If you’re in sales, and use LinkedIn as a leadgen channel — chances are, you’ve already been questioning yourself with something like:
- How do I craft a perfect connection message?
- What is InMail on LinkedIn? How to use it to the fullest of its capabilities?
- Are there really valuable tips on writing effective InMails?
Let’s sort all these out.
Definition
LinkedIn InMails are a LinkedIn feature that allows users to send direct messages to other users, even if they are not connected on the platform.
It’s an additional method of growing your network, when you’re stumbled upon that fence built by LinkedIn — the number of connection requests allowed to be sent per month.
How does InMail work?
You can message your potential customer, without the need to send a connection request first — with the help of InMail.
It’s a paid feature, meaning you need to upgrade to LinkedIn Premium (Sales Navigator) in order to use it.
InMail will be marked as sponsored in the recipient’s inbox.
How to send InMail?
To send an InMail, go to Sales Navigator, navigate to the recipient’s profile and click the “Send InMail” button. From there, you can write a message and send it to the recipient. If the recipient is not a LinkedIn member, the message will be sent as an email.
Ups
- One of the biggest advantages is the ability to reach out to people who are not in your network (not 1st-degree connections). This helps you to expand your LinkedIn network. Since there are always limits to how many connection requests you can send to LinkedIn users per month (and you cannot get around a connection request and just message people, having a regular free LinkedIn account), InMails can help you reach out to leads regardless of all limitations that are in place.
Downs
- There is only one downside. You pay quite a lot for this. 60 credits (messages) may cost $100 (the price can vary). 100 dollars for 60 messages — that don’t guarantee that you’ll engage them and even make it to a demo.
The number of InMail messages available within your subscription vary depending on the type of subscription. It can be 10, 30, 60 or 90 per month.
Can you send InMails for free?
There is a way of how you can send InMails to your leads, not paying for them.
We’ve described what you’ll need to do in detail in this guide.
Tips for Crafting an Engaging InMail
Here are some tips to help you write a good InMail that will get results.
First and foremost, it’s important to personalize your message. Take the time to research the person you’re reaching out to, and tailor your message to their specific interests and needs. This will increase the likelihood that your message will be well-received.
Next, keep your message short and to the point. This will increase the likelihood that the recipient will read and respond to your message. Avoid sending long, rambling messages that are difficult to read and understand.
Subject Line
Make sure to use a clear, attention-grabbing subject line. This will help ensure that your message is opened and read.
Engage them
There is one thing that helps to sell — it’s not trying to sell anything.
Instead of focusing on your profits, think about what value your product/solution truly holds. Is it going to be interesting to the audience you target? Your honest answer to this question is something to start from.
If it’s going to help your audience solve their problems — simply let them know how it will help. Be honest.
Also, being non-intrusive goes a long way. If a prospect doesn’t reply, don’t push them. Instead, share your piece of content or invite them to join your community. Ask for smaller commitment, in other words.
If you truly believe that your product can be of a great use to you audience, and you clearly see how exactly, you’ll catch the right wave and will be able to engage your leads in a conversation.
A good sample of InMail?
As you can see from this sample, everyone tries to sell you their products in one message (because it costs quite a sum of money to message you without adding you to network). So, it has high chances of being treated like spam.
You can practice writing something more light-hearted in your InMail, at least making an impression that you just want to connect with them for the sake of it. For instance, you can tell them that you’re out of connection requests but want to establish a professional relationship. Invite them to your webinar or to join your professional community. Share your content.
2) The key here is to write targeted, personalized messages to people who’re looking for your kind of solution right now. That’s why targeting is probably the most important thing that requires your special attention. 👇👇
Read how to find truly high-quality audience on LinkedIn and convert it to hot leads: free guide
So, all in all, InMail can be not that effective measure when it comes to additional methods of engaging your leads.
How else you can reach out to your leads, getting around LinkedIn connection limits?
You don’t necessarily need to limit it down to LinkedIn.
You cannot increase the number of connection requests allowed to be sent on LinkedIn per month, but you can go for other channels.
In Closely, you can run several automated LinkedIn outreach campaigns, download the results, export those who didn’t accept your connection request on LinkedIn, and reach out to them via email.
Also, you can track those who have accepted your connection request, yet never replied to your follow-up message, export them and reach out to them through email, writing a completely separate email message.
Closely is a LinkedIn + Email Automation/Lead engagement platform.
It will let you run multiple message sequences, targeting different segments of prospects and supplying you with detailed analytics into your campaign’s performance.
Conclusion
LinkedIn InMails are a paid feature of the LinkedIn platform that allows users to reach out to people outside of their network. With a higher open and response rate than traditional email, InMails are an effective way to build relationships with potential customers, partners, or even job opportunities. To use this feature, users must have a LinkedIn Premium account which also provides other benefits such as seeing who viewed your profile, advanced job search tools, and access to online courses. However, it may come out a bit pricey.
There is always a way to reach out to your leads using other channels. You can think about email as a remarketing channel for your outreach campaigns. Or vice versa, reach out to leads through email, gather those who never replied to your email, and reach out to them on LinkedIn.
Automation tools like Closely are an irreplaceable asset. They’ll help you run multiple LinkedIn and Outreach campaigns on autopilot. They’ll let you run email campaigns as well, gathering all the needed analytics data for you in one place. Closely also offers numerous other features to help you rock in B2B sales. Check this demo out.
If you want to know how to turn your regular LinkedIn sales game into a shiny performance that ends up with hundreds of leads arriving to your sales pipeline, look no further. We’re here and ready to talk. https://closelyhq.com/ Book a demo with our LinkedIn expert, Maria, on the website.
