LinkedIn prospecting can sometimes feel like a game. If anything, it’s a numbers game. It’s the question of, “How many messages do I have to send before I book a demo?” But, what if we told you that LinkedIn prospecting didn’t need to be a game? That if you’re writing high-quality, valuable messages you’re more likely to receive a response.
While we’ve already covered sending mass messages and connection messages in detail, this blog post will focus on the second half of that process – writing a LinkedIn connection follow-up message.
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Why Send a Follow-Up Message?
Sending follow-up messages on LinkedIn is essential for prospecting. Here are a few reasons that’s the case:
- It continues the conversation: The goal when prospecting is to build relationships with your prospects. By continuing the conversation, you can learn more about their needs and gain their trust.
- It shows interest: Following up shows that you are genuinely interested in working with your prospects. Just make sure you’re sending an authentic and engaging message.
- It helps to stand out: In today’s competitive market, following up can help you stand out from your competitors. It shows that you’re persistent, dedicated, and on top of things.
- It can increase conversion: Sometimes, your prospects may overlook your first message. Sending a follow-up message is perfect to push prospects to check your message and respond.
Before you learn to send the follow-up, you should nail your original message. Learn how to do that here.
4 Tips for To Get a Response on Your Follow-Up Message
You can’t deny that follow-up messages are important. But what should you focus on when writing them? Here’s what we recommend:
Personalize, Personalize, Personalize
The first step in writing a follow-up message is to make it personal (you saw that coming… didn’t you?). Instead of using a generic message, start by addressing your connection by their first name. While this is a great first step, we recommend going further than just using their first name.
Mentioning their company, industry, job title, or location is another great way to connect with a prospect.
Express Your Interest and Provide Value
In your follow-up message, summarize your interest in connecting. Additionally, make sure to provide value by offering a resource or insight that can be helpful to them. This can be anything from a relevant article, blog post, ebook, or any type of free prospecting resources your company might use.
Shorter is Better
Your follow-up message should be concise and to the point. Avoid long-winded messages that may come across as pushy or self-promotional. Keep in mind that most people have received plenty of prospects before and don’t have time to read your own little novella.
Review these three things before you send a follow-up message on LinkedIn:
- Is your message more than 3-4 sentences?
- Do you use short paragraphs and bullet points to make your message easier to read?
- Can you convey the same message in fewer words? If so, do it!
Close with a Call-to-Action
End your follow-up message with a clear call to action that encourages your connection to respond. This can be as simple as asking them a question related to their work or inviting them to a virtual networking event or webinar.
Here are some examples of call-to-actions you can use:
- “I would love to hear your thoughts on this. What do you think?”
- “Would you be interested in connecting for a quick virtual coffee chat?”
- “We are hosting a virtual event on [specific topic]. Would you be interested in attending?”
If you’re wondering how we write engaging call-to-actions, you might benefit from reading our detailed guide.
2 Examples of LinkedIn Follow-Up Messages
Here are two LinkedIn follow-up messages that I’ve actually received in my InMail (and responded to). Feel free to use these as templates for your own messages.
1. The Professional Offer
Hi [Prospect Name],
Hope you’re doing well.
I just wanted to quickly follow up on my previous InMail and wanted to know if you’d be interested in participating in the paid consultation opportunity that I have mentioned above.
Regards,
[Name + Contact Info]
2. Interested Customer Follow-Up
[Name],
I noticed two of your colleagues were looking at our product page this week.
I’d love to jump on a 10 minutes call to discuss what your team is looking for. Do you think your team would be interested in joining? If so, what does your calendar look like?
Thanks,
[Name + Contact Info]
How Soon Should You Send a Follow-Up?
After sending your initial prospecting message, it’s important to give your connection time to respond. However, you don’t want to wait too long before following up again. Here’s a recommended timeline for sending follow-up messages:
- Send your initial follow-up message within 24-48 hours of your connection accepting your request.
- If you don’t receive a response within 1 week, send a polite follow-up message.
- If you still don’t receive a response within 2 weeks, it’s okay to move on and focus your efforts on other connections.
How Should You Manage Follow-Up Messages?
For any sales, BDR, or marketing team, managing your follow-up messages is a world of spreadsheets, tables, and specific tools.
Obviously, the two biggest tools for managing your prospects are Hubspot and Salesforce – both of which have a sleuth of other features helpful to your sales efforts. However, if you’re focusing specifically on LinkedIn messaging, you might benefit from a more specified tool.
You can use We-Connect to organize your prospects, automate your campaigns, and set up smart sequences to follow up with prospects after certain events or a set amount of time. With over 10 different campaigns and a wealth of analytics, you’ll save time and effort automating these processes.
Conclusion:
Writing a LinkedIn connection follow-up message may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. By following the tips outlined in this blog post, you can write a personalized and effective message that engages your connections and leads to meaningful conversations.
And, of course, if you want to save time and automate the process – we’re here for you. Test our a 14-day trial of We-Connect on us.
