LinkedIn Sponsored InMail Best Practices

1. Marketing Solutions
The Sponsored InMail Experience
Reach the members who matter most to your brand
Hardware
Software
Equipped with targeting capabilities not found in standard display Triggers a notification on the LinkedIn homepage and in members’ LinkedIn inboxes Locks your target audience for 60 days, excluding them from receiving other marketers’ Sponsored InMails during that period

2. Marketing Solutions
The Sponsored InMail Message
Personalized communication and rich media allow your brand to stand out
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Software
Message is not confined to traditional advertising units or cluttered email inboxes
Equipped with social sharing capabilities, empowering your target audience to spread the message further
Integrated widgets highlight your LinkedIn presence, providing easy access to your brand’s thought leadership and member community

3. Marketing Solutions
LinkedIn Sponsored InMails Best Practices
The inbox – drives open rates
Mailbox Icon Hover View
Inbox View
•Subject line
•Between 3-8 words is ideal
•Create a sense of urgency or excitement
•Help members understand why they should open – what is the value prop?
•Description line
•Avoid capitalization and exclamations
•Align messaging with the content on the landing page
Subject line
Description line

4. Marketing Solutions
LinkedIn Sponsored InMails Best Practices
1. Make recipients clearly understand why they received the InMail and what the value to them is

5. Marketing Solutions
LinkedIn Sponsored InMails Best Practices
2. Target a Niche Audience
•Job title
•Keyword
•Company
•Education Go beyond standard display targeting buckets

6. Marketing Solutions
LinkedIn Sponsored InMails Best Practices
3. Go Beyond the Banner
•Utilize body copy to articulate and specify message that can’t be said in a standard display unit

7. Marketing Solutions
LinkedIn Sponsored InMails Best Practices
4. Drive Clear Actions
•Join Group
•Download Now
•Learn More
•Follow Us

8. Marketing Solutions
LinkedIn Sponsored InMails Best Practices
5. Personalize the Message
•InMail comes from brand
•Landing page message can come from actual person
•Also helpful to have person’s LinkedIn profile linked for authenticity

9. Marketing Solutions
LinkedIn Sponsored InMails Best Practices
6. Content is Currency
•Provide Members with value
•Make them more knowledgeable
•Members respond positively to a payoff

10. Marketing Solutions
Key Sponsored InMail Tactics
Ideas for jump-starting your campaign with LinkedIn
Hardware
Software
Warm Introductions
•Lead with display campaigns to your target audience and then follow up with focused messages to members. Increased familiarity with your brand will draw in members and encourage engagement with your call-to-action.
•Tourism Australia paired display media and Sponsored InMail, targeting key decision makers, managers, and group members within the Tourism and Travel industry. Their campaign achieved a 29.21% open rate and 21.52% CTR.
Community Building
•Use Sponsored InMail to invite members to your LinkedIn community for a smart investment.
•The initial cost of the campaign is amortized over each subsequent touch point with a high-quality audience that has opted-into a direct relationship with you. These exclusive invitations help you shape a community of influencers and provide a red- carpet introduction for your brand’s VIPs.
Targeted Offers
•Sponsored InMail is a great solution for disseminating targeted offers to your desired audience.
•The California Society of Certified Public Accountants used Sponsored InMail to deliver free Society memberships to students in LinkedIn groups relating to finance and accounting. “The ability to carefully choose who receives our messages helps us raise awareness… with the right people,” Communications and Marketing Director Matthew Koontz confirmed.
•The open rate for the Sponsored InMail was 40%, with a CTR of 15%.
Custom Segment Outreach
•LinkedIn’s rich data allows us to create custom targeting segments based on members’ behavior on our network. Marketers can use this information creatively to deliver personalized, timely communications to members.
•One of Australia’s largest retirement asset funds used LinkedIn’s “company changers” segment to educate members that retirement assets could be rolled over when changing employers.