Why use LinkedIn Messaging? Take all of the elements I’ve shared here into account before you start sending out your cold LinkedIn messages. Message your connections Some cold campaigns don’t have to start with a cold message. Which means you’ve finally reached the point where your cold outreach actually starts. But if you don’t have time for your mutual connection to help create a link, it’s possible to send a message directly. Now that you’ve learned how to find and message first and second-degree connections, you should have a massive pool of potential connections to make. Messaging your third-degree connections Third-degree connections are people who are connected to your second-degree connections. Which means you’ve now just expanded your free pool of potential prospects by however many individuals are in the Group. And that means you’ll need some help sending all of those messages. Save time with automation Thankfully, if you build up a massive list of prospects to send a cold message to, it won’t take you an insane amount of hours to send them all your message.
Can you remember the first time you cold-called someone?
Just thinking about it makes my palms sweaty.
My heart was pounding out of my chest as I dialed.
And I tried to think ahead to how I would introduce myself and make a connection, but the nerves just clouded my mind.
Each ring of the phone just made the anticipation grow.
And then:
*Beep*
I got sent to voicemail.
That first experience sticks with anyone who’s ever cold-called someone, and in some ways, it creates an aversion to any type of cold-messaging.
To be fair, cold outreach is a difficult task to master.
You probably don’t necessarily relish getting messages from people you don’t know, but that doesn’t mean it’s not effective.
And there are methods that allow you to cold-message effectively in ways that bring in new business or create opportunities.
I’m talking about LinkedIn Messaging, which has been proven to be three times more effective than email.
I want to show you how you can use this powerful tool to reach anyone who has a LinkedIn account.
I believe that once you know how to do this, you’ll never fear cold-messaging ever again.
Let’s start by introducing you to this tool and how much it can help your business.
Why use LinkedIn Messaging?
LinkedIn currently boasts more than 500 million users.
Want to know a big secret?
You can send a direct message to every single one of them.
So needless to say, LinkedIn’s messaging platform has taken the business world by storm in recent years.
InMail’s response rate averages three times higher than a normal email, which means the potential for networking is incredibly high.
And that’s vital because 80% of LinkedIn members consider networking to be a large part of their professional success.
It’s a proven site for lead generation.
And almost all of the sales teams of B2B companies rely on LinkedIn InMail and messaging to generate leads.
It’s the perfect platform for sharing content, creating connections, and closing business deals.
And LinkedIn’s Smarter Messaging is designed to help you do exactly that.
The overall goal of LinkedIn is to help you build business relationships with other users.
When you do that, your growth opportunities (and hopefully your revenue) will expand exponentially.
Which means your next sale, job, or project is just around the corner on LinkedIn.
But don’t take my word for it.
Digital marketers everywhere are praising the virtues of LinkedIn’s messaging capabilities:
Chris reported a 20% response rate and high conversions when using LinkedIn for cold messaging as well.
Do you see why this platform can be so powerful for you?
All you need to do is find the right person to connect with.
And LinkedIn allows you to search for individuals with an incredible amount of precision.
So let’s get started on how you can start messaging others on LinkedIn.
To kick things off, I want to familiarize you with what your LinkedIn messaging area looks like:
It looks pretty basic, right?
I would imagine it’s similar to your email account, and that’s the beauty of it.
It’s designed to be easy enough for anyone to jump in and use effectively.
And if you want upgraded features, like the ability to send InMail to people who aren’t a connection, you’ll need to upgrade to LinkedIn’s Premium services.
Activating it is easy, all you have to do is select a plan.
I let mine lapse, so I was actually offered a free month.
But normally, you can sign up for as low as $79.99 per month, and it’s totally worth it.
Go ahead and activate the plan you’ve selected.
Input your payment information and start using your new features.
Now that you’re ready to message, let’s start looking at ways to find and message the right people.
To get started, we’ll look at the anatomy of a message that will help you connect.
Then, I’ll show you how you can start finding anyone who has a LinkedIn profile.
The anatomy of an impactful cold message
Effective cold messages aren’t created in a vacuum.
You need to take a carefully calculated approach in order to weave a message that warrants a response.
Most marketers who have spent time sending out cold messages agree on some rather important traits, such as:
- A narrow target audience
- Short and simple
- Fosters connection
- Positive
- Testable
But what does that look like in application?
Well, here’s a perfect example of a cold message that not only engaged its target but also landed the sender a job.
Notice all of the elements I’ve highlighted.
It’s personal, gives context, shows genuine interest, and isn’t longer than three paragraphs.
More importantly, the intent is clear.
The writer wants to find a way to help the company “reach and exceed” its current growth goals.
How do you think this compares to your cold messages?
Are you clear, concise, and engaging?
And this approach isn’t just one I’ve made up.
Here’s another example from Dude Robe founder Howie Busch:
This message has the exact same elements as the first example.
Want to know how well it performed?
Busch got a staggering 75% reply rate.
He kept it short and to the point, and created an interest in his audience that prompted curiosity and action.
So I hope you see that messaging matters, even when it’s on a cold lead.
Take all of the elements I’ve shared here into account before you start sending out your cold LinkedIn messages.
How do you create these connections on LinkedIn?
I want to show you LinkedIn’s messaging process now, which will allow you to send a message to anyone who has a profile.
And first up is a group of people you already know.
Message your connections
Some cold campaigns don’t have to start with a cold message.
In fact, with LinkedIn, many of your “cold” messages shouldn’t be all that cold when starting out.
Hopefully, you have an established group of contacts on LinkedIn that you can reach out to so you can get a little bit of momentum.
And you can leverage your existing connections to build inroads into their networks.
That is exactly what networking is in real life.
It’s an introduction from a mutual acquaintance, a handshake, and a conversation.
So this approach means messaging your first-degree connections on LinkedIn first.
Thankfully, messaging connections is simple. It doesn’t require InMail, and it allows you to tap into your network with ease.
The easiest way to send a message to a connection is to simply open up the messaging tab on your feed.
You’ll be sent to the messaging page we looked at earlier.
From there, you’ll want to compose a new message.
Add the contact you want to reach out to in the address bar.
Type in your message and then send.
It’s quick, easy, and can help you build a new connection or gain momentum for your campaign.
But that’s…
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