Why You Need To Prime People On LinkedIn

When you prime people on LinkedIn you’ll have a lot more success with getting more engagement, booking more meetings and creating conversations. But, before we get into the benefits let’s first take a look at what priming people means and how to do it… 

What is Priming? 

Priming essentially means you softly influence the decision to connect and engage by getting in front of that person so much you become recognisable to them. Removing the stranger element so those you target will be open for a conversation. Priming can come in many forms. Liking and commenting on their content, commenting within the same posts or visiting their profile. 

Priming isn’t dropping them a connection request when you visit their profile for the first time. It takes a few actions to get your name out there. You want to avoid looking like you’re following them around the platform. So, track your activity and make sure you leave a reasonable time between your actions. 

What Happens When You Prime People On LinkedIn? 

After you comment on a piece of content and left some time for your prospect to look at your profile you can drop them a message. They will be more likely to accept if you have shown up a couple of times and have a profile that makes you look approachable. They won’t connect if you look like a robot. Now priming doesn’t just stop after you connect with them. You need to continue posting, showing up in their feeds and showcasing your value. Once you’ve finished this prospect will have an idea of who you are, and what you offer and if completed correctly will want to talk with you. 

What If You Don’t Prime People? 

When you don’t prime people first on LinkedIn you’re essentially asking your audience to engage with a stranger. You’re walking up to people on the street and offering them a chance to get sold to. It may seem like a dramatic statement to avoid all contact with strangers, but on LinkedIn, it’s given that most connections people seek out have some career benefit. Whether it’s to learn, network or sell. 

Connecting with everyone and anyone is still networking, but decision-makers and business owners will be less likely to add just anyone to their connection pool. It opens them up to unsolicited sales pitches and invites. When you don’t prime, you don’t give them any reason to connect or talk with you.