The Power of the Follow up Message on LinkedIn
Updated: Mar 14, 2022
What is a follow up message on LinkedIn?
In the world of outbound sales, a follow up is a message you send to prospects after your initial contact/pitch. You're very likely doing this already via email, but if the goal is to get a response, it can and should be done across any channel your prospect is on.
Why is follow up important?
A follow up message on LinkedIn is essential throughout the sales process and by follow up we don’t mean a single or a couple of touchpoints. No, no, no, no… 80% of sales require an average of five follow ups to close a deal, however, 44% of sales reps follow up with a prospect only once before giving up. Imagine the sales potential left untouched…
Engaging with your prospects regularly by having meaningful follow ups is a great way of being memorable. The truth is that only 2% of sales are made on first contact, so it’s most likely that a prospect won’t be interested in buying what you have to sell during your first approach.
What to do? Be present! Being present will help you be memorable, and when the time is right, they will remember you.
Why is LinkedIn an excellent channel for follow up?
Social selling is a great way to connect and build rapport with prospects, allowing SDRs to adopt a softer and more informal communication, when compared to traditional channels, such as email.
LinkedIn is the ultimate social selling platform, and a great way to reach out to and follow up with prospects using distinct approaches other than the same sales pitch re-written in a different way.
Compared to other prospecting channels, LinkedIn is also underused when it comes to follow ups, and not many SDRs go beyond the first connection request/message. Perfect opportunity for you to get an edge on the competition.
Adding to this, buyers are more receptive to receiving a message via LinkedIn, since email inboxes are the number one destination of a panoply of sales messages.
So, what are you waiting for to get started? Ideas? Ok, we got you, stay tuned if you want to know how to successfully approach prospects and conduct follow ups.
Making the most out of connection request messages
It’s very tempting to send out connection requests on LinkedIn without a customized note. It’s easy, you just have to press a button. However, by doing so, you’re not leveraging the opportunity LinkedIn gives you.
You have access to valuable information on your prospects which can be used to start a meaningful conversation and create a great first impression. LinkedIn gives your 300 characters to be memorable, more than enough to let your prospects know you’ve done your research.
Why is it so important to personalize your messages? Because you’ll experience a higher engagement rate from your prospects. 72% of customers will only engage with personalized messaging! At the end of the day, personalizing your LinkedIn messages will help you book more meetings and get your word across.
When writing personalized connection notes on LinkedIn there are a few things you should consider:
Introduce yourself – let your prospects know who you are, what company you work for and what your job title is. You must give information to receive information.
Connect on common ground – this is where you show you’ve done your research. Scroll through your prospects’ profiles and see if you share interests, groups, connections… Maybe you even went to the same school or attended a similar course. Studies reveal a 46% increase in message response rate when there’s a shared interest, skill, or industry group.In the absence of similarities between you, choose to send a message with a complimentary tone. Praise their work experience and skills, but don’t overdo it, it’s easy to spot shameless flattery.
Make your intentions clear – outline the purpose of your connection request. Whether you want to expand your network or introduce your business, being clear about what you intend to get out of the connection is a good way to set the right expectations.
Engage with your prospects’ content – checking your prospects’ posts and engaging with them at the time of connection will entice them to have a look at your own profile. A few likes, honest comments and maybe even a re-share will establish a warm connection.
Connection Note Example
Hi Laura,
You have an impressive profile, your ability to work on AI technologies to generate prospect data at scale must have helped {company’s name} grow. I’d like to introduce you to OneShot’s hyper-personalized world…Shall we connect?
John
SDR at OneShot
Make hyper-personalized prospecting a reality
InMail - A paid alternative to the normal connection
InMail or Message Ads is a paid service provided by LinkedIn for premium accounts, which allows you to send personalized messages to prospects you aren’t connected to.
Another good advantage of InMail is that there is no character limitation. Your first contact doesn’t have to be 300 characters or less, which allows you to potentially have a stronger first impression. You can also target your InMail to the people who are most likely to benefit from it, using the search tools.
Though InMail can help you bypass some of the connection requests’ limitations, it’s worth remembering that it is a paid service and the messages you send are shown as “InMail” on the recipients’ inbox, so it looks more salesy.
How to write great follow up messages on LinkedIn?
Replying to positive responses
Hallelujah! A “yes, I’d like to know more.” A positive reply after the first engagement is no easy deed, but it is possible. It really comes down to how well you defined your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and how you used it in your LinkedIn prospecting.
Ok, back to following up. Replying to positive responses should be first on your follow up list. These prospects are warm and have an active interest in knowing more about what you’re selling.
How to follow up on a LinkedIn message like this? Lead the conversation to a demo/call/meeting, ask for their preferable channel of communication and do what you do best.
Follow up message on LinkedIn - New connections that didn’t respond
Let’s be honest, this might be a chunky portion of your prospects. It affects all of us. You did your research and crafted a personalized initial note, and the prospect didn’t reply… People live super busy lives nowadays. Don’t take it personally.
Look at it as an opportunity. An opportunity to show your prospects that you ARE NOT like most sellers. Try connecting with them on a deeper level, it doesn’t have to be sell, sell, sell. Go through their LinkedIn activity and find something you can relate to.
In case you don’t find anything to relate to on a more emotional level, continue your research out of LinkedIn. Go to the company’s website and research a bit more. Look for their mission and values, it’s usually something which resonates with most people. You can also go to the case studies and find some useful information; we like to be reminded of our victories.
Message Example
Hey Laura,
I recently visited {Company’s name} website and watched your webinar on LinkedIn Prospecting, it was spot on! OneShot also believes in the power of personalization in the Sales process, I’d love to share some ideas with you and show you how we do it.
Let me know. Have a great day!
Follow up message on LinkedIn - Warm leads
A “Yes, send me the info to abcde@gmail.com”, a “Let’s chat soon” that went cold, or a ghost scheduled call (or three or four), are some examples of warm leads that expressed an interest in what you are selling but need another follow up message.
LinkedIn is a great channel to reach out to them since it allows you to record voice notes or small videos, which are the ultimate personalized message. Hearing someone’s voice or seeing their face adds authenticity to the sales process, besides having good response rates.
If you’re not comfortable with the options above, then a small written note on LinkedIn is also a good option.
Message Example
“Hi Laura, I was listening to a talk on AI and its role on the B2B industry, and it reminded me of our last conversation. Are you still up for a quick chat? Let me know how’s your calendar this week.”
Follow up message on LinkedIn - Cold leads
You’ve done your research, you’ve sent a personalized invite and a LinkedIn follow up message and still, you don’t get a reply. Outbound prospecting can be frustrating at times. Following up with cold leads can feel like you’re barking up the wrong tree and you might start to wonder if it’s worth it.
Well, it always is!
60% of customers say “no” four times before saying “yes”. Selling is about timing. The prospect might not be interested in what you have to sell during your first approaches and chooses not to engage with you.
What can you do? Stop selling for a moment and focus on building rapport. Ask how things are going or start a conversation regarding a post you both liked.
Message Example
“Hi James,
Read your latest post on cold calling and I couldn’t agree more. I personally still struggle with it sometimes… Thank you for sharing!”
Be present to be memorable. Set-up a system that allows you to be consistent, which brings us to our next topic.
Follow up sequencing – The struggle is real
LinkedIn’s user interface can make it a bit hard to keep track of when and who you are prospecting. Setting up a sequence of touchpoints or a sales cadence will help you optimize the process making it easier to track and therefore optimize.
From sending a connection request to engaging with a prospect’s content, creating a sequence of interactions will ensure that your leads don’t fall into oblivion as they make their way through the sales funnel.
Having a well-defined ICP will also help you assess how many steps the sequence should have, what kind of steps to take, the time between touchpoints and the overall cadence length.
How to create an effective follow up sales cadence is a whole topic on its own, so make sure to let us know if you’d like to know more about it!
Beyond the written word
LinkedIn is one of the best follow up mediums to include in your multichannel prospecting. It empowers you to diversify your approach and not limit yourself to written messages. The channel introduced two relatively new features on their mobile app, video messages and voice notes.
Let’s be realistic, it might be difficult to send out personalized follow up video messages to all your leads, but try testing it with top-tier prospects.
Voice Notes
LinkedIn voice messaging allows you to record a voice note of up to 60 seconds that you can instantly send through the messaging screen of LinkedIn’s mobile app, and it has great three great advantages:
Allows you to message on the go.
A good alternative to calling (less intrusive).
Personality comes through.
Our very own sales rep extraordinaire, Laurence Obied, is a voice note expert. He uses them on a regular basis and he thought it would be a good idea to share a little “script” of his with you.
“Hey, I wanted to send you a quick message as I loved your post on (personalised note about something I saw they posted or their company posted). I'm also reaching out today as our app has helped (their job title - e.g SDR, AE, Sales Director) like yourself with their LinkedIn workflow. So if you’re interested would it be okay to send you some more information on it.”
Thank you, Laurence!
Video Messaging
LinkedIn messages which include a small video can increase response rate by five times the average. Video messaging is therefore a great way for you to stand out from the selling babel and increase your response rate when following up on LinkedIn, particularly with those leads who got a bit cold along the sales cadence.
An impactful video message should be short and concise (between 30 and 60 seconds), adapted to your prospects’ needs, empathic and have a clear call to action. Release your inner Meryl Streep and “Action!”.
This is key for a follow up message on LinkedIn
Whether we’re talking about a warm or a cold lead, a follow up message on LinkedIn is a great way to stay connected or re-connect with your prospects. Personalize your approach to maximize your response rate and think outside the box: send out a few video messages or voice notes and see how your audience reacts.
We know following up with leads can be tiring. It requires perseverance and a healthy amount of boasting, so try to make it a pleasant experience by setting up touchpoint sequences that will help you organize your time.
Follow up so your leads don’t blow up (mic drop)
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