Are you a founder of a new B2B business? Are you struggling with inbound marketing? Are you tired of trying email marketing?

Whatever the reason is, the solution remains the same—LinkedIn cold messages. 

If you are a B2B marketer and have anything to do with sales, LinkedIn must be your priority. This space is a hotspot for B2B prospects, where you can generate leads, nurture them, and eventually convert them into B2B prospects. 

In this article, you will find what cold messages are on LinkedIn, why it is important, and how to craft one perfectly. Scroll down to steal 10 LinkedIn cold messaging templates. 

What is a LinkedIn Cold Message

LinkedIn cold messages are the first DMs sent to strangers on LinkedIn who were not expecting any communication from the sender. 

It's the very first contact between the marketer/salesperson (you) and the prospect. 

In comparison to outbound methods, such as cold calling or cold emailing, LinkedIn cold messaging is a brilliant technique for growing a B2B business. 

But, for a successful campaign, you must have a clear notion about your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile). You must know about your customers'

• Size of the company
• Number of employees
• Decision makers in the company
• Geographical address
• Total revenue
• Growth rate
• Recent updates
• Industry size, etc. 
• Educational background

After acquiring the above knowledge about the prospects, you can start sending cold messages from your LinkedIn profile. 

Don't forget to use an automation tool that can create human-like messages, send them to hundreds of prospects, and schedule messages for different time zones. For a better campaign, try to update your company page with a more professional touch. 

Why You Should Send LinkedIn Cold Messages

Sending cold messages is the ultimate B2B sales trend in 2023. Every business—small or big—is trying its luck on this networking platform. 

If you are still doubtful about this, check out the below reasons why LinkedIn cold messages are so important and why you should try them. 

LinkedIn—Hotspot for B2B Prospects

Did you know the number of businesses registered on LinkedIn?

Take a guess. 

It's 58 million. Can you imagine 58 million businesses on one platform? No, there's nothing like LinkedIn for B2B marketers. 

It's guaranteed that you will find your ideal customers (target companies) on LinkedIn no matter what your product/service is.  

How to find your qualified leads from the 58 million?

By sending cold messages. 

It's the sheer magic of sending bulk messages (using a tool) on LinkedIn that will bring you closer to your target customers. This is one of the top reasons why B2B marketers choose LinkedIn as their go-to platform for outreach campaigns.

LinkedIn—Perfect Space for Nurturing Leads

Now, we all know how hard B2B prospecting is. It takes multiple follow-ups to get a response from the prospect. After getting the response, however, the process doesn't end at all. 

Undoubtedly, the B2B sales cycle is a lengthy/complex one. A marketer must be prepared to spend significant time and energy to convert leads. 

And, how would one convert leads?

By "playing the advisor" to the prospects. 

FYI, more than 74% of B2B prospects expect business-related insights from salespeople and marketers. 

So, the first step would be to create your brand as an industry expert/thought leader. And, then, nurture your target market via social selling with relevant information that will empower them as a buyer. 

This is where LinkedIn swoops in. It's the only platform in recent times that can bring together all of your prospects into one place and provide you with the means to establish yourself as the "thought leader". 

With value-adding posts and discussion over business trends, one can nurture their potential customers into loyal ones.  

To Do Prospecting Before Product Launch

As I have mentioned above, B2B prospects expect advice/insights from marketers on their business/company. 

So, the "pitching the product" doesn't come in the initial stages. In fact, pitching in the early stages of the sales cycle is a big red flag in the B2B industry.

In the beginning, one must try to build a strong network on LinkedIn. How?

• By creating a professional profile with a nice headshot, clear headline, detailed bio, work experience, etc. 
• Sending connection requests to potential customers
• Building an audience with like-minded people by writing content regularly, uploading videos/carousels, etc.
• Engage with potential customers by commenting on their posts, discussing industry-related trends/news, etc. 

You don't have to wait till the product launch to start prospecting. One can begin prospecting on the LinkedIn way before the product launch by following the above steps. 

LinkedIn Outreach is Cost Effective

Outbound sales techniques such as Google ads, print ads, video ads, pay-per-click, etc., are costly strategies for newer businesses and companies. 

It may not be a suitable option for businesses with tight a budget. But, does it mean they should stop outbound sales?

Nope. Start-ups and small organizations always have the option for LinkedIn outreach and cold email marketing.

Both of these sales strategies require a small marketing/sales team and an automation tool to ace the sales game. 

If done correctly, LinkedIn outreach can increase your ROI by 100%. All you need to do is to learn the art of cold messaging on LinkedIn.

Best Platform to Build Brand Awareness

The B2B sales funnel contains seven stages. These stages are:

1. Awareness
2. Interest
3. Consideration
4. Contact
5. Evaluation
6. Purchase
7. Loyalty

As you can see, the very first stage of the B2B sales funnel is awareness. In this stage, the prospects/potential leads come to learn about your brand. The fact that so-and-so brand exists, and this is what you do. 

To attract potential clients to the "awareness" stage, one must work on brand awareness. 

And, what's the most appropriate platform than LinkedIn to create that awareness? 

Brand awareness doesn't happen in one click. It takes a while to do that. 

You can do it by creating content regularly, engaging with new and existing customers, posting feedback on your company page, etc. 

Difference between a Cold Message and a Warm Message

A cold LinkedIn message is the DM (direct message) you send to a stranger (lead) to start a conversation. In most cases, it's the personalized messages you write while sending a connection request. 

It's a cold message if this is the first time your prospect is hearing from you.

A warm message is just the opposite of a cold message. 

LinkedIn warm messages are the personal message you send across or messages you exchange with your existing customers. 

It doesn't have to be "customers" all the time. People write warm messages even to their inbound leads. 

In one line, a warm message is when you write to a known person. 

Things You Need to Do Before Cold Messaging on LinkedIn

Cold messaging on LinkedIn is the easiest. It's nothing different than texting an acquaintance/old friend on Facebook. 

However, there are a few things you need to do before sending cold messages to business professionals. 

Decide How to Send Messages

Bravo! You have decided to go for LinkedIn outreach, but how will you do that? Beginners often underestimate the importance of pre-deciding the medium of sending these messages. 

But, the medium is the foundation of your cold message strategy. Depending on this, you will decide how many people to reach, the body of the message, etc.

There are 2 ways of sending cold messages on LinkedIn.

1. Manually
2. Automatically

Sending cold messages manually involves the following process:

• Using the basic LinkedIn search and making prospect lists
• Write a message template and tweak it with personalized information
• Reach out to each of them via a connection request
• Write follow-up messages
• Use the LinkedIn premium subscription to use the LinkedIn InMail messages feature

Doing LinkedIn outreach manually is not only time-consuming but also ineffective, as you can reach only a handful of people at a time. 

On the contrary, using an AI-based outreach tool can do wonders for your sales process. To automate the cold messaging process, you need to follow the below steps. 

• First and foremost, you need to subscribe to a LinkedIn automation tool such as Waalaxy or Smartlead. Connect your LinkedIn account with the software. 
• Then, create a list of prospects. You can do that by using the search filter on LinkedIn to find your target audience.
• Once you have the list of people, import it to the CRM of the tool you're using. Now, it's time to create a campaign. 
• Create a sequence of messages (you can use a prospecting message template as well) that you want to schedule one after another. Once you are ready with the sequence, click on "launch campaign."

LinkedIn Profile/Page Optimization

It's super important to optimize your personal profile (if you are the marketer/business owner) and update your company and product pages to optimum results. 

To optimize your LinkedIn personal profile, you need to 

• Click a professional profile picture, preferably a headshot.
• Use a background image that refers to your product/service.
• Use your product-related keywords in the headline.
• The headline must be catchy and short.
• Keep only relevant work experience in the "work experience" section.  

How to optimize company or product pages on LinkedIn?

• Use the logo as the profile image
• Use a customized banner for these pages
• The "About Us" section must include keywords related to your product/service
• There must be a good number of LinkedIn posts with moderate to great engagement 
• For a better image, host events

Always, always optimize your personal profile, company page, and product page before sending out cold messages. 

10 LinkedIn Cold Messages for Different Scenarios

A cold message is not just a message. It will influence the first impression your customers will have about you. And, the first impression goes a long way in business interaction. 

In fact, a bad first impression can ruin almost any chance of sales. 

#1 Congratulating 

Hey, {First_Name}

Congratulations on {so-and-so company achievement}! It's really inspiring how you took your business to new levels. 

I would love to know about your journey and your future plans.  

I am {your name} from {company name}. We {mention the pain points you resolve}.

Looking forward to hearing back from you. 

{Your Name}

#2 Appreciating

Hey, {First_Name}

I have been following you for a while. It's really inspiring {mention what you appreciate about them}. 

I would love to know about your journey and your future plans.  

I am {your name} from {company name}. We {mention the pain points you resolve}.

Looking forward to hearing back from you. 

{Your Name}

#3 Content Discussion

Hey, {First_Name}

I am {your name} from {company name}. I really loved your post/thoughts on {mentioning the piece of content that intrigued you}. I admire how {mention why you like it}.  

I have written similar content on the {so-and-so} topic. It would be great to get some feedback from you.  

Looking forward to hearing back from you. 

{Your Name}

#4 Reengaging

Hey, {First_Name}

I liked your comments/thoughts on {mention the piece of content where the prospect engaged }. I admire how {mention why you like it}.  

I have written another post on the {so-and-so} topic. It would be great to get some feedback from you.  

Looking forward to hearing back from you. 

{Your Name}

#5 Using Mutual Connection

Hey, {First_Name}

We have a mutual connection, {name of the person}. 

We worked together with him/her/them in {so-and-so} project/company. How do you know him/her/them?

I noticed we share the same interests. I would love to exchange ideas with you.  

Looking forward to hearing back from you. 

{Your Name}

#6 Proving a Helping Hand

Hey, {First_Name}

I am {your name} from {company name}. I have been following you for a while, and I must say I admire your work. 

I noticed {mention the pain point you can help with}. I can {mention how you plan to help}

Interested to chat more?

Ping me.  

{Your Name}

#7 Sending Content

Hey, {First_Name}

I am {your name} from {company name}. I really loved your post/thoughts on {mention the piece of content that intrigued you}. I admire how {mention why you like it}.  

I came across similar content on the {so-and-so} topic. It would be great to hear your views on it.  

Looking forward to hearing back from you. 

{Your Name}

#8 Enquiring Prospect's Needs

Hey, {First_Name}

I am {your name} from {company name}. We helped {competitor company} with {so-and-so pain point}. 

Are you facing any such issues? If yes, do you plan to address them?   

Looking forward to hearing back from you. 

{Your Name}

#9 Referencing Webinar

Hey, {First_Name}

I am {your name} from {company name}. We met on {name of the webinar}. 

I must say you had some really interesting views on the {so-and-so} topic. 

As individuals from the same industry, I would like to be in touch with you. Let me know how you feel about this. 

Looking forward to hearing back from you. 

{Your Name}

#10 Referencing Podcast

Hey, {First_Name}

I am {your name} from {company name}. We heard you on {name of the podcast). 

I must say you had some really interesting views on the {so-and-so} topic. 

You are clearly an expert. I would like to be in touch with you and learn more about {topic}. Let me know how you feel about this. 

Looking forward to hearing back from you. 

{Your Name}

Final Thoughts!

LinkedIn cold messages are a magical shortcut to increasing your ROI. 

If you can optimize your personal profile, company, and product pages before sending cold outreach messages, you are guaranteed to ace lead generation. 

Don't forget to use an automation tool for LinkedIn outreach. For better results, use the cold message template given above. 

Also, research about the prospect before using LinkedIn private mode to send a more targeted message. 

All the best!

Smartlead, get your email delivered and bring sales 

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