Have you been to a networking function or a business conference lately? If you have, chances are you came home with a big stack of business cards. They probably sat on your desk for a few days while you caught up on e-mail and spent time with your kids. Then, at some point, you decided to pick up that pack of cards and put them to use – by requesting connections on LinkedIn.

Good for you! Because LinkedIn is a powerful social networking site to make and maintain business connections. When you request to “Add (someone) to your network”, LinkedIn will provide you with a standard e-greeting that says, “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.”

But here’s the problem. All those people you met days or maybe even weeks ago… will they remember you and accept your connection? You can dramatically improve your chances of having that request accepted, by taking a few extra seconds to not just use the standard greeting LinkedIn provides you, but by personalizing your message.  Remind them what conference you met at, mention that you are following them on Twitter or add your company name to the signature line.  These small touches can mean the difference between “Accept” or “Ignore”!

See…  it worked!

About this blog: Gangway Advertising is a Dallas-based marketing firm and social media agency. Our specialty is working with companies to create marketing strategies and solutions that allow your business to compete at any level in the marketplace. We specialize in making small companies seem bigger. The posts within this blog are written to show you that social media and marketing is affordable, achievable and should not be ignored! No budget is too small and no idea is too big. Bring it on.