Or…

It’s actually because you’re missing out on how to utilise both for a smart outreach strategy. What’s a smart outreach strategy? Stick around until the end of this article to find out. First, let’s highlight how you should be using the differences between DMs and emails to your benefit.

Developing a DM Outreach Strategy

How you should be using DMs is in their name: Direct Messages. DMs are better fitted for conversational, quick back-and-forth interactions – the kind that build curiosity. So, if you’re writing DMs like emails then can you really be surprised people aren’t responding? 

Social media is supposed to come with the promise of content that can be consumed quickly. Your DMs need to be sent with this in mind. Breaking down your offer into massive paragraphs or prioritising your pitch over building a connection is a waste of yours and your prospects’ time.

For more actionable ways to develop genuine connections, check out this guide on how to build rapport with prospects and clients.

Crafting an Effective Email Strategy

Emails will always feel a little “old school”, but there’s a good reason for this. Unlike social media, email doesn’t rely on an algorithm or demand an instant response. People are more likely to open a detailed email since they can browse it at their leisure. And, if you’ve built your email list right, you’re talking to a captive audience.

However, even with a captive audience (people that have already shown previous interest), the subject line of your email is crucial. It needs to create urgency and curiosity without using false or misleading statements. Not only do you risk angering people with these kinds of subject lines, you also risk that email being sent directly to their spam folder.

Combining Your DM and Email Outreach Strategy

Here is where we get to the smart outreach strategy that combines both DMs and emails. In a nutshell, you want to be using DMs to get your foot in the door, to make the essential first connection with your prospects that gets a conversation going. 

Use DM outreach to:

• Make an introduction
• Create curiosity
• Build rapport
• Nurture the conversation

Once you’ve established this connection and built curiosity then you can ask for an email address to share more in-depth information. 

Use email outreach to:

• Share resources such as how-tos or breakdowns
• Share webinar replays
• Offer more information about your service

The reason this is the smartest way to utilise both DM and email outreach is because it establishes familiarity with your prospects before you bombard them with information. Even if it’s information that will benefit them, no one wants to have their inboxes filled with unsolicited sales information.

Ultimately, the most successful DM vs email outreach strategy doesn’t pit one channel against the other, it uses them as a cohesive unit.

If you’re struggling to make that initial connection, get in touch with the PINAKL team. We’ll put you in contact with your ideal prospects and help build the familiarity you need to move the conversation forward.

The post DM vs Email Outreach: A Smart Strategy to Combine Both appeared first on PINAKL.

It makes you start questioning everything – your business, your offer – when the only thing you should be questioning is your LinkedIn DM strategy. You could be making such simple mistakes that won’t take a moment to fix.

Don’ts of an Effective LinkedIn DM Strategy

• Don’t use generic greetings like “Happy Monday”
• Don’t start with “Hi [First Name]”
• Don’t reach out without knowing the prospect’s background
• Don’t copy and paste messages that feel automated
• Don’t connect and pitch
• Don’t make the conversation only about you

Do’s for an Effective LinkedIn DM Strategy

• Do use details from their profile, posts or company content
• An effective LinkedIn DM strategy focuses on their interests, not your offer.
• Do create curiosity and keep the conversation relevant
• Do read the message out loud before sending (to test how natural it sounds)
• Do send messages to get to know the person, not to sell

Follow this DM Framework

We’ve already made it clear that your messages can’t feel automated. So, when we say to follow this framework, we mean to use it as a blueprint to create your own personalised messages.

Step 1: Curiosity

Only a small part of your message is going to preview in your prospect’s inbox. Those few words need to create enough curiosity for them to open the full message. That’s why generic ‘Happy Monday’ messages aren’t the most effective. Your prospects probably have inboxes full of those messages.

Stand out from the crowd with a unique, qualifying question or statement. Don’t go OTT with a promise you can’t deliver on but make sure your DM is one worth opening.

Step 2: Context

You don’t want to be writing email-length DMs but you also need to give your DMs a bit of context – the reason why you’re reaching out. This doesn’t mean sending a pitch or diving straight into your offer. It actually means sharing what brought you to their DMs in the first place.

Was it a post they shared or liked? A company or personal update? Keep things relevant to them and you won’t lose their interest.

Step 3: Clear next step

Again, don’t be pushy but also don’t waste anyone’s time. If someone is being responsive and engaging with you, get to the point. This still doesn’t mean sending a sales pitch, all you want to do is secure a meeting in the future.

You could even try double messaging people. In the first message, share why you’re reaching out and then use the second to propose a time and day to schedule a chat.

Building Rapport With Your LinkedIn DM Strategy

Implementing an effective LinkedIn DM strategy can feel like a fine art, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. But it doesn’t have to be this difficult. Don’t be afraid to be bold, just avoid being pushy. Guide people to the decision to work with you, don’t make them feel like they are being forced into it. 

If you’re still unsure on the right DM etiquette to follow, get in touch with the PINAKL team.

For a more comprehensive guide on using LinkedIn to generate leads for your business, check out this resource.

The post How to Write an Effective LinkedIn DM Strategy appeared first on PINAKL.