Create a Custom Property for LinkedIn Connect Request Status

1. Why Track LinkedIn Connection Status?

• Identify Who to Connect With: By tagging contacts as “Not Connected,” you can easily build an Active List of prospective connections—e.g., “McKinsey alums in Tokyo who are not yet in my LinkedIn network.”
• Manage Outreach Efforts: If you’ve already sent a connection request to someone, mark them as “Sent Connection Request” to avoid accidental duplication or confusion.
• Leverage First-Degree Connections: Quickly filter or list out “Connected” contacts, who you can message on LinkedIn without needing an InMail.
• Keep Your CRM Aligned with LinkedIn: Maintaining an up-to-date LinkedIn Connection Status in HubSpot ensures your CRM reflects real-world networking opportunities.

2. Defining Your Custom Property

Step 1: Navigate to Property Settings

• Log into your HubSpot account.
• Click the Settings icon (gear) in the top-right navigation bar.
• In the left sidebar, choose Properties.
• Ensure you’re under the Contacts tab (since this is a contact-level property).

Step 2: Create a New Contact Property

Click Create property (usually near the top-right).

In the pop-up or side panel, fill in the required details:

• Object type: Contact
• Group: Contact Information (or create a new group like “Social Info” if you prefer)
• Label: LinkedIn Connection Status
• Internal name: Auto-generated; no need to change unless you want a specific naming convention.
• Description (optional): Use this property to track whether a contact is already connected on LinkedIn.

Step 3: Choose Your Property Type

Property type: Dropdown select

In the options area, define your dropdown items and their labels. For this scenario:

• Blank (default) (This indicates the property has not been updated; a quick placeholder for unreviewed contacts.)
• Not Connected
• Sent Connection Request
• Connected

Default Value: Set it to Blank so that new or imported contacts have this by default.

Step 4: Save Your New Property

• Confirm the dropdown choices are correct.
• Click Create or Save.
• You have now added “LinkedIn Connection Status” as a dropdown property to your Contact properties.

Step 2: Create a New Contact Property

Click Create property (usually near the top-right).

In the pop-up or side panel, fill in the required details:

• Object type: Contact
• Group: Contact Information (or create a new group like “Social Info” if you prefer)
• Label: LinkedIn Connection Status
• Internal name: Auto-generated; no need to change unless you want a specific naming convention.
• Description (optional): Use this property to track whether a contact is already connected on LinkedIn.

Step 3: Choose Your Property Type

Property type: Dropdown select

In the options area, define your dropdown items and their labels. For this scenario:

• Blank (default) (This indicates the property has not been updated; a quick placeholder for unreviewed contacts.)
• Not Connected
• Sent Connection Request
• Connected

Default Value: Set it to Blank so that new or imported contacts have this by default.

Step 4: Save Your New Property

1. Confirm the dropdown choices are correct.
2. Click Create or Save.
3. You have now added “LinkedIn Connection Status” as a dropdown property to your Contact properties.

3. Updating Contact Records

Manually Editing Individual Contacts

• Go to Contacts: Contacts > Contacts from the main navigation.
• Select a Contact: Click on the contact’s name.
• Edit Properties: In the contact record, locate “LinkedIn Connection Status” (or View all properties to find it).
• Set the Status: Choose Not Connected, Sent Connection Request, or Connected based on your current LinkedIn interaction.
• Save the contact record.

Bulk Updating

• If you have a list of contacts and you know their LinkedIn status, you can do a bulk edit (by selecting multiple contacts) and set the property to “Not Connected” or “Connected.”
• Alternatively, you could import a CSV with a “LinkedIn Connection Status” column mapped to your new property if you’ve tracked this status offline.

4. Creating Active Lists for LinkedIn Outreach

By setting up Active Lists, you can segment contacts based on their LinkedIn Connection Status. A few examples:

1. Not Connected + McKinsey + Location
   • Filter on: LinkedIn Connection Status = Not Connected, Prior Employer = McKinsey, City = Tokyo.
   • This list shows potential LinkedIn invites you want to send in Tokyo who share your McKinsey background.
2. Connected
   • Filter on: LinkedIn Connection Status = Connected.
   • This gives you a list of first-degree LinkedIn contacts in HubSpot, useful for quick messaging or deeper relationship building.
3. Sent Connection Request
   • Filter on: LinkedIn Connection Status = Sent Connection Request.
   • Periodically review this list to see if your requests have been accepted on LinkedIn. Update the status to “Connected” if they are confirmed.

5. Best Practices

1. Define a Simple Update Process: Make it routine to update the “LinkedIn Connection Status” after each wave of outreach or whenever you note changes in your LinkedIn relationships.
2. Limit Your Dropdown Choices: You don’t need to differentiate between second- or third-degree connections. Stick to the handful of statuses that actually drive action.
3. Keep “Blank” Minimal: Over time, move contacts from “Blank” to an explicit status if you can determine whether you want to connect with them or if you already are connected.
4. Use Workflows (If Available): On certain HubSpot tiers, you might use workflows to remind you to update the status after certain triggers or to automatically email you if a contact in the “Sent Connection Request” stage opens your messages.
5. Encourage Consistency: If you have a team or assistant, ensure everyone follows the same definitions: “Connected” means first-degree LinkedIn connection is verified, “Sent Connection Request” means you’ve clicked “Connect” but not yet accepted, etc.