A connection request puts you in the recruiter's network so you'll see posts/updates from them. No matter the type of LinkedIn outreach you’re doing (LinkedIn connection request vs sending a LinkedIn InMail) or the type of campaign, some things you include in them stay the same. InMail messages may have up to 200 characters in the subject line and up to 1900 characters in the body. Let’s look at a few of the main features and how they differ: Price. This only applies if you pay, however. First you need to understand the different actions you can take. Essentially, they are promoted messages that allow you to target other LinkedIn users based on a whole host of demographics. You can also see things like read receipts to make sure your message is reaching the right people. In this article, we look at LinkedIn – InMail vs connection request… Trying to force an appointment will cause you to fail. Can reach out directly to 2nd- and 3rd-degree connections in your network. When he's not working on content strategy, you might catch him out in the mountains, attempting a home reno project, or planning his next adventure. I'm fine connecting with a recruiter. There are several ways to do this – one is through connections, and the other is through InMail. This range of tools makes it easier to do things such as sending connection requests, managing your network, and creating a consistent source of leads. InMail. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Your first question when you start using LinkedIn is most likely, “What’s the difference between introductions and InMail?” The answer depends on how involved your common friend or colleague is in connecting you with this new contact. Of course, all this requires a LinkedIn Premium account. InMail vs. That is where the Sent invitations page comes in handy. It seems to be less privacy. He helps B2B companies develop awesome content to connect with their audience. So why do you want to send an InMail? We also share common connections! to stay connected going forward. Be direct about what you want in your subject line. Organization and automation. Or should I just do connect with them immediately? Would inmailing be more professional and they might want to connect afterwards? Among its many tools and options for helping people connect are things like direct requests and sponsored InMail (now Message Ads), but which is best for generating new leads? Just keep this in mind. Below, we’ve answered some of the top questions about InMail: Yes, you can send an InMail to anyone on the platform, even if they don’t have a Premium account. 18. Lastly, remember prospects expect InMail to be a sales email. One-time use vs. multiple uses . I'm a recruiter and I get them all the time. LinkedIn Help - InMail Messages - Overview - What are InMail messages and how does the feature work? There are two types of messages that you can send through LinkedIn: InMail – These are paid messages that you can send to anyone using your premium LinkedIn account, regardless of their connection to you. The tool is one of many that come with LinkedIn’s premium account. InMail credits are allotted every month on the first day of the member’s billing cycle. Nick Biggs is a content marketer from Denver, CO. One of the first decisions to make when considering a LinkedIn pitch is the messaging vehicle that you use. Sponsored InMail is LinkedIn’s premium messaging service. LinkedIn is a professional network dedicated to putting people together. Linkedin connection request message templates for all occasions It was pointed out that sending templates is the least effective way to coax the recipient into accepting your invite. You can resend personal emails to a candidate whom you have messaged before multiple times free of cost. LinkedIn has a ‘Grow Your Network’ page, giving you a consistent flow of new connections. As such, it can be challenging to know which is the best for expanding your network and generating new leads. Can you tell if someone read your InMail? See Lesson 3, "Adding and Managing Connections," for more information about sending invitations. One way to spot a genuine connection request where the person spent some time looking into your profile and background is the uniqueness of their message. In general, brands will spend less than a dollar per sponsored InMail … The main differences between InMail and a Connection Request. My connection request formula, which I’ll share in just a bit, will definitely help you connect with the people you want to know. One tip. An InMail allows you to craft a message similar to the old school cover/introduction letter. This is a common (yet ineffective) approach to writing LinkedIn InMail messages. A LinkedIn connection request is essentially an invitation to connect on the platform. Here’s what you need to know to make the most of your LinkedIn InMail and connection campaigns. Both of these methods of connection have their own pros, cons, and features. Your LinkedIn Inbox Due to high support volume, it may take longer than usual to hear back from our Support Agents. A timely, professional and clear InMail message can go a very long way: you probably won’t be surprised to learn that 93% of hiring managers use LinkedIn when trying to fill a role.. Grow Your Business With Social Media Outreach! 6. You may send an invitation to your 2nd-degree connections by sending them an InMail. Often, people follow an InMail with a connection request. You receive an InMail credit for every message that receives a response within 90 days of sending. Direct messaging is a powerful tool. The request will often prompt me to look at your profile if it's remotely in my world (ie: software). All you need to do is first navigate ‘Access My Premium’ from your icon and then select ‘InMail’ to see the number of credits. Ensure your inmail is focused on a particular job or it offers a point of differentiation (a very clear value proposition). Keep connections in context of your selling process. You’ll need a Premium membership, which costs anywhere from $29.99 to $119.95 per month. For regular LinkedIn members, this is the primary way of expanding your reach on the platform. Sponsored InMail messages are delivered only when members are on LinkedIn Uncluttered ... connection with a profile picture. If the recruiter doesn't have anything for you at the moment, they may not respond to the InMail but they may readily accept the connection request. On the other hand, connection requests are free; they’re just limited in who you can reach with them. But this LinkedIn feature will cost you money. Not everyone will … Here are some of the things that make it such a powerful tool: These are some incredibly useful features, making it easy to generate leads. If there is an open role that fits your background, go ahead and send an InMail. As we’ll see, although both help people make new connections and grow their network, there are some pretty significant differences. You never know when you’re going to make a professional connection. It’s not a LinkedIn InMail best practice. Here are some of the main features of this method or connecting: As you can see, that’s a fairly solid set of features. When would you not get an InMail credit back? Introduce Yourself. It bypasses the mountain of connection requests your lead is undoubtedly avoiding, and instead, you land where they’re more likely to see your message. For those of us using Linkedin's Sales Navigator integration for Hubspot... We would like to be able to see 'Linkedin Inmails' and 'Linkedin Connect Requests' in the contact activity feed in Hubspot. Essentially, if you send one to someone and they accept, they’ll list among your 1st-degree connections. 5. LinkedIn is a platform that’s designed to bring people together. Sales Navigator Help - Messages Appear in Your Sales Navigator vs. Be sure to check out these 10 perfect Linkedin connection request message templates! So, now that we know how InMail and connection requests work and what some of the main features are, it’s time to look at whether to send InMail vs connect requests when you’re trying to generate leads. LinkedIn connections are a nice-to-have, not a must have! They will have the 2nd-degree icon next to their name in search results and on their profile. And for help discerning the differences between leads vs prospects, click that link. Let’s look at a few of the main features and how they differ: Clearly, both of these tools are useful. If you are having a hard time remembering how many outstanding connection requests you have, visit the Sent invitations page to see all of the unaccepted requests you have sent and when you sent them. By using this type of message, you can cut through the noise in the person’s inbox. LinkedIn also offers many tools and metrics that support InMail/Message Ads. Your best approach is to connect with recruiters who specialise in your line of work. However, many experts in the industry still use the term sponsored InMail, which is why we’ve used both. However, InMail credits are limited, and you’ll need a Premium Sales Navigator account to access them. The goal of an effective InMail message is NOT to get a meeting or any of the above bullets. Specifically let’s look at: Connection Message vs InMail 5 Things to Include in your LinkedIn Connection Request and InMail Message Next Level Automation. (Some people don’t like to be bothered by strangers, go figure.) When it comes to generating leads, both are pretty essential. However, those that don’t get a response won’t get credited back. If there is an open role that fits your background, go ahead and send an InMail. You have access to InMail messages if you are a premium subscriber or if the other LinkedIn member accepts InMail messages. Maximizing Every InMail Credit For Lead Generation. An InMail allows you to craft a message similar to the old school cover/introduction letter. Is InMail More Effective Than a Connection Request? LinkedIn Connection Request Template – Those Who Have Viewed Your LinkedIn Profile. Of course, any LinkedIn member can include a message with a connection request for free, but those messages are limited to 300 characters, and the recipient can decline your connection request without ever reading your message. 3. We take a look in more detail about whether to send InMail vs connect directly to find out which is better for salespeople. InMail acts independent of connection request. I don't care if it's inmail or a connection request; it's an introduction. Linkedin: Is it better to inMail or connect to a recruiter? Stronger engagement. If both you and the recipient have read receipts turned on, you’ll be able to see whether your message has been read. Hi all! Set up sender permissions “Send request” triggers an email ... request, so using yourself as a default sender will enable It … When it comes to business networking and lead generation, there are few better options. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Press J to jump to the feed. Sign up today and get 10% OFF each month with coupon code LEADGEN10, 140 Broadway ManhattanNew York, NY 10005, US, 142 Cromwell Road, Kensington, SW7 4EF London, UK, Copyright © 2020 Zopto. Users are allowed to accumulate their InMail credits from month to month, but should keep in mind that it will expire after 90 days. It’s an effective tool, although there are limits on how many you can use. Get People To Send Connection Requests To You. It eliminates the waiting you have to do after sending in the connection request and helps you reach out to your prospects easily. Check out this example of a connection that occurred in an Uber (of all places): How do you see how many InMail credits you have left? To do so, we’ll compare some of the features to see which is most worth it for you. Sponsored InMail is less expensive than organic InMail. Since buying additional InMail credits runs $10 per message, sponsored InMail messages have a much lower cost at scale. If, however, you want to send an InMail to a candidate whom you had contacted before, you will have to pay again. You'll be more front of mind than someone who connects and then follows with a 'Dear Sir / Madam, I'm looking for a job' style message. Problem is that it's very random. All Rights Reserved. This may seem cliché, but using the word “connect” tends to boost response rates for InMail. Reach. For example, using InMail for lead generation can certainly be beneficial, but only if you know what you’re doing. If you’re eager to get in touch with new prospects, this feature could be very beneficial for you—and you’ll basically get a new message you can send every other day. Here is one of the messages which contributes to a 74% acceptance rate: Hey FIRST NAME! This is what kills your LinkedIn InMail response rate. In an InMail, you can have up to 2,000 characters in the body and you must enter the subject line to send it. Thx for viewing my LinkedIn profile! What’s more, anyone with a LinkedIn account can access connection requests, meaning you don’t have to upgrade your membership. If people send you connection requests, then it’s up to you whether to accept or decline, and you don’t have to worry about being marked as spam. You can also click the Connect button on their profile page to automatically send an invite. Networking happens in real life all the time, and there’s no harm in sending InMail (and a LinkedIn request) immediately after your encounter. Linkedin Sales Navigator gives you 20 InMail messages per month, so you can reach out to prospects even if you aren’t connected with them. Your return rate on 'invite to connect' will be significantly higher. LinkedIn InMail messages are messages you can send to 2nd level LinkedIn members. LinkedIn free account users are not privy to this premium feature. Every LinkedIn user decides on his own contact level, and a user can decline to allow any introduction […] As part of LinkedIn’s premium features, you can use Sponsored InMail to reach all kinds of people and profiles and the platform. An invitation is a request to connect with another LinkedIn member. LinkedIn Connection Message vs InMail and Other Terms You Need To Know A connection is one of the most basic features. The Pros and Cons of Email vs InMail for Recruiters . It’s great for generating new leads. A recruiter gets paid to bring people in the tent. Be sure to check out these Linkedin connection request message templates! You can search for people and profiles you already know. For the more targeted work, InMail presents a unique opportunity. You can send these to a variety of people based on your existing network. A connection message is a free message that you can send to 2nd and 3rd degree connections asking them to connect. You can target your InMail to the people who are most likely to benefit from it, using the many search tools. . After viewing yours, I would be honored to have you in my network to learn from and network with you! So if you send a connection request, that comes in as a separate message. You can send an InMail to anyone on LinkedIn, meaning you’re not restricted to people already in your network. Some people have seen open rates above 85% and clickthrough rates over 5%. Connection requests are free, whereas InMail costs. LinkedIn InMail helps you do just that. It has a maximum length of just 300 characters and you don’t need to have LinkedIn Premium account to send it. Do recruiters get annoyed when you try connecting to them? With a standard connection request, you can only reach those people already in your network. Emphasize The Connection. Recently, LinkedIn changed the name of its InMail service to Message Ads. If you have their email address, you can connect directly. You can build connections with all kinds of peoples and accounts, and the platform gives you several ways to connect with others. To determine whether you should send InMail vs connect directly, let’s start by looking at what these two key terms mean. You don’t have character limits or other restrictions. Keep InMail subject lines short. A better approach. Whenever you receive a connection request the first thing you need to analyse is the actual LinkedIn message.