Best of LinkedIn: Social Selling CW 03/ 04

00:00:00: Brought to you by Thomas Allgeier and Frennis, this edition highlights key LinkedIn posts on social selling in weeks three and four.

00:00:07: Frennis supports enterprises with enablement and insights, providing data-driven sales intelligence, flexible support, team augmentation, and data quality improvements.

00:00:16: so social engagement turns into measurable

00:00:19: pipeline.

00:00:20: And welcome to the deep dive.

00:00:21: We are focusing on weeks three and four of twenty twenty six.

00:00:25: And if you've been anywhere near LinkedIn lately, you've probably felt it.

00:00:29: Oh, yeah.

00:00:30: The ground is definitely shifting.

00:00:31: It really is.

00:00:32: For the longest time, B to B marketing felt like this.

00:00:34: This game of cat and mouse with the algorithm, right?

00:00:36: We were always looking for the cheat codes.

00:00:38: But looking at the data from the last couple of weeks, it feels like we're finally moving out of that gaming the system phase and into something, I don't know, harder, but maybe more substantial.

00:00:48: It's less about.

00:00:49: an algorithm and more about, you know, earning the right to sell.

00:00:52: Precisely.

00:00:53: And that's really our mission for this deep dive.

00:00:55: We're looking at the top social selling trends that have surfaced, and we've kind of clustered these insights into three critical themes that every strategic marketer needs to know.

00:01:04: Okay, let's unpack this.

00:01:06: What are the three big buckets we're looking at?

00:01:08: First, we have to talk about platform and algorithm dynamics.

00:01:11: Specifically, this new update, everyone's whispering about, three-sixty brew.

00:01:15: Three-sixty brew, okay.

00:01:17: Second is content strategy and engagement.

00:01:20: Basically why everyone is suddenly obsessed with savable content instead of just you know likable content interesting and finally social selling and revenue enablement.

00:01:31: So how do you actually close deals in this new environment?

00:01:35: Without being annoying

00:01:36: without being annoying.

00:01:37: I think that's the key phrase right there, but let's start with the big one theme one.

00:01:41: Let's

00:01:41: do it.

00:01:42: Three sixty brew.

00:01:43: It sounds like a hip coffee shop, but apparently it's changing everything.

00:01:46: It really is.

00:01:47: I mean, to understand Three Sixty Brew, you had to get this fundamental shift.

00:01:51: Richard Bliss put this really well recently.

00:01:53: He said the algorithm has effectively stopped just counting signals.

00:01:58: Counting.

00:01:59: You mean like likes and shares.

00:02:00: Exactly.

00:02:01: Likes, shares, all that.

00:02:02: It started.

00:02:03: Well, it started reading context.

00:02:05: Wait, you're saying it's actually reading the post like it understands the pros.

00:02:08: That's

00:02:09: it.

00:02:09: It's an AI model that understands semantic context, which, as Blizz points out, is a total nightmare for engagement pods or people posting empty comments.

00:02:18: Right.

00:02:18: The great post

00:02:19: comments.

00:02:20: If the AI reads your comment and sees it as zero value, it just... It doesn't count.

00:02:25: It's like the machine finally developed a BS detector.

00:02:28: That's

00:02:28: fascinating.

00:02:29: So the machine knows when we're faking it.

00:02:31: That's

00:02:32: the gist.

00:02:33: Alex Calhoun, he broke down the distribution logic.

00:02:36: He says, three sixty brew works on three levels.

00:02:38: Okay.

00:02:39: First, relevant scoring based on your history.

00:02:41: No surprise there.

00:02:42: But second, and this is the cool part, it acts as a live prompt to predict interaction.

00:02:48: It's asking itself, will this specific person actually care about this?

00:02:52: Wow.

00:02:53: And third, it reads the content for what he calls value alignment.

00:02:57: It's like the algorithm became a discerning editor instead of a calculator.

00:03:02: So if it's reading us, what does that mean for me?

00:03:07: the average user.

00:03:08: What do I do differently?

00:03:09: You have to stop being lazy.

00:03:11: James Keel had a great take on this.

00:03:13: He warns against what he calls weenie comments.

00:03:15: Weenie

00:03:16: comments.

00:03:16: You know the ones.

00:03:17: Great post.

00:03:17: Thanks for sharing.

00:03:18: Agree.

00:03:19: Yes.

00:03:20: Those are dead in the water.

00:03:21: Keel says comments need to be meaningful.

00:03:24: He suggests like Fifteen words or more.

00:03:27: Fifteen words, that's a specific number.

00:03:29: It

00:03:29: is, but the point is you are literally training Three Sixty Brew on your expertise with every comment.

00:03:35: You write smart things, the AI starts to categorize you as a smart, valuable person.

00:03:39: So quality over quantity is finally not just a cliche, it's literally the code.

00:03:44: That fifteen word benchmark is a really useful takeaway.

00:03:46: What about all the other stuff?

00:03:47: Hashtags, timing, everything we used to stress about.

00:03:50: Gone.

00:03:50: Roger Baszler, Jeroko is very clear on this.

00:03:53: Hashtags, no influence on reach anymore.

00:03:55: None.

00:03:56: None.

00:03:57: And there is no perfect time to post.

00:03:59: The algorithm is not looking at the clock.

00:04:01: It's looking for authentic stories and dwell time.

00:04:05: It rewards you for keeping people reading.

00:04:07: I love that.

00:04:07: It feels liberating, honestly.

00:04:10: But there is a dark side, right?

00:04:11: I saw some chatter about automation bands.

00:04:13: Oh, absolutely.

00:04:14: Richie Petter raised a huge red flag here.

00:04:16: He said bands are now based on automation fingerprints.

00:04:19: Finger press yeah,

00:04:20: and behavior not just the content.

00:04:22: the system looks for non-human patterns like weird logins.

00:04:28: What's a weird?

00:04:29: virtual assistant logs in from another country five minutes after you did or you go on an aggressive connecting spree?

00:04:36: Fifty invites in ten minutes.

00:04:38: Humans just don't do that.

00:04:39: it triggers flags instantly.

00:04:41: so the takeaway for theme one is pretty stark be human

00:04:44: be human or get invisible Pretty much.

00:04:46: Which leads us perfectly into theme two, then.

00:04:48: Content strategy.

00:04:50: If we can't hack the algorithm with bots and hashtags, what on earth are we supposed to post?

00:04:54: Well, if you want reach, the metric of the moment, it isn't likes, it saves.

00:05:00: Saves.

00:05:01: That's interesting.

00:05:02: Likes give you that instant dopamine hit, but saves are...

00:05:06: quiet.

00:05:06: They're quiet, but they are so powerful.

00:05:09: Stefan Wetzel highlighted this.

00:05:11: Saving is the strongest interaction signal because it tells the algorithm this has long-term value.

00:05:16: Okay, that makes sense.

00:05:16: Someone is saying, I need to come back to this.

00:05:18: Exactly.

00:05:19: So what kind of content gets saved?

00:05:21: Yeah, I'm not saving a selfie of someone's lunch.

00:05:23: Right.

00:05:24: Wetzel advises creating things like checklists, PDF carousels, evergreen implementation tips.

00:05:30: You want to create resources, not just updates.

00:05:33: Think utility.

00:05:34: Okay, but checklists.

00:05:36: They can sound a little dry.

00:05:39: How do we keep people reading long enough to even hit save?

00:05:42: That's where psychology comes in.

00:05:44: Jesse Chan outlines some brilliant principles that tap into how our brains work.

00:05:48: For instance, the negativity bias.

00:05:50: Oh, I know this one.

00:05:51: We're wired to avoid pain more than we seek gain.

00:05:54: Precisely.

00:05:55: Chan points out that a headline like Five Mistakes Killing Your Growth will always beat five tips to grow.

00:06:00: We are terrified of making mistakes.

00:06:02: He also mentioned the zygarnik effect.

00:06:04: The what effect?

00:06:05: The zygarnik effect.

00:06:07: It's our psychological need for closure.

00:06:09: If you create open loops or cliffhangers in your writing, people feel a compulsion to finish reading.

00:06:14: It just, it spikes dwell time.

00:06:17: And what else?

00:06:17: And then there's a curiosity gap.

00:06:19: You bridge the space between what they know and what they want to know.

00:06:22: So we need to be useful enough to be saved, but psychologically engaging enough to be read.

00:06:29: What about tone?

00:06:31: Do we have to sound like a corporate robot?

00:06:33: Actually, it's the opposite.

00:06:35: The key is to be niche.

00:06:37: Bianca Kulvitz argues, niche authority is the biggest lever you have.

00:06:41: Be the unshakable expert on one thing, not a generalist.

00:06:44: That is so hard for marketers.

00:06:46: We feel like we have to wear twenty hats.

00:06:48: It is hard, but it's necessary.

00:06:50: Colitz also made this great prediction.

00:06:52: She says the comment section is becoming the second feed.

00:06:55: The second feed.

00:06:56: Yeah, the real value often lives in the discussion below the post.

00:06:59: That ties right back to what you said about the AI reading the comments.

00:07:02: Exactly.

00:07:03: And Sasha Sikha adds another layer.

00:07:05: He says the first hour after you post is critical.

00:07:08: The golden hour.

00:07:09: Kind of.

00:07:10: If you aren't there to discuss, your post dies.

00:07:13: Yeah.

00:07:13: He claims fifteen real comments like actual discussion beats, twenty-five likes, any day of the week.

00:07:21: It

00:07:21: sounds like we have to stop treating LinkedIn like a billboard where we just paste an ad and walk away.

00:07:25: Right.

00:07:26: And start treating it more like a conference room where you have to stick around and chat.

00:07:29: That's the perfect analogy.

00:07:31: Polina's tricker notes that the algorithm actively punishes generic Monday motivation or obvious chat GPT stuff.

00:07:39: It wants unique perspectives.

00:07:41: And if you're not in the room to discuss your perspective, why should it care?

00:07:44: Okay, so we're being human, we're engaging, we're writing savable stuff, but let's be real, we're here to do business.

00:07:50: Let's get to theme three.

00:07:51: Let's do it.

00:07:51: Social selling and revenue enablement.

00:07:54: How do we turn all these comments and checklists into, wow.

00:07:57: Money.

00:07:58: By not selling.

00:07:59: The paradox of sales.

00:08:00: At least not immediately.

00:08:02: It is.

00:08:02: Dennis Brown had this hilarious, if a little provocative way of putting it.

00:08:05: He said, LinkedIn is not Tinder.

00:08:08: Stop trying to get to second base on the first date.

00:08:11: That is a vivid image, but he's not wrong.

00:08:13: My DMs are just full of pitch slaps.

00:08:15: We all get them and they don't work.

00:08:17: Sissy Zhao emphasizes this too.

00:08:20: She says, stop cold messaging entirely.

00:08:22: Sales start with presence likes.

00:08:25: comments before the DM.

00:08:26: You have to be a familiar face first.

00:08:28: A familiar non-threatening face, yes.

00:08:30: So how do we structure that outreach?

00:08:32: If I can't just blast out a template, what do I actually do?

00:08:35: I need a system.

00:08:36: Richard VanderBloom shared a ten-point checklist.

00:08:39: that's really solid.

00:08:40: Mm-hmm.

00:08:40: It includes things like a three plus one posting rhythm, three insights for every one credibility post, but the really interesting part was about booking micro-calls.

00:08:52: Micro-calls?

00:08:52: What, like?

00:08:53: Five minutes?

00:08:54: Ten minutes.

00:08:54: Instead of asking for a full hour demo that no one has time for, you ask for ten minutes.

00:08:58: It just lowers the barrier to entry.

00:09:00: so much.

00:09:00: It's smart.

00:09:01: And when you do reach out, Morgan J. Ingram suggests his observation outbound formula.

00:09:06: Okay, walk me through that.

00:09:07: What does that sound like in practice?

00:09:08: It's a five step sequence, observation context, pain point value prop, and then the CTA.

00:09:13: So instead of, hey, buy my software, it's more like,

00:09:17: go on.

00:09:18: I observed you just hired five new reps.

00:09:21: That's the observation.

00:09:22: Usually, scaling a team that fast creates chaos in data quality context.

00:09:27: I feel seen already.

00:09:28: Right.

00:09:29: Then, I imagine you're worried about them wasting time on bad leads.

00:09:33: Pain point.

00:09:34: We helped company X solve this value prop.

00:09:37: Worth a ten minute chat to see how.

00:09:39: That's the CTA.

00:09:40: That is radically different.

00:09:41: It proves you've done your homework before you asked for anything.

00:09:44: It does.

00:09:45: But I mean, that's the job now.

00:09:46: It requires actual research.

00:09:48: This all sounds like it requires some serious alignment between sales and marketing.

00:09:51: You know, marketing provides the air cover, sales does the sniper work.

00:09:54: Absolutely.

00:09:55: David Walsh talks about moving from vanity metrics to buying behavior.

00:09:59: It's not about views.

00:10:00: It's about tracking if employees from your target accounts are viewing those posts.

00:10:04: That

00:10:05: is a huge shift in mindset.

00:10:06: You're looking for account penetration, not just applause.

00:10:10: Exactly.

00:10:11: And Gus Edie suggests using sales navigator in tent filters.

00:10:14: Brand familiarity creates the signal.

00:10:16: Sales then acts on that signal.

00:10:18: They're not creating it from scratch in a cold DM.

00:10:20: One

00:10:21: thing we haven't touched on is scale.

00:10:23: This all sounds very high-touch.

00:10:24: How do you scale this?

00:10:25: You use your team.

00:10:27: Employee advocacy.

00:10:28: Tim Heffley dropped a crazy stat.

00:10:30: What's that?

00:10:31: He notes that employee posts can increase company page reach by five hundred and sixty-one percent.

00:10:36: Five hundred and sixty-one percent?

00:10:38: That's a massive number.

00:10:39: It's a trusted network effect.

00:10:41: But getting employees to post is like pulling teeth.

00:10:44: Tell me about it.

00:10:45: Well, Cara Redman adds the crucial bit of advice.

00:10:48: Don't script them.

00:10:49: So many companies write posts and just say, please copy, paste this.

00:10:53: That fails the three sixty brew authenticity test we talked about.

00:10:56: Right.

00:10:56: You have to give them autonomy.

00:10:58: Incentivize them, sure.

00:11:00: But let them be themselves.

00:11:01: Authenticity beats a corporate template every single time.

00:11:05: OK, so let's try and wrap this all up.

00:11:07: If we're looking at this whole deep dive, it feels like twenty.

00:11:09: twenty six is the year LinkedIn finally grew

00:11:11: up.

00:11:12: I think that's a fair way to put it.

00:11:13: So to summarize weeks three and four, the takeaway seems to be that three hundred sixty brood demands you be human, relevant, and saveable.

00:11:23: Automation is out, observation and interaction are in, you just can't fake it anymore.

00:11:28: No, you can't.

00:11:29: The shortcut is officially dead.

00:11:30: So here's a thought that I've been mulling over as we've been talking.

00:11:34: If the algorithm now reads context and it values comments almost as much as posts.

00:11:41: Are we approaching a time where Not posting, but only commenting is a viable top tier strategy.

00:11:48: That

00:11:48: is a fascinating thought.

00:11:49: You're saying if you can build authority and train the AI just by being the smartest person in the comment section.

00:11:54: Yeah.

00:11:55: Maybe you never need to write your own post again.

00:11:57: You just piggyback on the viral conversations of others.

00:11:59: It's

00:12:00: a total efficiency play, something for all of you to think about.

00:12:03: If you enjoyed this deep dive, new episodes drop every two weeks.

00:12:07: Also check out our other editions on account-based marketing, field marketing, channel marketing, MarTech, go to market.

00:12:12: and AI in B to B marketing.

00:12:14: Thanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe.

00:12:16: See you in two weeks.