3 Ways to Waste Time on LinkedIn, but Feel Good About It

Ever feel like beating down all those bad tips for LinkedIn that we've had enough of? You know, the tips and tricks that give us a week's worth of satisfaction—followed by that sinking feeling. "Ugh ... why did I invest any time in that?!" Well, today is your day to call out those time-wasters and discover what to do instead. No. 1: Share Quality Content Focused on Providing Value"I have seen little (okay, I'm exaggerating) to no success using LinkedIn," John Reeb of the Colorado Leadership Institute told me. "I have tried to add value to anyone who reads what I post ... so that they gain some kind of expertise or learning that helps them in their day-to-day work... yet I've receive virtually no feedback nor any sales from it," Mr. Reeb told me in a candid LinkedIn exchange. LinkedIn gurus claim being seen as an expert in your field is the killer strategy. But it's not. It's the reward for having an effective approach. We've been told "share and they will come." But merely sharing valuable content on LinkedIn won't help you find clients. Instead, start bold, truthful discussions in LinkedIn Groups. Post updates on issues that competitors wouldn't dare go near. Give potential buyers a reason to listen to you, to care about your words-to pay attention to you. Tell the truths your competitors don't want told. Tell the truths you're a little scared to tell! Ask yourself what shocking truth can you reveal that: Gives insight on an idea customers never heard before. Busts a myth your clients have been told is true—that isn't! Confirms their suspicion that some sellers are telling "white lies." Successful social selling often means helping prospects believe in a new, more useful point-of-view-in a way they can act on. That's where your lead generation offer plugs in. In fact, what to post on LinkedIn updates isn't nearly as important as how you post. No. 2: Comment Frequently on Group Discussions and Prospects' UpdatesYou can't throw a cat without hitting an expert espousing this time-wasting tip. Let the truth finally be told. Participation on LinkedIn is the cost of entry. Learning how to apply social media copywriting is the force multiplier. Success depends less on how frequently you update your profile status, how often you participate in Group discussions or what you say. You'll get more responses (and leads) by investing time in structuring words to be provocative. Instead of wasting time patting people on the back, disagree once in a while. Invent ways to make potential buyers curious about your ability to solve a problem, remedy a pain or fast-track a goal. Don't get caught up in the popular nonsense: show you're human, give-give-give before you get and (my personal favorite) tell a good story. As with any relationship in life, having personality and being interesting is the entry fee. It's essential. Makes sure you know how to write social media posts so they provoke a response. The key to turning LinkedIn interactions into business leads is following a social media copywriting process. At the highest level, this process involves: Getting to the point immediately. Having something honestly new (and useful) to say. Not saying too much too fast. Being a little mysterious. No. 3: Connect With ProspectsPerhaps the most dangerous tip is connecting with prospects you don't know. Again, self-appointed gurus are the problem, not the good people (you) using LinkedIn. Have you ever been banned by LinkedIn for requesting connections with prospects you don't know? Know anyone who has? Being temporarily banned by LinkedIn for this practice is very common. Yet we never read anything about it or hear anyone talking about this problem at conferences. Fact: If your connection requests are not accepted often enough, LinkedIn will remove your ability to make requests. LinkedIn prohibits contacting distant prospects. LinkedIn is not a good place to contact people whom you don't have (at least) a second degree connection with, and whom you don't have specific knowledge about. If you have a new prospect—who you've never spoken to-it's probably not a good idea to request a connection on LinkedIn (outside of an InMail message). That is, until you have better proximity to the prospect ... better ability to approach once they know you or have a high probability of accepting the connection request. From a practical view, here's why: Because this is not what LinkedIn is intended for. It's not what the founders built LinkedIn to do for sellers. In fact, LinkedIn wasn't originally built with "social selling" in mind. Just like Facebook wasn't built for marketing. That said, LinkedIn and social selling are evolving into a great match. In fact it's the bedrock of their growth plan as a business. But be careful. Connecting with prospects is where a lot of sellers go wrong and pay the price! Questions about any of my tips? Disagree with my perspective? Let me know. Good luck to you!

Lead Generation

3 Ways to Waste Time on LinkedIn, but Feel Good About It

Jeff Molander

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Jeff Molander