How to Create the Perfect LinkedIn Message & Get More Replies!
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Reaching out to new people can be scary. However, there’s a platform that’s ready-made for you to connect with other professionals. You’ve got it made! The entire point of social media is to reach out to people, and sending a LinkedIn message is one of the most impactful ways.
If you’re wondering what you should say, when, or how, you’re in the right place. What you say can be half of the reason they even respond to you but making it personal is the way to go.
Why should you use LinkedIn messaging? What are the best practices you need to follow? And how can you create a message that will get more replies?
Whether you’re looking to reach out for new opportunities, perform sales prospecting on LinkedIn, or just schedule meetings, you’ll want to utilize these tips to start off right!
Why should I use LinkedIn messaging?
The term Social Media came about because it was meant to be a means of connecting socially. That said, when it comes to business and networking, LinkedIn is the king of social media. Use the platform to connect with professionals in your industry, reach out for job opportunities, or even engage in conversations with potential customers and partners.
What this means for LinkedIn as a focus for B2B sales is that you can insert a social element into your professional account, and add a personal touch to your sales prospecting.
This works best when coming from your personal account- especially since sending a LinkedIn message as a company isn’t even possible.
With LinkedIn being the number one platform for B2B fields, it simply makes sense to use messaging as part of your sales plan.
If you’re in sales, you would typically resort to an automation tool such as LaGrowthMachine, which allows you to create automated campaigns that include LinkedIn as well as Email and Twitter!
Get 3.5X more leads!
Do you want to improve the efficiency of your sales department? With LaGrowthMachine you can generate on average 3.5x more leads while saving an incredible amount of time on all your processes.
By signing up today, you’ll get a free 14-day trial to test our tool!
Our tool allows you to automate all LinkedIn activities, from visiting leads’ profiles to your first sales outreach, and so much more! More on that later. 😉
Best practices for LinkedIn messages
When sending a LinkedIn message, it’s not always about the content. Yes, you definitely need to make sure your message is structured properly, but you also need to pay attention to some other things. For instance, when connecting with a new person on LinkedIn:
- Be transparent. Tell them what you want them to do or what you expect to happen. Not in a demanding way (obviously), but in a request posed as to why they might be interested.
- Be vague/indirect. Maybe you’re looking to connect with whomever, wherever (not necessarily recommended). If this is the case, you may just want to generally say you’re looking to connect/ meet new people.
“Hey there! I see most of my network reacting to your posts and I wanted to introduce myself. Would you be interested in connecting? 👋🏼”
Simple, subtle, and to the point.
We have a full guide on LinkedIn connection messages where we dive much deeper into this subject so make sure to check that out!
But what about the first messages you send to people you’re already connected to, your 1st connections? Or even follow-up messages after they’ve accepted your invitation?
There are some best practices to consider when writing those too! Here they are:
Always follow up:
This isn’t really a best practice, but more of a general guideline to adhere to.
When you’ve connected with someone on LinkedIn, it’s important to follow up your initial message with another one -and then another. This could be as simple as just saying “Hey, I’m glad we connected! What are you working on?”
If you’re performing sales outreach, you can even be more aggressive and add more follow-ups as you go.
Our sales stats show that leads generally reply more from the 3rd to 4th follow-up, so don’t hesitate to follow up multiple times.
Disclaimer ⚠️
A high reply rate does not mean a positive response. The high response rate after more follow-ups can be due to a few things, one of which can be that you probably aggravate your leads more than anything else. And in turn, they respond, probably not in a very positive way.
How do you fix this it? Make sure you qualify your leads properly!
But there’s a catch: You’re not going to follow up ONLY on LinkedIn!
This is precisely why LaGrowthMachine is the way to go!
Multichannel prospecting is simply the best way to go when it comes to sales, and multichannel selling software like LaGrowthMachine lets you do just that. You can create automated campaigns with messages sent on LinkedIn, Email, and even Twitter!
And the best part? You have it all in one easy-to-use interface: the LaGrowthMachine Inbox. You can track your conversations for every lead, and even respond directly from the Inbox using whichever channel you want.
Be persistent but not pushy:
This may seem like a contradiction, but it’s not. You need to be persistent with your outreach, but at the same time don’t seem pushy or desperate.
Make sure you keep your messages short and to the point, but don’t forget to make them sound “human” as well. People don’t like to be sold at, so make sure you add your own personal touch to your messages and let the other person know you’re human, and not just a sales bot.
Personalize your message:
Speaking of sounding more human, personalizing your messages is key. Always try to mention something specific about the person you’re trying to reach out to. It could be something from their profile or recent posts.
It’s also important to remember that people like to talk about themselves, so make sure your messages are not only personalized but also tailored around the person you’re trying to reach out to.
Remember the last time you responded positively to a “Dear Sir/Madam” message? Exactly.
People won’t engage with generic messages, and this is where LaGrowthMachine comes in clutch.
You have over 20 different variables to personalize your messages with, ranging from the classic information such as name and company name to custom attributes that you can add to your messages.
This way, you can make sure each message is personalized and tailored specifically for each lead, increasing the odds of them responding positively.
Demonstrate your value:
This is probably the most important best practice to consider when writing messages on LinkedIn. People are busy, and they don’t have time for useless messages that make them lose their precious time.
You need to make sure you demonstrate your value in each and every message, so the person you’re trying to reach out to knows why they should take their time to answer.
This is where a lot of people fail when it comes to sales outreach on LinkedIn, they forget to show how they can help the other person.
Make sure you think hard about your target’s needs and pain points, and how you can help them with your solution.
The more value you can demonstrate in each message the better! Here’s an example from a recent campaign I ran (customAttribute1 = roles that have to do with Sales Development and Business Development).
Hey {{firstname}}
I saw that you’re recruiting a {{customAttribute1}}. Congratulations on your team getting bigger!
If you ever want to get more replies, without necessarily increasing your workforce, you should try a multichannel approach. With LaGrowthMachine, you can use LinkedIn, email, and even Twitter to engage where your leads really are! Which gets you 3.5x more responses 😇
Now I’m no copywriting genius by any means, but the intent here was to keep it straightforward. I show that I understand their pain point (boost their sales) while presenting our own LaGrowthMachine as a solution that will add even more value (3.5x times more leads with multichannel prospecting).
Use proper grammar and spelling:
This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how often people forget about it. Words like “your” and “you’re” are easily mixed up and human error is part of the game.
However, spelling mistakes and typos can give off an unprofessional vibe to your prospects, so make sure you use proper grammar and spelling in your messages.
If you’re not sure about certain words or phrases, use a grammar checker such as Grammarly to make sure your message sounds professional and is free from any mistakes.
Show your personality:
Lastly, don’t be afraid to let your -or your brand’s, personality shine through when crafting your messages. People are more likely to engage with a message that reflects the sender’s personality, instead of one that looks like it was crafted in a robotic manner.
Let some of your humor, enthusiasm, and values show through in each message to make sure your leads know that there is a real person behind the screen.
Get 3.5X more leads!
Do you want to improve the efficiency of your sales department? With LaGrowthMachine you can generate on average 3.5x more leads while saving an incredible amount of time on all your processes.
By signing up today, you’ll get a free 14-day trial to test our tool!
BONUS: LinkedIn message templates to use right now!
We want to help you get started right away. Use the following templates to help get you started on your way to building a great network and getting more business!
Initial Connection Message
Hi {{firstname}}, {I saw you attended {{eventName}} | I saw your post on {{topic}} | I see we’re both connected to {{fullname}}}! Happy to see we’re in the same field!
Care to connect? 🙂
Example 🔍
Hi Adrien, I saw you attended GrowthHackers Conference. Happy to see we’re in the same field and interested in the same things!
Care to connect? 🙂
Follow-up Message
Hey {{firstname}},
Just following up on my previous message. I wanted to connect because {I think we have similar interests | I’m looking to build my network in the {{industry}} industry | I liked your post about {{topic}}}. Let me know!
Example 🔍
Hey Adrien,
Just following up on my previous message. I wanted to connect because I’m looking to build my network in the digital marketing industry. Let me know!
(Here you can add a GIF or a funny image to make your message more engaging!)
The “How can we help?” Message
Hi {{firstname}},
I saw your post about {{topic}} and thought it was great. It looks like you could use a helping hand with {{pain point}}. We have a {{solution}} that could help you alleviate this pain point and reach your goals quicker. Let me know if you’d like to hear more about it!
Example 🔍
Hi Adrien,
I saw your post about content marketing strategies and thought it was great! 👏
It looks like you could use a helping hand with lead generation. We have a multichannel strategy that could help you generate 3.5x more leads and reach your goals quicker. 🚀
Let me know if you’d like to hear more about it!
Soft Pitch Message
Hey there {{firstname}}! I was checking out {{companyName}} and noticed that our industry’s {{customAttribute1}} are active on LinkedIn. Want any tips on how to prospect like a pro? 😎
Example 🔍
Hey there Adrien! I was checking out LaGrowthMachine and noticed that our industry’s sales reps are active on LinkedIn. Want any tips on how to prospect like a pro? 😎
That’s about it! We hope these templates help you get started on your LinkedIn journey!
Get replies from LinkedIn messages
Now that you have the superpowers of a great sales prospector, you can send the best LinkedIn messages to your target audience. Remember to use automation wherever possible and check out LaGrowthMachine to save you time and stress.
Happy messaging! 🙂
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