Lots of people send invitations on Facebook, Instagram, and to their networks with words like: "I'll be playing here, come and see me."
For some, this method of attracting people to their concerts works. It works because those friends who attend already know your work. They know what to expect from you, and they like what you do. However, some members of your network may not know you; does this invitation still work?
Facebook Friend Requests and LinkedIn Invites are the most common ways people blunder an invite. Today, I receive connection requests for people looking for work on a cruise ship. I'm not an agent; I recruit for a travel company. The inviter never bothered to look at how I describe myself or my work. What's the likelihood I can help?
We need to rethink how we invite people to connect. What's our mission? Do we know the people we seek to serve well enough that we can craft a meaningful invite? Is our message relevant to them?
"For those that enjoy dancing to swing music from a big band, and I know some like (insert names here), join others like you and attend my concert with Such-and-such big band here, this Friday, at 10:30 PM."
"David, I see that you used to work for a cruise line. I hope that was a good move (it was). I follow your blog, and I have a question. I'm hoping to connect with you and learn a bit more."
Suddenly our invites become relevant to the people we seek to serve. What can you do to create more relevance for your audience?
