Alright, so you’ve found your way here. My best guess is you’re either a savvy sales marketer or a business owner grappling with the challenges of LinkedIn lead generation, especially when traditional LinkedIn outreach tactics fall short.
Hunting for a new strategy? There’s a game-changer you may not have considered: ChatGPT.
By this time, the buzz around ChatGPT has likely left you scratching your head. Looks impressive on the surface? Yes! Keeps you entertained and informed? Indeed! Gives you creepy feels? Possibly! Rest easy; it isn’t planning a robotic apocalypse or snatching away our jobs!
As a matter of fact, this technological gem is vastly underrated, especially when it comes to using ChatGPT for sales and lead generation. Despite its immense power, most salespeople are oblivious to its potential or scared off by initial hiccups.
ChatGPT can seamlessly integrate into your current lead generation practices and, even better, improve and automate them. Whether focusing on inbound or outbound tactics, this tool could be your not-so-secret weapon.
Ready to unlock the full potential of ChatGPT and step up your LinkedIn lead generation game? Stick around as we explore clear-cut, effective ways this technology can bring you more leads that DO convert.
Outline:
Before we dive in, let’s debunk some of the common myths circulating online.
The scariest of them all is that ChatGPT is here to steal your job. I won’t deny that a recent Goldman Sachs study forecasted AI tools impacting a massive 300 million full-time jobs worldwide. But let me reassure you: human judgment still needs to be applied to these technologies to avoid errors.
When it comes to sales and marketing reps in particular, ChatGPT can’t quite step into their shoes. Many companies still need human touch in the sales process to build trust and develop lasting relationships with their customers.
So, instead of the negative self-talk, picture ChatGPT as a tireless colleague who doesn’t need sleep, coffee breaks, or overtime pay (unless you’re eyeing that $20 version!)
Sounds good? Then how about recruiting it as your lead generation specialist, especially for your LinkedIn outreach?
Here are just a few ways you can use ChatGPT for LinkedIn lead generation.
1. Master your prompts
Ever been frustrated when ChatGPT doesn’t quite grasp your simple questions? You’re not alone!
ChatGPT has its challenges, and choosing the right prompts is the biggest of them by far. In simpler terms, prompts are our inputs to help AI understand our human queries. So, if you’re new to ChatGPT or have stumbled in the past, mastering the art of ‘prompt engineering’ is key.
Go straight to the point!
The more precise your prompt, the more accurate and relevant the response will likely be. Instead of a broad query like, ‘Tell me about lead generation on LinkedIn,’ ask your AI assistant a more specific, direct question: ‘What are the best strategies to generate leads on LinkedIn for a B2B SaaS small business?’ and you’ll get a more comprehensive answer.
Let’s put it to the test!
Specify goals and provide context
Context is king!
Think about your conversation with ChatGPT as a heart-to-heart chat with a new buddy eager to help you with your problems. The clearer you can be about your desired outcome, your target audience, and your voice, the better.
For instance, you might say, ‘I’m writing a LinkedIn article about mastering ChatGPT prompt engineering. Could you list some tips and tricks, along with specific prompt examples to give to ChatGPT? My audience consists of sales reps, marketers, and small business owners looking for more leads on LinkedIn. Keep it friendly and inviting.’
Check it out!
Next, revise the provided list of prompts and figure out whether these work for you. Feel free to edit them anytime, but hey, you’ve already got a solid foundation to work with!
Rinse, revise, repeat!
Since we’re on the topic of revising, let’s get real about ChatGPT.
It might not always come up with the best output on the first shot. Go ahead and iterate on your prompts until you obtain the desired results. It’s okay to run the same prompt numerous times! Eventually, you can use the best response or blend a mix to create your final piece.
Likewise, don’t hesitate to call out the parts that make you cringe and ask ChatGPT to rewrite them per your needs. All this in one thread!
Play with prompt formats
The format of your prompt might significantly impact the final answer. Experiment by requesting the needed information in various formats, such as a list, summary, or an ‘Explain like I’m five’ (ELI5)’ explanation style.
An example of a list format ChatGPT query could be: ‘Make a list of the key challenges salespeople face when generating leads on LinkedIn.’
Similarly, you could request a more creative format version:
If you’re feeling less adventurous, you might want to try the ‘priming technique.’ This involves providing the model with a snippet of text that aligns with your desired output. By including relevant information or ideas in the prompt, you can steer the AI to generate responses that match the provided context.
Let’s say you want ChatGPT to create an engaging LinkedIn post about the hurdles of lead generation on LinkedIn. Feed it something like: ‘Salespeople face challenges in building a targeted network, standing out, engaging prospects, overcoming resistance, managing time, prioritizing leads, adapting to platform changes, and maintaining consistency when generating leads on LinkedIn.’ Ask ChatGPT to dwell upon the topic and repackage the existing info into a compelling post.
Last but not least, you can also go with ‘multiple perspective prompts’ that offer different viewpoints on a topic, encouraging ChatGPT to cook up more diverse and well-written responses. For example: ‘Write a LinkedIn post about the pros and cons of using a personal profile page for B2B lead generation on LinkedIn.’
Switch up your roles
Interact with AI as if you were in a real-life scenario! This way, you can orchestrate the process of generating the information you were looking for. You can start your prompt with the following phrases:
- ‘I need you to act like…’
- ‘Pretend you’re…’
- ‘Assume the role of…’
For instance: ‘I need you to act like an experienced B2B sales representative. In your opinion, which social media platform is more effective for B2B leads generation, Facebook or LinkedIn?’
Ask for examples
If you need something from ChatGPT that requires a practical demonstration, ask your AI assistant to provide an example. Say, you’ve requested something like: ‘Can you provide a detailed example of a lead generation campaign on LinkedIn?’
Should something in ChatGPT’s response seem vague or fuzzy, ask for more detailed examples. Let’s pretend you’re a LinkedIn newbie and have little knowledge of how to leverage its Advanced Search feature. Ask ChatGPT to be more specific!
Keep it real!
Sometimes, AI-generated content might sound bland or lack personality. To make sure your unique voice and attitude shine through in the content, consider customizing it to match your tone. State your preferences concerning the tone or writing style in your prompt.
Or you can provide an example of the content piece you’ve written before and ask ChatGPT to stick to your writing style.
2. Enhance your LinkedIn lead search with ChatGPT
Use ChatGPT for LinkedIn Advanced Search and LinkedIn Sales Navigator
When on LinkedIn, most of us resort to its powerful lead search built-ins, namely LinkedIn Advanced Search and LinkedIn Sales Navigator. They both are great in terms of targeted lead search with loads of filtering options.
The only difference is that Sales Navigator is tailor-made for sales professionals, offering more lead recommendations, insights into lead activity, and enhanced messaging capabilities.
So, is there a way ChatGPT can turbocharge these features to streamline your lead-generation efforts? Let’s ask!
Great! Now we know which LinkedIn Advanced Search and Sales Navigator areas can be specifically powered up with ChatGPT so we can get down to practice.
Suppose you’re trying to refine your target audience for a potential search. You can use the following prompt: ‘What are some effective Advanced Search queries to find US-based small business owners specializing in e-commerce on LinkedIn?’
Here you go! Pretty informative as it provides real examples that resonate with your request. Plus, you can always iterate and polish the initial output to see what other options are there in stock.
Or, you might try this one: ‘How should I set up specific filters using Sales Navigator on LinkedIn to find freelancing SaaS professionals based in Germany with over 15 years of experience in the field?’
That’s a wrap! Now you are all set to start playing around with your LinkedIn lead search tools, all from the comfort of your own profile.
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*Pro-tip! Remember, you can adjust your request to fit any of your current needs. And if something goes south, you’re always free to ask again! |
Use ChatGPT for Boolean Search operators
Looking for more ways to enhance your lead search on LinkedIn with ChatGPT? How about leveraging Boolean Search operators?
LinkedIn’s search bar supports Boolean operators like ‘AND,’ ’OR,’ and ‘NOT.’ These operators help you create specific search queries, giving your results a major upgrade. For example, you can search for ‘marketing manager’ AND ‘technology’ to pin down marketing managers specifically in the tech industry.
Here’s how you can formulate your ChatGPT request: ‘Could you compile a Boolean search request for LinkedIn to find pros in sales & marketing working in the automotive industry?’
3. Personalize your Linkedin outreach with ChatGPT
LinkedIn is a highly competitive environment with thousands of B2B sales & marketing pros, business owners, and top performers fighting for richer lead databases. How do you stand out?
It’s all about authenticity and personalization! Even though ChatGPT is being highly accused of giving generic responses when asked to be creative, it’s still a great tool for customizing your LinkedIn outreach.
Since we are trying to be more creative here, let’s consider two scenarios of how you can reach out to your LinkedIn leads in a more tailor-made manner using ChatGPT.
Scenario 1: LinkedIn messaging + ChatGPT
This approach involves solely leveraging LinkedIn’s connection requests, messages, or InMails (in case you’re a Sales Navigator user) and spicing them up with ChatGPT through a series of prompts.
LinkedIn connection requests
Imagine you’ve found the perfect lead and are eager to connect. To increase your chances of having your request accepted, do some detective work on your lead’s pain points and include them in your initial message.
Your prompt to ChatGPT might be: ‘What are the main pain points of marketing agencies in search of more clients?’
Not bad! Now armed with a list of ready-to-use pain points, your prompt for a connection request message to an advertising agency owner could be: ‘Write short LinkedIn connection messages (under 250 characters) to an advertising agency owner, incorporating these pain points.’
Another great piece of advice is using icebreaker questions to add a personal touch to your LinkedIn connection messages based on the lead’s pain points. These will come in handy for connection requests, InMails, or even email sequences if they align with your current needs.
You can ask ChatGPT: ‘Could you create some icebreaker questions for LinkedIn connection requests based on the aforementioned pain points?’
Sweet!
LinkedIn messages
Once they’ve accepted your request, it’s time to express your thanks and get down to building relationships. Bring up one of the problems that’s likely to resonate with them based on your earlier research into their pain points.
You can ask ChatGPT to craft something like: ‘Write a LinkedIn message to an advertising agency owner to thank them for connecting with me. The recipient’s pain point is dealing with the challenges of lead generation in our field. Mention that I recently stumbled on an article exploring the latest tools for the job and that the recipient will benefit from it. If they are interested, ask them to reply, and I’ll send it. I’m also up for discussing any challenges they currently face in advertising.‘
In a few days, reach out again and give ChatGPT new instructions: ‘Write a follow-up message to the previous one, which will be sent a few days after they agree to receive the article. This time, I want to check if they’ve read the article and see if they’d be interested in scheduling a call to improve their lead generation practices with our new tool.’
If they still don’t respond, don’t worry. You can give them a gentle nudge with a reminder message. Keep it breezy and non-pushy. Give ChatGPT a respective prompt: ‘Could you draft a reminder message, checking whether they read the article and are interested in booking a call?’
The ball is in their court now!
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*Pro-tip! To keep your follow-up sequence consistent in style, it’s best to create your messages in the same thread. |
LinkedIn InMails
What about those leads outside your network? If you’re a proud user of Sales Navigator, you can power up your InMails with ChatGPT.
Keep in mind that you are reaching out to a total stranger, so you have to pique their interest and establish a personal connection at the same time. A clever strategy is personalizing your InMail based on your lead’s LinkedIn profile. To do this, go to their profile page, click the “More” button, and select “Save to PDF.” Voila! You have all their profile information neatly stored in one place.
Next, paste all the data into the ChatGPT input bar and add a prompt like: ‘Write a cold InMail based on the information provided below. Focus on their vast sales experience (especially the book ‘Six-Figure Sales Secrets: The Ultimate Guide to Overfilling Your Pipeline, Closing More, and Earning in the Top 1% of Salespeople’ hitting the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble best-seller lists simultaneously), which would be an asset at one of our upcoming conferences dedicated to cutting-edge lead generation tools. Keep the tone respectful yet light-hearted.’
After a few rounds with ChatGPT later, I had the perfect message.
I love it! Let’s proceed with some more hacks!
Imagine you’re planning to reach out to another stranger with an InMail. How can you make a personal connection if not by referring to their interests? Pay close attention to their LinkedIn activity – likes, comments, and reposts. You can use these as ice-breakers. You’ll often find such insights in LinkedIn groups.
After joining the relevant groups and monitoring your leads’ activity, you can initiate your message with phrases like:
- ‘I came across your comment under [Post] and felt compelled to reach out…’
- ‘I’ve noticed you liked [Post] and just had to message you…’
- ‘I saw your question in [LinkedIn group], and I believe I have a solution for you…’
This list can be expanded based on your specific situation and tailored to your ChatGPT message prompt. For instance: ‘Write a cold InMail to a fellow B2B Sales Best Practices and Techniques LinkedIn group member. Mention that I admired their views on lead generation issues under [Post], and I’m keen to expand my network with like-minded professionals. Make it brief and easy to say ‘yes’ to.’
With little adjustments, you can customize your message based on any activity you trace. Try it!
Scenario 2: Cold emails + ChatGPT + LinkedIn outreach
What if your LinkedIn efforts aren’t generating the results you hoped for?
That’s where plan B steps in: personalizing cold emails with ChatGPT and intertwining them with your LinkedIn outreach.
You might wonder, why resort to cold emails? Well, as olden as it seems, 89% of marketers still use email as their primary lead-generation channel! With most people checking their mailboxes at least once a day and 19% checking emails the moment they hit the inbox, use this chance to leave your leads zero excuses to ignore your LinkedIn messages and connection requests!
Say you’ve recently sent a LinkedIn connection request, but your lead outright ignored it. No worries! Strike again with an email, gently nudging them to accept your connection request. If you’re unsure of your lead’s email address, you can use advanced email search tools such as Snov.io’s LI Prospect Finder or any other data-finding platform designed for this purpose.
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LI Prospect Finder is a lead search tool designed explicitly for LinkedIn to help you collect valuable data on leads and fuel your outreach strategy with better intelligence. You can easily download it as a Chrome extension and integrate it into your LinkedIn page to boost your lead search. With LI Prospect Finder, you can collect hundreds of LinkedIn leads with verified business email addresses in minutes! This is how you can combine your LinkedIn outreach with email marketing if your attempts to connect with your leads were nipped in the bud. This swift and easy-to-use feature is great for finding your leads’ emails:
The best thing about LI Prospect Finder is that it provides only verified leads as it runs all the collected emails through Email Verifier, so you don’t need to double-check them on your own! At the same time, this tool can amplify your prospecting from Sales Navigator: collect more leads that fit your ICP and convert them faster by diversifying your contact channels! |
Once you have their email addresses, you can ask ChatGPT to: ‘Craft an email to a lead to whom I previously sent a connection request. Remind them of the pending connection request and highlight the opportunity to grow their network with people who share similar views on lead generation problems. Add a catchy subject line that immediately brings to mind the pending request. Make the whole message short and sweet.’
Okay, but what if you’ve maxed out your weekly LinkedIn connection limit and can’t reference a pending connection request? Flip the script! Ask your lead to send a LinkedIn connection to you by inserting a link to your profile in an email!
ChatGPT is here to help! Ask for something like: ‘Draft a cold email to my lead that should be under 1,000 characters, greet them, compliment their recent post on sales automation, mention you have a few questions about the topic, and invite them to connect via the attached LinkedIn link. Write a catchy subject line that convinces the lead to connect.’
Here’s what we’ve got!
If your lead is inconsistent in their LinkedIn responses, for instance, they only responded to your initial message and then went radio silent, you can send an email mirroring the first message you previously sent on LinkedIn.
For better results, you can customize your email campaigns based on user behavior using triggers that can be adjusted according to your preferences.
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Many email marketing tools offer triggers based on whether the recipient opened your email or not. If you’re looking for even more customization, check out Email Drip Campaigns by Snov.io —not only it provides you with a functional drag-n-drop builder, triggers and ‘smart delays’ to evenly space out your email sequences but also boasts a built-in AI Email Writer — a brand-new integration of Snov.io and ChatGPT! No need to open a separate Chat GPT tab anymore as AI Email Writer will generate fully customized email templates right in your newly-created drip campaign! All you need to do is provide the relevant data, and AI will take care of the rest. Whether you need sales, follow-up, promo, upsell, demo offer, partnership offer emails, or anything else suggested in your prompt, AI Email Writer has got you covered. That’s how you can expertly balance your LinkedIn outreach and email activities.  |
Consider this scenario: you’ve sent a few LinkedIn messages, but your lead got back to you with objections to your pitch. Should you answer back? Sure, this is the perfect time to tap into the power of emails. They give you more freedom in terms of character limits compared to LinkedIn. Plus, with emails, you have more room for creativity and extra attachments to help put your lead at ease.
Let’s say your LinkedIn exchange went something like this:
Should you give up on them? Certainly no! Let ChatGPT craft a thoughtful response! Just copy and paste the conversation and instruct the AI: ‘Given these two messages, provide an answer to my lead’s objections. Make your message sound professional and persuasive, yet friendly. Highlight as many benefits they would get from using the Snov.io lead generation tool as possible.’
This is what your LinkedIn response might look like:
Assuming you have their email address, you can pack your email with additional info to sway their opinion. Start softly to avoid seeming pushy. For instance, you can send a newsletter-style email featuring a selection of recent articles on the benefits of lead generation tools for B2B businesses. Naturally, one of these articles should detail the advantages of the tool you’re advertising.
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*Pro-tip! Since ChatGPT can’t directly search the web to find these articles for you, it can suggest pertinent topics and websites where you can do independent research. |
Give ChatGPT the following instructions: ‘Write an email to a lead who previously turned down my offer. Suggest they explore this collection of articles to broaden their understanding of the power of automated lead generation.
- Best B2B Lead Generation Tools & Software: Boost Your Outbound Lead Generation! [Link]
- Lead Generation Software: Why Use It? [Link]
- Benefits Of Lead Generation Automation [Link]
- Why You Should Be Using Automation For Lead Generation [Link]
- 4 Reasons To Embrace Lead Generation Automation In 2024 [Link]
Mention that you’re open to any discussion based on these articles. Maintain a friendly yet persuasive tone.’
Here’s what we got.
Whenever they open your email (set triggers!), you can get straight to the point and offer a call once again. Give ChatGPT a prompt: ‘Could you write a follow-up email asking the lead if they found the articles informative and whether they’d be interested in discussing the benefits of your tool in more detail over a call.’
Keep juggling between cold email outreach and LinkedIn outreach, as ChatGPT is here to make them as personalized as needed.
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*Pro-tip! Download the 10 Failproof Cold Email Formulas ebook to create better prompts for cold emailing with ChatGPT! |
Wrapping up
Hopefully, by this time, you’ve grasped the basics of how to use ChatGPT for LinkedIn and let go of all the fears related to AI. People are creatures of habit, and the unknown сonfuses them. But what makes us humans indeed is our creativity, so why not use another possibility to improve your sales practices with a new approach?
With these simple tricks and tips, you can harness AI and propel your LinkedIn outreach with ease. You’ve got all the prompts!
