In all things, balance is essential.
This truism certainly extends to sales prospecting. The most successful strategies involve an integrated combination of channels and activities, with each reinforcing another and contributing to a well-rounded lead gen methodology.
In this post, we’ll cover how you can use LinkedIn InMail in conjunction with other sales outreach tactics to keep your pipeline healthy and strong.
LinkedIn InMail Strategy: A Multi-Pronged Approach
InMail is a valuable communication channel for B2B sellers. An active and helpful presence on LinkedIn can help you gain familiarity among B2B buyers; InMail offers a means to reach out to these potential buyers and capitalize.
While we’d suggest that InMail should often be your first choice for outreach, it doesn’t need to be your only one.
InMail and Email
One of the biggest problems with sales prospecting emails is that they are often out-of-the-blue, bearing minimal relevance or meaningfulness to the recipient amidst everything else in their inbox.
When you engage someone through InMail, you reach them in a more fitting context, on a platform where they already converse and network professionally. Plus, they can see your name and face and can click on your profile to learn more about you. In an impersonal world of digital interactions, this matters.
Take cues from the content someone shares, or past interactions, to customize your message and tailor it to the person you are reaching out to. It’s always advisable to start off your InMail by referencing a topic or theme you’ve identified as a priority for them based on research.
Offering fresh insights, or pointing to a new study, can be good ways to establish yourself as a helpful resource and earn a response.
There’s a reason that — according to data featured in our new guide, Read Me If You Want to Improve Your InMail Response Rates on LinkedIn — InMail generates a 300% higher chance of soliciting a response than email. But this doesn’t mean you should simply push email aside. It still has its place in a balanced approach.
Some sales consultants experience an 8% increase in contact-to-meeting ratios when combining InMail with a minimum of one additional contact method. Email is one of the most common alternatives to mix in.
If you have a prospect’s email address, consider following up through that channel after a few days if you haven’t heard back on your InMail. Refer back to your original message to reduce that “out-of-the-blue” vibe.
InMail and Phone Outreach
Cold calling has gone out of style, but that doesn’t mean dialing up a prospect can’t be effective. We all prefer different communication channels, and it’s possible someone received both your InMail and email, only to find it easier to answer your call or return your voicemail.
Depending on your industry and other factors, placing a call at the same time you send an InMail could boost your conversion rate. Or you may opt to call two weeks later when following up. Experiment to find out which approach works best for you and your prospects.
InMail as Part of a Social Selling Strategy
At its core, social selling is about building relationships and helping others. Empathy, interest in collaboration, and a problem-solving mindset are characteristics you can easily convey through InMail. Combining other channels like email and phone will improve your chances of getting a response.
With a balanced prospecting strategy, your response rates can soar.
For more tips to improve B2B prospecting success, download and read our latest guide, Read Me If You Want to Improve Your InMail Response Rates on LinkedIn.
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