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(Part 3 of 3)

Parts One and Two of this three-part series discussed due diligence for successful cold email prospecting and social selling. Wrapping up the series, we will be tying it all together with how to do effective cold outreach on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is the best place to communicate with 722 million business professionals. Launching in May 2003, nine months before Facebook, LinkedIn is the oldest social network. LinkedIn is not the largest social network, but it’s an audience worth noting with its specific business focus. (1)

Here are a few statistics as you consider how to incorporate LinkedIn into your social selling plans:

  • LinkedIn ads can reach 12% of the world’s population and 62% of the United States. (2)
  • 89% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for lead generation (3)
  • 62% of B2B marketers indicate LinkedIn successfully generates sales leads. (3)
  • The average reply rate to LinkedIn outreach messages is 85% (4)
  • LinkedIn messages have three times the response rates of email outreach. (4)

How to utilize LinkedIn to perform outreach campaigns

  1. Perform due diligence to know the who and why of your ideal prospect.
  2. Be sure your profile is properly optimized to attract your ideal audience.
    1. Update your profile image with a professional headshot rather than a snapshot.
    2. Include a video introduction so that those who visit your profile can get a 2-minute “meeting” with you.
    3. Fill out all the details of your profile.
    4. Be clear about the kinds of people you desire to connect with and why.
    5. Demonstrate your employment history and accomplishments with both qualifying and quantifying language.
    6. Add references from clients, past clients, co-workers, vendors, and the like.
    7. Post content that’s relevant to your industry, as well as content that will be important to your audience. If possible, do this daily.
    8. Include organizations that are meaningful to you, especially those that may have a connection with your target audience. (For example: If your target audience has a passion for children’s causes, be sure to include any volunteer efforts or organizations you support. These should be authentic, of course, to your actual interests.)
  3. Formulate a customized, unique message. Don’t use a template. Personalized messages increase response rates by 30%. (5)
  4. You need a premium account to send outreach messages to LinkedIn users. To upgrade to a premium account: (Click on your profile image, then under the drop-down menu, select “premium” then “Sales Navigator Pro.”)
    *Note:  Premium accounts are paid accounts. At the time of this article, they were billed monthly and could be canceled at any time.
  5. Ideally, look for contacts that not only match the characteristics of your ideal prospect but also for 2nd or 3rd-degree connections.
  6. If possible, see if the 1st-degree connections you already have would be willing to introduce or refer people to you.
  7. 73% of executives prefer to work with salespeople who have been referred by someone they know. (6)
  8. 63% of executives on LinkedIn would not be bothered or find it intrusive if a salesperson contacted them if they had a shared connection. (7)

PRO TIP:  You never want to wear out your welcome with your first-degree connections. Be sure you make it worth their time as well. Offer to introduce them to someone in your network. Buy them lunch. Send them a gift card. Write them a handwritten thank you. Enter them into a quarterly drawing for tickets to a sports event or concert, etc.

If you can’t do an introduction or a referral, attempt a connection. Be cautious, as you don’t want to be flagged as a direct message spammer. This connection is where you need the power of your personalized message about the value you can bring to your contact. It’s not about you or a sales pitch.

Once you have created a LinkedIn Company Page, don’t let it sit idle. The page needs regular updates to maintain a high engagement rate on LinkedIn. One weekly post is enough to achieve a higher engagement level.

When you create your content, email, or postings, it’s best if you do not use your company jargon. If you speak enthusiastically or are funny – write as you would talk. (Keeping this professional, of course!) An excellent way to see if your message makes sense is to read it aloud. If you stumble in a particular spot, your reader probably will as well. Or, if you read it and then say, “Huh?” you may need to rework it. Don’t use any slang, and don’t put in any inappropriate material. As you read your message, ask yourself if you’d be embarrassed if it showed up on 60 Minutes.

According to psychologist Robert Cialdini, people are more inclined to respond to someone they like. (8) In addition, there is the law of psychological reciprocity. Defined, it is the tendency to want to return a favor to someone who has done something for you.

To benefit from this law, you need to be the first one to do a favor. It is about helping someone or giving someone something, i.e., showing appreciation or doing a good deed. Giving a gift without expecting anything in return leaves a positive impression. It is like you are forming a social contract. You may not expect anything in return immediately, but people will feel the need to reciprocate. Psychological reciprocity binds together relationships. If you try to use this law by giving something to someone and then ask for a favor five minutes later, they will feel that you are trying to manipulate them. It voids the contract.

Find something you share with the people you are contacting and include it in your InMail. Look through their LinkedIn interests and social networks to see if you can spot any common ground. A common interest may be an alma mater, a mutual friend, or even a shared interest. Look for a rare connection—a shared hobby is more interesting than a shared U.S. citizenship.

Whether you’re prospecting through email, social selling, or working connections on LinkedIn, success all depends on the time spent in due diligence efforts. The more research and detail you have before you start, the closer you will come to finding your perfect contact. The more you know about your prospects, the greater the odds are, you will find people who will buy from you and do so faster.

 

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RESOURCES

  1. https://blog.hootsuite.com/linkedin-statistics-business/#General_LinkedIn_statistics
  2. https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-advertising-stats/
  3. https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/generate-leads
  4. https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/linkedin-best-practices/2015/9-stats-that-will-help-you-write-better-linkedin-inmails
  5. https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/writing-inmails/2017/5-psychological-tricks-to-improve-your-inmail-response-rate
  6. https://spotio.com/blog/sales-statistics/
  7. https://reply.io/101-social-selling-stats
  8. https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/product-tips/psychological-tricks-to-improve-inmail-response-rate
Jim Bozzelli
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