November in one of my email folders (LinkedIn have tried a few times to convert me).

The difference between the email now and from last November is an excellent case study in email optimisation, so let me share the key elements of what changed and why.