SNORT Report #1: Direct Messaging
1. Slide on into those DMs. 2. ??? 3. Profit.
Nearly two years ago (oof!), I came up with this amazing idea (full of myself much?) to write short breakdowns of specific sales, marketing, and business development tactics in order to help business owners implement said tactic. I called them SNORT Reports, because I think the acronym is funny, and I’m just that kind of weird.
But then, I kinda stopped writing. But now, I’m baa-ack! So enjoy this first of many SNORTs to come. Or don’t — there’s probably an unsubscribe button down below if you’re thus inclined.
Happy Halloween, Sanheim, and Diwali!!! Let’s talk about direct messaging as a lead generation and sales prospecting tactic!!! And also, let’s overuse those exclamation points!!!
🐋 SNORT Report: Direct Messaging on Social Platforms 🐋
Exploring the art of personalized outreach through DMs.
📈 S — Signals
Key statistics, trends, and metrics surrounding DM outreach.
Rising Popularity: According to research by business intelligence firm Statista, over 60% of customers prefer brands that engage with them via social media DMs, as it feels more personal and immediate. While difficult to scale, personalized contacts have always been the preferred way to generate sales, regardless of the communication medium.
Platform Preferences: A study by Sprout Social reveals that Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook are the most popular platforms for direct messaging, with LinkedIn being particularly effective for B2B outreach. On LinkedIn, I’d highly recommend paying for one of the premium account options, such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator, so that you can DM people you’re not already connected with.
Response Rates: Research by Attentive, a leading SMS and social marketing platform, shows that personalized DMs have a response rate of up to 30%, especially if the message is relevant and value-driven. “Value” here is subjective, and will vary based on your target market. As one example, back when I was in the business of offering continuing education credits to CPAs and attorneys, the most valuable introductory offer I could make was a free webinar that offered a free hour of CPE/CLE. What is your equivalent valuable offer to your target market?
Growth: Statista reports that DM-based marketing has grown by 24% year-over-year, driven by the shift towards conversational marketing. People don’t want to be “sold” anymore (did we ever???), and in a world where we are simply flooded with constant marketing messages across every imaginable channel, you’ve got to be different in order to stand out. Never forget that people do business with people, not companies or brands.
🙅 N — Naysayers
Potential challenges, risks, and limitations of DM outreach.
Spam Perception: Without careful targeting, DMs can easily come across as spammy, which can damage brand reputation, according to insights from Burtch Works, a research-driven consulting firm. We probably didn’t need Burtch Works to tell us this, but it is nice to see real research that backs up what we all intuitively feel.
Platform Restrictions: Most social media platforms will place some sort of limited on the number of DMs you can send per day. This limit can exist with or without a paid, premium account on the platform. The reach of your messages may also be limited, as mentioned earlier for LinkedIn. So be prepared to either pay for a premium account, or do the work necessary to increase your number of organic connections. Pro tip: You can hire social media agencies or virtual assistants to do organic connecting for your account.
Privacy Concerns: Some users see unsolicited DMs as an invasion of privacy. Let’s just cut to the chase on this one: It’s particularly an issue for women, as they sometimes get inundated with creepy DMs from men. One woman I know in my local area, who has a few thousand followers on social media, recently told me that a man she doesn’t know DM’d her with a proposal to move her to another city and be her sugar daddy. Guys, don’t do that. Just…don’t. SMH.
Low Success Without Personalization: Attentive’s benchmark report indicates that generic or poorly written messages are often ignored, resulting in wasted effort and missed opportunities. You have to provide value, and you need to write decently well. If writing well is a challenge for you, then that’s a perfect use case for AI. ChatGPT Plus is the best $20 a month that you’ll ever spend if writing is a challenge for you. You can cringe all you want at the thought of using AI, but it’s a tool to be used, just like a log dog, gimlet, spokeshave, or nut splitter. (And yes, ChatGPT generated that list of obscure tool names for me.)
🚀 O — Opportunities
Unique applications, growth hacks, and effective use cases for DM outreach.
Hyper-Personalization: According to Attentive, tailoring each message based on the recipient's profile, interests, or recent posts can lead to higher engagement rates. Understand that personalization requires a slower process. Back in my competitive shooting days, we had a saying: Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. It’s a skill. Build that personalizatioin skill, and it gets faster over time.
Soft Intros: That Sprout Social report suggests that starting with a question or a compliment related to the recipient’s posts (like “I noticed you’re interested in [topic]. Have you tried [suggestion]?”) can improve response rates. You get the [topic] from reading other things that person has posted.
Follow-Up Sequences: Don’t be afraid to follow-up after a few days if you get no response. Some people, myself included, hem and haw about how long is reasonable to wait between contacts. Data from Attentive indicates that two to three days is a reasonable time in between messages, but obviously don’t overdo it.
Event Promotion: This tip is near and dear to my heart, since I built two companies on the back of doing in-person and virtual events. Sprout Social highlights that DMs are effective for inviting targeted prospects to webinars, virtual events, or networking opportunities. I obviously have “survivorship bias” on this front, but humans crave connections with other humans, even if they are hardcore introverts. In-person and virtual events both satisfy this craving. On top of that, the person that takes the time out of their life to spend 30 minutes, an hour, three days — whatever length of time your event is — with you is clearly an ideal prospect.
🧰 R — Resources
Tools, guides, and resources to improve DM outreach.
Scripts & Templates:
Example: "Hi [Name], I saw your post on [Topic] and wanted to connect! I think [Website/Book/Webinar/Software Tool/Strategy/Tactic/Etc.] could be valuable to you based on [Reason]. Have you already explored this? If so, what did you get out of it? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.” (Source)
Recommended Reads:
"The Art of Social Selling" by Shannon Belew
"Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook" by Gary Vaynerchuk
“$100M Offers: How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No” by Alex Hormozi
“Influence: The Psychology of Selling” by Robert Cialdini
💻 T — Technology / Tools
Software and apps to enhance DM marketing.
Social CRM: Tools like HubSpot and Zoho CRM allow you to integrate social interactions and manage leads.
DM Management Tools: Hootsuite and Sprout Social streamline responses across platforms and enhance DM efficiency.
Automation Tools: LinkedIn Sales Navigator for targeted outreach and ManyChat for Instagram DMs allow for automated follow-up sequences.
Analytics Tools: Instagram Insights and LinkedIn Analytics provide measurement tools for engagement and response rates.
Providers: DM automation tools like Salesloft (for conversational marketing) or Linked Helper (for LinkedIn automation) as options to streamline outreach while staying compliant with platform rules. Do a Giggle search for other automation tools, but be extremely careful about which tools you choose to use. Some are outright spamming tools, and violate terms of service. There’s nothing wrong with getting assistance from automation, but you’ve got to use it judiciously.
🐬 Did You Know?
Orca Fact: Orcas communicate with each other through a complex system of clicks, whistles, and pulsed calls. Just like a well-crafted DM, each sound is carefully tailored to its recipient, making communication meaningful and impactful!
Closing Notes
Direct Messaging can be a powerful, intimate way to connect with potential clients, but only if it’s done thoughtfully. Avoid coming across as spammy by personalizing each outreach and respecting privacy boundaries.
Ready to test the waters? Slide on into those DMs like an Argentine orca intentionally beaching itself to capture seals. 🐋 (come on Internet, why no orca emoji???)
This report took approximately three hours to research and write. If you found it valuable, please leave a comment to let me know, and share it with anybody else you know that may find it helpful in their business. Thanks for helping spread the SNORTs and orca facts.