For this part in the series, we are going to talk about LinkedIn. In the last couple of years, the amount of LinkedIn prospecting that occurs has skyrocketed. The vast majority of the messages I get on LinkedIn are simply sales outreach. Some take the direct approach and some take a non-direct approach pretending to want to connect personally so that they can pitch you later. I appreciate the direct approach more since it saves both sides time, but again, most people are doing it wrong. If you are gonna shoot your shot, make it count.
A big trend I see is someone ghostwriting the outreach (likely an entry-level employee or outsourced employee) and once there is engagement the actual LinkedIn user jumps in. I have spoken in the past to companies that offer this as a service and I have actually built out such programs as recently as a couple of months ago. For these to be successful, it really depends on your product.
I see less and less InMail and Sponsored messages, and the ones I do are not very good.
Let’s get into it. Going to go through 3 wrongs, 1 semi right, and 1 right.
Example 1: http://prntscr.com/tmjxzn - Apparently, I am doing it wrong.
The good: Nothing
The bad: Nothing unique to this message, ZERO customization. 100% clear that he is sending this exact same thing out. The saving grace would be if he attached this FREE audit he supposedly already put together instead of asking me to engage to get it. But, let’s be real, he has not created that yet and likely has not done any research on the company or our social media.
The ugly: Come at me, bro? Does this approach really work? Telling me I am doing something wrong. Super green ‘kid’ with 9 months experience in e-commerce has the audacity to tell someone very senior to him that they suck at one of their job requirements?
Example 2: http://prntscr.com/tmk87x - A phone hello?
The good: Nothing
The bad: Sure, I see in your bio area that you are a ‘fresh perspective problem solver’. What problem of mine are you solving? I think adding a couple of lines of context, identifying a potential problem, and referencing how you solved something similar for <insert client> would increase your chance of engagement.
The ugly: The call to action seems a little tone-deaf to the fact that people are busy.
Example 3: http://prntscr.com/tmktoh - Do you really?
The good: Nothing
The bad: Nothing unique to me. No data. No results.
The ugly: Do you really work with brands in my industry? A little customization here could make take his engagement rates through the roof.
Example 4: http://prntscr.com/tml02b - This works
The good: Make me blush! This guy comes in telling me he listened to a podcast I was recently on, then mentions that he is aware of our Netflix show. This is beyond a customized message, this is a personal message he actually took time to write. At the end of the note, he lets me know what he does and how he thinks he could benefit us. Very concise and to the point.
The bad: I don't manage packaging costs, that would be Operations. Next time they are pricing this out, I will mention this guy and connect them to give him a shot.
The ugly: Nothing ugly about this one.
Example 5: http://prntscr.com/tml8ba - This works too!
The good: Audio! I would say on average, 1% of my LinkedIn messages are audio messages. The message was clearly unique, he was talking to me only. He was to the point, what he wanted to accomplish, and the experience humanized him greatly. My response was my calendar link because this worked!
The bad: Nothing bad
The ugly: Nothing ugly.
Check out Part 3 here
Hope these insights provided some value. If you missed part 1 of the series, you can check it out here!
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