With more than 260 million monthly active users, according to Hootsuite, LinkedIn is one of the most effective B2B engagement tools available to entrepreneurs. By following these strategies, distributors can tap into the social platform to connect with decision makers and business leaders and ultimately strike deals.

Do Your Homework

LinkedIn makes it easy to warm up your “cold call.” Before sending a message to a potential customer, check out their profile to learn about their background and see any possible mutual connections you could namedrop. “Have a legit reason to reach out,” says Lisa Peskin, CEO of Business Development University. “Say that you were impressed by their background so you wanted to reach out and connect. Mention how you’ve worked with a lot of other people in their field to help grow their client base and make them a lot more money. Immediately illustrate the value that you bring to the table.”

Get Down to Business

It’s common to get many solicitations from strangers on LinkedIn that act like old pals. They’ll butter you up with platitudes like “hope all is well” and then ask how your calendar is looking this week to pencil in a phone call. People see through that, says Scott Edinger, founder of Edinger Consulting Group. “You don’t want to act too familiar too fast,” Edinger says. “Don’t send three paragraphs asking me to go to your website to start a conversation. Be succinct.” Edinger recommends sending a LinkedIn message of three sentences: who you are, what you want and a quick highlight of your past results.

Keep It Brief

If you want to try a different route, sales coach Dave Mattson suggests forming your LinkedIn message like an outline. The CEO and president of Sandler Training prefers using a headline followed by limited text. “Sometimes we get lost in what we’re trying to say because it’s two paragraphs long and you lose the attention of your audience,” Mattson says. “Write in visual catchers. Tell me in a bold statement what the topic is and then give me the backdrop.”

Research Mutual Connections

Contrary to popular belief, a lot of people connected on LinkedIn don’t necessarily know each other. Perhaps they simply wanted to grow their contacts or maybe they reached out to someone hoping for another connection. Noah Lapine, president of Stamford, CT-based Lapine Inc. (asi/249352), advises against namedropping unless you’ve determined the nature of the connection. “We’re very cautious in protecting the relationships we have,” Lapine says. “Instead of asking someone to just warm us up, it becomes a much more positive request for an introduction if you have something to offer and illustrate the value you bring. We always go to someone we’ve done business with before, so they can vouch for our credibility. If done the right way, it’s people’s nature to want to help you out.”

Send a Video

There’s no better way to stand out from the clutter than sending a video rather than another written message. “A lot of people are doing that in prospecting now,” Mattson says. “Keep it short, just 30 seconds, and explain what you can do for them.” It’s a great way to express your creativity, show your face and pique the interest of your targeted customer.