Inmails are now completely ineffective and connection requests are next.

LinkedIn loves selling people like you and me SalesNAV licenses, one of the big reasons is that they are meant to give you 'access' to people through their 'valuable' Inmails.

Well, I'm saying, Inmails are now largely ineffective, especially when you compare them to 2years ago. 2 years ago we would often see response rates of btween 50 - 80%. Send 10 inmails get 8 responses, even if 4 of those were the templated response of "Thanks but I'm not interested right now". Of course, this auto-response meant you also got your Inmail credit back.

As a quick test, how many of you now reply with "Thanks but I'm not interested right now"? My guess is hardly any. I certainly don't. So why is there a change? This is the obvious question.

2 main reasons:

1 - LinkedIn/ Microsoft have sold 'sponsored' Inmails to corporations. So we now get very bad, obviously mass reach outs which are just essentially just SPAM, there is no other word for it. LinkedIn sold our data to companies/ people who want to engage with someone with your particular title or in your particular location and LinkedIn sold us out. (LinkedIn make sure you will only receive 6 sponsored Inmails per calendar year, so there is a cap. LinkedIn suggest a 10% response rate for sponsored Inmails for their customers).

2- Individuals spamming open-profile users (like my profile) sending automated, mass, badly worded and poorly targeted out reaches. Just like LinkedIn's paid versions but free. Most of these use an automation tool to search 'open-profiles' and fire away a templated, non-personal inmail.

I'm not against automation in reach outs completely, I'm not against Mar-tech, in fact i love it (mostly) I just dislike when it's used badly.

Most people have not been able to use LinkedIn or most other social channels effectively to be able to start good business conversations with potential buyers or people of interest in a scalable way. So what happens is they choose the spray and pray approach. How about we just send bucket loads of BAD messages to LOTS of people and some might even answer? Bad idea. (Much like the connect and pitch brigade). The other alternative for corporations, so they don't feel bad abut it, they just pay #LinkedIn to do it for them via sponsored Inmail campaigns. So what do you think happens when all you get is shitty messages via Inmail? You stop looking, you stop answering, worse still you suspect every single one is some form of SPAM. Even if some are not.

Do you remember when you used to get an Inmail, it was usually from a recruiter or someone wanting to talk to you about a new role a new job opportunity. When you got an Inmail notification your interest was piqued. Compare that to how you feel now when you get a notification from someone you don't know? If you're like most people it's the same as the incoming phone call from that unlisted number. It's a massive internal sigh. Ugh, here we go again.

What can we do? Well despite this Inmail, still does have a place to play in or out reach strategy, although it's much smaller piece than it was and therefore much less valuable. (Are you listening #LinkedIn).

First of all. Make sure your message is on target and relevant to the person you're sending it to. Do some research and actually outline WHY you think it's important to them and why now. You'd be surprised how many messages I get simply saying. If you're interested we help business find more leads etc, etc. If the approach was more human, more authentic I'd answer, even if it was, hey thanks but no.

Find a way through which is going make you stand out from the crowd, find a common connection, get a referral, leverage a referral, send a testimonial from someone in a business just like them. Lodge a phone call, send an email, find them on twitter, send a connection request that is authentic, interact on social and the easiest but most over looked strategy, simply view their profile.

There are lots of things you can do to get around the failure of Inmails, none of them will enable you to send 100 reach-outs exactly the same at the same time. And that is precisely why these strategies have a higher propensity to work.

One, last point. Connection requests are starting to be used as a mass marketing tool faux-EDM/ SPAM style reach out. I predict in a very short period of time you will need to provide an email address or similar for nearly every connection of value. And don't forget, if you are thinking of using the connection request as a EDM strategy, you only have 5000 lifetime connection requests and when they're gone, they're gone.

Disclaimer: I'm a SalesNAV license holder and have paid for my own license for years. Despite bringing thousands of people on to the platform and 'selling' hundreds of SalesNAV licenses I have only ever received a book, a note pad, a pen and a drink flask from LinkedIn. I find SalesNAV somewhat valuable and will continue to use it and recommend it. Inmails however, have lost their value.

Found this to be useful? Please share amongst your connections, like or comment. It's how the social media thingo works. If we are all only passive viewers, eventually the content will stop. I know I'd hate that.

?As well as being a sales execution coach and trainer to Australia's corporate sector. Mark is the #1 ranked Linkedin Social Seller in Australia. Contact Mark via Inmail message or [email protected] for a discussion around sales growth, coaching, social media, golf, cycling, AFL and sales effectiveness.