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LinkedIn connections: what do the different degrees mean?

By
Amelia H.
August 16, 2023
4
min read
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LinkedIn connections: what do the different degrees mean?

Picture in your mind using LinkedIn and without trouble getting regularly good quality sales. Desiring the implementation of such an objective necessitates an understanding of the variations among those immediately linked to you, those linked to those immediately linked to you, and those linked to those linked to those immediately linked to you.

Understanding how they differ can help you decide which relationships to concentrate on initially. That can assist you expand your network more rapidly and result in a steady stream of LinkedIn prospects.

We have assembled a manual on the different styles of LinkedIn bonds, along with some tips on the best ways to develop your LinkedIn circle.

LinkedIn connections: what do the different degrees mean?

What does 1st mean on LinkedIn? 

Your initial LinkedIn contacts refer to the people directly in your system. One manner someone can turn into a straight connection is if you put them, and they accept your connection request.

Otherwise, someone might send you a request that you accept. In either situation, you will be a portion of each other's LinkedIn networks, so you both can view one another's full profiles and send messages backward and forward.

At the first level connections can talk straight to each other.

At the first level connections can talk straight to each other.

Mostly, LinkedIn suggests reserving connections of the primary kind for humans an individual knows or at minimum relies on - so if you're approaching unfamiliar goals, you will need to do the footwork and have a strong, customized reason for getting in touch to get them to agree.

To make the most of the probability of the people you welcome taking your invitation,add a note with your ask that clarifies evidently why you want to link up.Pointing out something in widespread like a shared pastime or field of work,is often advantageous. Don't forget to only connect with users who will actually gain from your interaction.This is the best route to get the most out of LinkedIn's limits on connections.

Soon as one finds themselves in a primary connection, you are able to attach them to Salesflow’s closest relationship campaigns to foster and reinforce your extant network.

What does 2nd degree connection mean?

When using LinkedIn to expand your network and generating more business, you may meet people who are not your immediate connections. These are members outside of your group who share a common link with you. You can spot them as they'll have a symbol indicating a mutual acquaintance next to their name.

A customer who was two connections away through the shared website. Observe how the common contact is pointed out.

What does 2nd degree connection mean?

Persons you might not be familiar with immediately, but you have at least one contact in common. This familiar association is a good way to start conversing with them on the platform. If you have good relations with your mutual acquaintance or they owe you a favor, you can ask them for an agreeable introduction to this new user. Equally, you are able to bring up your shared contact in your communication request or LinkedIn InMail.

Associates utilizing LinkedIn's Sales Navigator Innovative function have the option to quickly see co-worker's connections and get an amiable introduction. Yet, clients do not require an Innovative account to gain from this connection kind. One can search for 2nd grade connections precisely from the Sales Navigator search. You will also see clients with the 2nd symbol in your LinkedIn feed.

Connections that are one step far from being direct acquaintances can help develop your LinkedIn system. They present a basic means of choosing people who tend to reply to your attempts to connect.

LinkedIn allows you to deliver connection requests to second-level connections. Subscribers may also deliver these users an InMail. If a second-level connection accepts your connection request, they will join your network and switch to '1st'.

LinkedIn 3rd degree connections

Connections that have a common associate with someone attached to one of your connections through a second step are third grade connections. The name comes from how they are three stages away from you on the system. A big part of LinkedIn's 930 million members will fit into this class.

You can easily notice 3rd grade relationships as the account displays a "3rd" symbol.

LinkedIn 3rd degree connections

An instance of the next to last symbol on the "individuals you may possibly realize" section.

While links connecting you with third-level connections are technically there - they have a loose bond with one of your second-level connections - you're virtually going in without any backing with these possible clients. There is no straight link connecting you with that user, so you'll need to find another way to engage them in you or your offerings.

It seems the rates of accepting messages may be lower for this group than for second-level users. However, a third level connection remains reasonably easy to interact with on LinkedIn.You can deliver them an introductory message by InMail, or ask to link directly with them.

If one forwards a joining application to a 3rd grade link and they welcome it, they will become a 1st grade link on LinkedIn. One will be able to forward them messages directly from the LinkedIn inbox.

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While scouring LinkedIn for connections, you may come across individuals with whom you share no association. These are people who are at least three levels of distance from your profile. Sometimes they appear next to their account with a " 3+ " sign.

A further connection in the LinkedIn feed.

It should be noticed that "3rd+ " connections that seem in your LinkedIn feed usually tend to be third-level links. If you click through to the user's profile, you will see that LinkedIn at times uses "3rd+" and "3rd" as equivalents.

The same client appears as "3rd" when you click through.

When a person is three or more levels far from your profile, the rendition of their account that you view is often restricted. A number of these users also have written correspondence turned off - although you will generally have the ability to send friendship asks and InMails as regular.

How to grow your LinkedIn network

Now you have grasped what early, secondary and tertiary links are, you can start employing them to develop a connecting plan.

1. The connect button is hidden.

As first degree contacts can access each person's details and send messages repeatedly, you want as many of these as possible. And given that second degree contacts are more open and more likely to accept messages that reach out, you also need a way to boost their amount, too.

A powerful LinkedIn networking tactic employs a waterfall impact to fortify your group and multiply common bonds.

"By centering on second-level links first, you increase the likelihood of users accepting your connection invitation. As soon as a second-level link becomes a first-level link, all the users three degrees away from you by way of that member jump one degree closer. The outcome? Hundreds of additional second-level connections that you can center on constructing a link with following to unlock even more profiles."

With LinkedIn giving members as much as 30,000 first-level connections, there is a wealth of opportunities to broaden your circle with this method.

"Why am I unable to interact with someone on LinkedIn? "

The connect button is hidden

Should you struggle with contacting people on LinkedIn, a few things may be in motion.

The connected key is disguised.

For certain second and third tier accounts, the join control isn't always clear. This is especially true if the user is a mental frontrunner - they could prioritize the 'take after' choice instead.

For these accounts, the solution is straightforward. Simply tap the three dots next to the section and there will be a possibility to request a link as standard.

no option for a connection.

Some people are uncomfortable with anyone being able to connect with them via LinkedIn. A minor percentage of the platform's individuals will have updated their invitation settings so that just their existing contacts can get connected with them. If you come across a profile without the choice to send an invitation, this is typically why.

An additional reason why you may possibly struggle to dispatch a requirement is if you've surpassed LinkedIn's hebdomadal connection limit and been temporarily restricted by the system. In this scenario, the issue will not relate to one report, and you'll need to pause before trying again.

The user’s messages are locked.

The user’s messages are locked.

Once more, this matter goes back to a user's protection settings. Some reports are wide open and let any individual deliver Open InMails to their profile. Other records disable messaging for anyone outside of their system.

The vast majority of these individuals can still be reached via paid LinkedIn InMails or by sending a link request, as communications are a different feature.

This individual does not permit persons outside their system to deliver communications straight to them. In any case, they still take InMails and association solicitations.

It was not feasible to make the connection, attempt again at a subsequent time.

While being able to make a linking request, you risk LinkedIn responding with a notice communicates an inability to connect at that time and a recommendation to retry the link formation in the future. A few possible rationales exist for this circumstance.

Should you have forwarded your invitation to connect without adding a comment, send it again accompanied by a message. Occasionally that usually repairs the circumstance.

There could be another explanation, a technical issue with LinkedIn. Try refreshing your browser or log out and back in to see if that remedies the circumstances.

In conclusion, consider the number of open connections you hold. If you have made an effort to connect with numerous individuals and received few reactions - or worse, been classified as unrequested mail - LinkedIn might restrict your account. If you have tried both of the above alterations and are still facing difficulties, it is time to clear out your pending invites.

How to see pending connection requests

To check how many connection invites you have pending, log in to your LinkedIn account and click ‘Network’. 

How to see pending connection requests

Under ‘Invitations’, click ‘See all’ 

See All

You’ll see a list of all your received and sent invitations. Select ‘sent’ for an overview of all the invites you’ve sent that haven’t got responses. 

The manage invitations menu on LinkedIn.

If there are a lot, or several have been pending for more than a couple of months, it’s worth removing some to keep your account standing healthy and ensure you can keep adding new requests.

How to remove pending connection requests

Once you have your list of pending requests, removing a connection invite is straightforward. Simply click ‘withdraw’ next to each invite you want to remove. LinkedIn will give you a pop up box asking you to confirm the decision. 

How to remove pending connection requests

If you use Salesflow, our automation software will make sure your pending connection requests never go above 1200. We’ll also automatically delete any unanswered invites after 20 days, so you can avoid the hassle of manually checking your pending list.

Note that if you withdraw an invitation, you won’t be able to send a new invite to the same contact for three weeks.

Should you encounter issues connecting to the network, there are a number of potential solutions worth attempting. Confirm the device is rightly linked to a power source and the power switch is engaged to initiate operations. Confirm that your internet cable is securely connected to both your modem and laptop. Double check any WiFi settings and ensure the password is correct. Next, power cycle your router and modem by unplugging them for 30 seconds before replugging them to restore optimal functioning. The pronoun usage lacked fluency; a more complex phrasing follows:

Provided a person is unable to get in touch with another person immediately, there are alternative ways to establish a LinkedIn network.

There are various methods of connecting with people on LinkedIn including:

Making a link request caused the following to take place. If the terms had been used a handful of instances, it is alright to reuse them.The one causing the request should not speak in any way that was atypical of an individual and ought to speak as if another man was rewriting the passage.This means talking in a natural mode, without being pompous and needlessly wordy. Be conc

"Employing Compensated or Accessible InMails" "Making usage of Compensated or Freely obtainable InMails" "Taking benefit of Compensated or Freely obtainable InMails"

Participating in mutual circles and events allows individuals to meet new people with similar interests. Persons in shared groups and events often share similar interests and pastimes. They come together to do things they delight in. These experiences offer chances for fellowship and social interaction with other individuals.

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Follow vs connect: which should you choose?

Links are not the only manner to communicate with a prospective customer. Pursuing LinkedIn users enables you to interact with their articles and material to gradually come onto their radar.

When a client follows somebody on LinkedIn, that individual will get updates on their content and movement without truly being connected.

You are able to enjoy, remark on and pass on their messages. You can also utilize any understandings you get to assist you develop a more applicable relationship bid in time to come.

The account's arrangements must allow "Everyone on LinkedIn" to tail them for this choice to show up. It's generally utilized by intellectual pioneers and industry specialists searching to extend their LinkedIn individual brand.

Ordinarily, it is preferable to connect with someone instead of pursuing them. Only straight associations can message each other through the LinkedIn inbox, and customers you tail won't show up as part of your system.

But, chasing a user initially can be an effective way to warm up possible customers you know little about. Once prepared to speak with these possible customers, you'll have the ability to write a better message and raise your chance of a purchase.

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Amelia H.

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