Starting LinkedIn Conversations the Mango Way
Want to know the power of your LinkedIn network? Take a look inside your LinkedIn messages because that's where it all begins đźĄ
With all the attention on gaming the algorithm, boosting views on posts, commenting on articles, getting access to LinkedIn Live and Newsletters... there's very little talk about what goes on in the messages.
It still surprises me that I rarely get asked about how to send better LinkedIn messages and deepen relationships with new (and existing) LinkedIn connections.
To be honest, the DMs is where the *magic* happens on LinkedIn.
Whether you want to use LinkedIn to build thought leadership, engage with referral partners or land your next opportunity -- you better be paying attention to those DMs.
In this Mondays with Mindi episode, we chat about why your LinkedIn messages matter so much, some best practices for managing your DMs (whether you have a few per week or field dozens per day) and ways you can proactively deepen your relationships!
The Power of Your LinkedIn Network
If you want to know the power of your LinkedIn network, look inside your LinkedIn messages because that's where it all begins đźĄ
With all the attention on gaming the algorithm, boosting views on posts, commenting on articles, getting access to LinkedIn Live and Newsletters... there is very little talk about what goes on in our messages.
It still surprises me that I rarely get asked about how to send better LinkedIn messages and deepen relationships with new (and existing) LinkedIn connections.
To be honest, the DMs is where the *magic* happens on LinkedIn.
Whether you want to use LinkedIn to build thought leadership, engage with referral partners or land your next opportunity -- you better be paying attention to your DMs.
Even if you are brand new to LinkedIn, it’s critical that you start paying attention to every LinkedIn message that comes your way because you never know when a legitimate business opportunity will appear.
The first time it happens… trust me, you won’t want to miss it!
Whether you are fielding dozens of DMs in a day or a few per week, it’s important that you realize the power of your messages and how these can open the door to new opportunities for your career or your business.
More on that in a minute.
Are you ignoring your LinkedIn messages?
One mistake I see many people make when they start using LinkedIn is that they completely ignore their LinkedIn messages because they say things like “it’s just too salesy” or “people are trying to sell me something” or “I’m not getting into any conversations with my ideal clients - why bother?”
Thing is that many of us expect inbound opportunities to magically appear in our LinkedIn DMs just from people seeing our content on LinkedIn or coming across our profile.
Guess what? That’s not how it starts.
You’ve actually got to take some action in your LinkedIn messages and be the one to initiate conversations with the right people.
It’s not enough to sit back with your refreshed LinkedIn profile and wait for them to roll in.
It’s just like a mango tree - if you’ve ever heard me talk about “the mango effect” you may know what’s coming.
When you first plant the seed for a mango tree, you cannot just sit back and wait for it to start producing mangoes automatically.
You’ve got to do a blend of waiting + caring for your mango tree to ensure it starts producing fruit.
This means you’re making sure predators don’t destroy the sapling, it has appropriate nutrients, loads of sunshine and rain, and can make it through those early stages.
Similarly, you’re going to need to do at least a LITTLE BIT of work when you want to start getting into the right types of conversations on LinkedIn.
Nobody is going to take care of your mango tree for you -- you’re going to need to put in some effort at the beginning to “get it going.”
But once it’s going, you’re going to get far more mangoes than you may have ever wished for!
There’s a way to go about this strategically and a way where I see too many people trying to shortcut the process...
The Magic in the Messages
Your LinkedIn messages are where the magic happens. Since they’re behind closed doors and nobody else ever sees them, it’s easy to neglect them.
Will anyone notice if you haven’t checked your messages for a week?
Not on the outside, but you will be quickly letting new opportunities to engage with people slide.
The longer you let those messages idle without a response, the less relevant that message is going to be to the person who initially wrote it. You lose the momentum, which could also lead to losing a business opportunity.
LinkedIn has different expectations from other social media platforms.
Though people don’t expect an instant reply from you, they do expect you’ll get to that message within 24-48 hours (especially if there’s a business opportunity at play!)
If you’re simply using your LinkedIn messages to network with people, than you might have a bit more time to respond because nothing is urgent.
If you’re using LinkedIn messages to reach out to your ideal prospects, you should respond in less than 24 hours EVERY time! It’s critical that when you’re trying to book a call, share details about working together, discussing a collaboration that you’re as attentive to your LinkedIn messages as you are to your email inbox.
I have some clients with multi-million dollar deals in their pipeline that are kickstarted on LinkedIn, and if they lose that momentum, POOF!! Big money down the drain.
Whether you’re in a complex sales cycle with multiple stakeholders inside an organization, or you’re a scrappy entrepreneur or business owner just kickstarting your presence on LinkedIn -- deals are started in your messages.
If you only check ONE thing on LinkedIn each weekday, it should be your LinkedIn messages!
5 Ways to Engage in Your LinkedIn Messages
Let’s talk about some best practices for managing your LinkedIn messages that you can start using today on LinkedIn. It’s not enough to just check your messages, you must know how direct messages on LinkedIn are different from email and from other social media channels.
#1 - Check your messages every weekday
No matter what your schedule looks like, it’s critical that you (or your assistant) checks your inbound messages every single weekday. I’ve had busy days on the job where I failed to check my messages and only paid attention to my email inbox and nearly lost some big projects as a result.
Make it a rule that you ALWAYS check your messages.
#2 - Respond to your messages within 24-48 hours đźĄ
It’s important that you don’t let your messages linger too long in your inbox because they start losing their “oomph” the longer they sit there. The person on the other end is going to assume that you’re either too busy to respond, that they got lost in your inbox, or that it’s just not important enough to them.
If you’re networking with people and are not able to respond, try to get to them within a week. This happens to all of us at some point when we’re on vacation or immersed in big projects, but do acknowledge the delay in your response.
All prospects deserve a response within one business day (or sooner) depending on the stage of the deal. Ideally, you want to move them to email as soon as you can, but not every prospect is going to do this.
#3 - Use audio responses đźĄ
I love to use the audio response feature when things do not need to be in writing and when I’m actually trying to “buzz through” my DMs while networking. Sometimes, it’s a LOT faster to talk it out than it is to write something out.
PLUS, people feel the sincerity and energy in your voice, which adds that personal touch.
This is a great way to respond “on the go” and I tend to use this feature when I’m at the beach and have some pending messages that need a response.
#4 - Be the one to start the conversation đźĄ
A lot of people will ask me how to get more people to reach out to them, and when I ask how often they are initiating the conversation… I get a blank stare.
If you want to make the magic happen on LinkedIn, you’ve got to be the one to start the conversation. You need to come up with something clever to say or a question to ask to get the person to respond.
It’s very similar to our interactions in real life. If there’s a stranger you want to meet, you don’t usually wait for them to notice you and come over to talk, you take the initiative to go say “hi” and introduce yourself to them.
#5 - Send a message to every new person you meet đźĄ
This is very basic advice, but it’s very easy to forget to actually go about making this a habit. Every conference you attend, every group Zoom meeting, every office hours for that online program you’re a part of, every meet-and-mingle that you go to in real life…
Follow it up with a LinkedIn connection message or invitation!
Acknowledge how you met them (if it’s not immediately obvious) and then ask them a question about the shared experience.
It’s really that simple to start a conversation.
If there’s synergy between the two of you, the conversation will take on an energy of its own. Never force it, but you’ve got to put yourself out there if you want to grow your business on LinkedIn and do good business with other good people.
It’s all about the mango way - treat your LinkedIn network and those you want to add to your network as if they are special and unique. When you do this long enough, you’ll end up being like those who responded to my LinkedIn poll and said they spent upward of 15 minutes per day responding to their DMs!
Check your messages daily
Respond within 24-48 hours
Use audio responses to save time and add personality
Be the one to start the conversation
Make it a habit to reach out to everyone new you meet
If you’re looking for that extra edge to get you started on the right path with LinkedIn, get on the waitlist for the next cohort of The LinkedIn Accelerator kicking off at the beginning of 2022, which is tailored to take you through ALL of the sections on your LinkedIn profile (and goes deeper into building your network) in just five days flat - - one week, and you’re off to the LinkedIn races. If you’re interested, here’s the link to get on the waitlist and find out a few more details.
What additional questions do you have about LinkedIn messages? Leave them below in the comments or shoot me a private message. I’m happy to answer them!👇
