In mail strategy guide
- 1. The Recruiter’s Guide to Writing Effective LinkedIn InMails
- 2. Personalization: the key to effective InMails Why having an InMail strategy matters Common InMail pitfalls When to send your InMail Finishing touches for subject lines Honing your approach with analytics 04 07 09 03 10 11 LinkedIn InMails offer you a way to speak one- on-one with the very best (and hard-to-reach) candidates in your market – in a way that’s likely to get their attention and command a response. But do you know how to craft an InMail that will succeed in getting an answer, and will drive interest in your job opportunity? In this guide, we’ll share some tips about how to effectively reach out to candidates using InMails, one of LinkedIn’s most powerful and popular tools. The Recruiter’s Guide to Writing Effective LinkedIn InMails 2
- 3. “LinkedIn offers an unparalleled pool of professional data, and an easy, yet effective way to contact relevant prospects. My team receives higher than average response rate on InMails because we send reviewing all the professional information a prospect has shared on LinkedIn and then connections to our business.” Suzanne Myers Director,Talent Acquisition Real Page Why having an InMail strategy matters so think carefully about your approach before you reach out. Remember: InMail messages are a direct reflection of your company. All of the touchpoints that a candidate has with your company come together to create a strong, compelling employer brand. Your initial communication also sets the stage for what comes next. hiring process. Finally, don’t forget that you also have a personal brand as a recruiter. When you take care to represent yourself well, it will pay off, since candidates will see you as a trustworthy partner in their career journey. The Recruiter’s Guide to Writing Effective LinkedIn InMails 3
- 4. Personalization: the key to effective InMails Put yourself in the shoes of a passive candidate, getting a message from a recruiter out of the blue. What’s the best way to establish trust with someone who may not be actively looking for new opportunities? They key is to carefully craft your InMail messages to establish a real connection with the people you’re reaching out to. When you personalize your message – for example, mentioning things you your chances of getting a response. LinkedIn Recruiter makes it easy for you to quickly get the info you need to send a tailored, personalized one-to-one InMail by showing you everything you have in common with the person The Recruiter’s Guide to Writing Effective LinkedIn InMails 4
- 5. 01 Connections in common LinkedIn Recruiter will point out people that you and the candidate are both connected to, and also connected to your company, so you can mention your common acquaintances in your InMail. You can Recruiter to target your 2nd-degree connections – that way, you’ll be sure to have people in common. 02 Groups in common people who are members of the same groups you’ve joined. It’s a good idea to take a look at some of the recent popular discussions in these groups, and bring them up as a conversation starter in your InMail. You’re 21% more likely to get a response from a candidate when you send an InMail to someone who shares a group with you. 03 Companies in common LinkedIn Recruiter will also highlight when you’ve worked at the same company as someone you’re targeting – which is a great way to establish common ground. Referencing a former employer in common increases your chances of getting an InMail response by 27%. 6 ways LinkedIn Recruiter helps you personalize The Recruiter’s Guide to Writing Effective LinkedIn InMails 5
- 6. Education in common When you’re composing your InMail message, Recruiter will also point out when you share an alma mater with the person you’re contacting. Mentioning a school in common is another perfect conversation starter to help your message stand out. 05 Company followers 06 Interests in common On average, each LinkedIn member follows about six companies on LinkedIn – so followers are likely to already have a pretty strong interest in your company. People who follow your company on LinkedIn are 81% more likely to respond to your InMail than those who don’t. Use the “Company Finally, don’t forget to take a look experience, or other background that could create a connection. 6 ways LinkedIn Recruiter helps you personalize (Continued) 04 The Recruiter’s Guide to Writing Effective LinkedIn InMails 6
- 7. Common InMail pitfalls At LinkedIn, we’ve gathered a lot of data and heard plenty of feedback over the years about what works when crafting InMail messages – which means we’ve also learned a lot about what doesn’t work. If you’d like to create the best candidate experience (and get a higher response rate), remember that your first InMail to a candidate is really about establishing rapport and starting a conversation. Here are some don’ts to keep in mind when crafting your next InMail: Don’t ask for a resume in your first message. Focusing on your needs, instead of those of the candidate, is a quick way to turn off prospective talent. Acknowledge their accomplishments, learn more about their interests and career goals, and determine if they are Don’t ask the candidate for the names of other people they know who may be interested in the job in your first message. This is a common mistake that recruiters make and The Recruiter’s Guide to Writing Effective LinkedIn InMails 7
- 8. Common InMail pitfalls (Continued) Don’t pitch a position that’s at a lower level than the candidate’s current position. Our data indicates that nearly 70% of members who started a new role in the past 12 months were either promoted or took a lateral move. Don’t offer a temporary contract opportunity when the candidate is already employed full-time. When contacting prospective talent, understanding their career trajectory is key in establishing productive initial contact. If candidates have been in permanent roles and growing in their career, they probably won’t be receptive to the idea of switching to a three- month temporary position. Starting a conversation with this approach instantly diminishes your credibility and negatively impacts not only your employer brand, but also your personal brand as a recruiter. Don’t reach out to people whose background and experience aren’t aligned with the role. their experience. The Recruiter’s Guide to Writing Effective LinkedIn InMails 8
- 9. When to send your InMail On average, LinkedIn Recruiter users send nearly a million InMail messages to LinkedIn members each week. That makes it all the more important that your message stands out from the crowd. Timing matters. First, don’t send that InMail over the weekend! InMail messages sent on Saturdays are 16% less likely to get a response compared to those sent earlier in the work week. There’s also a better time of day – between 9 AM and 10 AM local time for the recipient, on a Thursday. You’re about 12% more likely to get a response at that time of day than on a Friday afternoon, when everyone’s thinking about the weekend. The Recruiter’s Guide to Writing Effective LinkedIn InMails 9
- 10. Finishing touches for subject lines When you’re getting ready to send an InMail, take special care with your subject line. Aim to grab someone’s attention, while still keeping your tone professional. Ask yourself: Is the subject line short and engaging? If not, edit it until it’s snappy and easy to read. Keep in mind that as more and more messages are read on mobile devices, the subject line has to work even harder to get someone to open and read your InMail. A few ideas for attention-grabbing subject lines: Say something positive about the candidate’s background. Mention something you have in common with a candidate or something you noticed on their or industry they work in. For example, if you’re recruiting a candidate who works for a video game company, you could try a subject line that reads, “What’s your favorite video game?” The Recruiter’s Guide to Writing Effective LinkedIn InMails 10
- 11. Honing your approach with analytics Now that you’ve got the basics of how and when to reach out with InMails, it’s time to take a look at your InMail Analytics so you can be sure you’re getting the results you want. report, let’s look at terminology. There are two buttons that show up at the bottom of each InMail message: Reply to message and Not interested. The calculations to the right also include free InMail messages sent to your connections and to OpenLink members. It doesn’t include any messages you sent to candidates’ email addresses. Accepted InMails = number of InMail messages that candidates replied to by clicking Reply to message Declined InMails = number of InMail messages that candidates replied to by clicking Not Interested, regardless of the reason Pending (No Response) InMails = number of InMail messages that candidates did not respond to at all Total InMails = accepted InMails + declined InMails + pending InMails Acceptance rate = (accepted InMails) / (total InMails) Response rate = (accepted InMails + declined InMails) / (total InMails) The Recruiter’s Guide to Writing Effective LinkedIn InMails 11
- 12. 01 Sign in to Recruiter. Move your cursor over Reports and click InMail Analytics. At the top of your screen, review activity, commonalities, and template usage. 02 03Honing your approach with analytics LinkedIn Recruiter: Reports Recruiter Usage Pipeline Analytics Job Analytics InMail Analytics More HOW ARE POTENTIAL LEADS RESPONDING TO YOU? COMPANIES WHERE THEY WORK HOW PERSONAL IS IT? have something in common used templates Intro - LC Tip Sheet Copy Conversation Shared Kevin Gardner Harry Bruce Eric Snider 48 messages 2 messages 53 InMails, 38 had something in common 53 InMails, 43 with templates 72% 92% SENDER AND RECIPIENT HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN IN THEIR CURRENT POSITION? INMAIL RESPONSE ANALYTICS Last Updated May 2, 2014 Print All Recruiter Activity Apr 2, 2014 to May 2, 2014 INMAIL 8% response rate 377 ACCEPTED DECLINED NO RESPONSE 63 16 162 LinkedIn Share a group 45% 64% 9% 17% Have a shared connection Worked a same company Live in same location 10% 2% 1% 1% 1% Oceanic Engina Corporation Francia Consulting Other 0 < 1 year 1-3 years 3-5 years 6-10 years > 10 years Years in the same position 25 50 75 100 What more can you get out of LinkedIn Recruiter? Hope you are well. As part of our ongoing review of your LinkedIn Solution, I noticed that you were not logging much over the past few months, so I was keen to understand if there’s something that I can help with to ensure you get the most out of it. We do have a LinkedIn Learning Center accessible via the link below which not only offers tutorials on The Recruiter’s Guide to Writing Effective LinkedIn InMails 12
- 13. At the bottom of the screen, the Analytics Details table summarizes the individual recruiter InMail data for each person on your dashboard. Click Download Data to download the 04 Honing your approach with analytics LinkedIn Recruiter: (Continued) You can use this information to identify your most and least responsive talent pools, which can help you shape and adapt your InMail strategy over time. As a manager, you can also determine how your team of recruiters is performing. Download the Review InMail Analytics tip sheet for more information. ANALYTICS DETAILS SEAT HOLDER Jill Bay 195 19 50 126 10% 90% Steve Jenkins 53 8 9 49 18% 82% SENT ACCEPTED DECLINED NO RESPONSE RESPONSE RATE TEMPLATE USE Download Data The Recruiter’s Guide to Writing Effective LinkedIn InMails 13
- 14. About LinkedIn Talent Solutions Founded in 2003, LinkedIn connects the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. With over 300 million members worldwide, including executives from every Fortune 500 company, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. LinkedIn Talent Solutions offers a full range of recruiting solutions to help organizations of all possible experience. The Recruiter’s Guide to Writing Effective LinkedIn InMails 14