Is LinkedIn merely a social media platform for perusing other individuals’ CVs? This is a misconception, and a deeper comprehension of LinkedIn as a social network and its advantages is necessary.
Features on LinkedIn such as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree connections are beneficial for creating associations on this platform. In this article, we will delve into:
- Difference between LinkedIn following and a LinkedIn connection
- What does the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree connection mean on LinkedIn
Let’s begin to grow our professional network!
Understanding LinkedIn Connection Degree
Have you ever noticed the numbers 1st, 2nd, and 3rd on the right side of LinkedIn profiles? What is their meaning and purpose of degree of connection for a LinkedIn member?
What is a 1st Degree Connection?
When you are directly connected with someone on LinkedIn, it’s called your 1st connection. Sending and accepting an invitation to add someone in your professional connections’ makes you 1st-connection on LinkedIn. With these connections, you’ll be able to send or receive direct messages without any barriers.
Even with your free LinkedIn account and without buying any LinkedIn Sales Navigator account, you will be able connect with them directly in the chat.
What is a 2nd Degree Connection?
2nd-degree connections are those people who are directly connected with your 1st degree connections, but aren’t added to your professional network yet. You can chose to send them a connection request or use InMail to introduce yourself.
With the latest platform restrictions on LinkedIn, you might need to upgrade to a premium plan on LinkedIn or get a Sales Nav subscription to connect with your 2nd connections.
What is a 3rd Degree Connection?
A 3rd-degree connection is a person who is connected with your second degree connection. i.e., the person is not directly there in your close network, but someone common might be able to introduce you with them on the platform. Majority of the business opportunities comes up from 3rd degree connections; thus LinkedIn has made it stricter to connect with 3rd degree connections in order to keep spam rate low on the platform.
Can You Send Connection Request to 3rd Degree Connection?
Yes, you can send a request for connection on LinkedIn to your third degree connection. LinkedIn has made it difficult for the automated outreach to bypass LinkedIn rules and thus LinkedIn users might face issues to send them an invitation.
You can still send a connection request and add a connection message to improve your ability to connect on the platform. Invitation to connect should be genuine.
What about LinkedIn InMail?
LinkedIn InMail is a premium messaging feature availed to LinkedIn users under the scope of certain paid subscriptions like the LinkedIn Sales Navigator. This feature enables users to directly send messages to anyone on LinkedIn, whether or not the recipient is within your connections. In essence, this works to propel professional communications and networking; particularly useful for recruiters, job seekers, sales professionals, and anyone needing to reach out to business prospects or potential collaborators.
The InMail functionality is particularly valuable for LinkedIn users since it enables them to send messages to users outside their network, including the 3rd degree connection on LinkedIn. A 3rd degree connection on LinkedIn signifies people who are connected to your 2nd-degree connections, but they’re not directly linked to you. The LinkedIn InMail feature permits users to send an InMail to these individuals, even though they have no direct or second-level connection, thereby expanding their networking reach.
This professional platform indeed holds an enormous potential for communication and garners substantial opportunities for esteemed LinkedIn users. By incorporating the valuable LinkedIn sales navigator tool with LinkedIn InMail feature, it certainly elevates its versatility and increases the likelihood of generating potential leads and developing fruitful professional relationships.
Conclusion
So, LinkedIn is an amazing platform to connect and collaborate with professional. You can use LinkedIn prospecting to generate revenue and build LinkedIn group to grow your network on LinkedIn. By connecting with more and right people on LinkedIn network, you can rank better in LinkedIn search results as well. LinkedIn doesn’t want the platform to become spammy and filled with LinkedIn outreach, thus make sure you keep your LinkedIn feed clean and expand your LinkedIn network with the right people.
If you want to scale your LinkedIn outreach and convert your LinkedIn profile into a revenue generation machine with the help of virtual assistants, book a free demo with our experts.