Social media is a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes.
Not only does it allow you to connect with customers and create brand awareness, but it can also be used to generate leads in a much more direct and personal way than cold calling.
Today, we're going to be looking at LinkedIn InMail in particular and its pros and cons when it comes to lead generation.
Advantages of LinkedIn InMail
LinkedIn InMail is a favorite social selling tool of outbound marketers. The reason being that you don't need to be connected with the recipient in order to send them a message. Essentially, you can "cold message" them without having to send a connection request.
InMail also allows for specific targeting, bulk messaging, is easy to use, and can lead to high visibility and open rates with the right strategy.
Another advantage of LinkedIn InMail is that you'll get a credit back for every message that receives a response within 90 days of its send date. You can also track the effectiveness of your messages and incorporate LinkedIn Scheduler to provide your calendar availability to the recipient.
However, it's not all unicorns and rainbows...
Disadvantages of LinkedIn InMail
While LinkedIn InMail can be a helpful tool for generating leads, there are also some disadvantages to using it.
InMail is a premium feature with a cap. Meaning, you must pay on a subscription basis to use it and the number of messages you can send each month are limited based on your InMail credits.
That being said, if you're just starting out and can't afford a paid social selling tool, this may not be a risk you're willing to take yet. You need to be confident in your InMail strategy in order to gain a healthy ROI–especially given that your messages will say “sponsored,” which lets your leads know right off the bat that you’re likely selling something.
InMail is not some magical marketing method. Like any other method, you need a good strategy in place in order to get responses.
A good strategy–especially in the healthcare industry–starts with the knowledge and experience from a professional, like those at Bizzuka. Our Fractional CMOs can provide executive leadership, strategy development, team building, and vendor oversight to ensure marketing projects and campaigns are successful at every level. Contact us today for a free 45-minute strategy session to see where you may be falling short.