Best of LinkedIn: Social Selling CW 17/ 18

00:00:00: Brought to you by Thomas Allgaier and Frennus, this edition highlights key LinkedIn posts on social selling in weeks seventeen and eighteen.

00:00:07: Frenness supports clients with identifying target attendees for events crafting outreach that cuts through the noise And driving qualified registrations Through strategic LinkedIn engagement.

00:00:17: You can find more info In the description

00:00:19: It's.

00:00:19: imagine analyzing over seven million LinkedIn posts Only do discover That The algorithm is basically actively hiding your content because too interesting.

00:00:30: Right, which sounds completely backwards but welcome to the deep dive everyone.

00:00:34: today we're really unpacking The absolute top social selling trends We've seen across linkedin specifically from calendar weeks seventeen and eighteen.

00:00:43: Yeah And the reality of what it actually takes To build pipeline on this platform right now is I mean, it's incredibly counterintuitive.

00:00:51: It really is.

00:00:52: and just to set expectations we're tailoring this specifically for you the B-to-B marketing professional.

00:00:56: so no fliff We're just getting into this smart mechanical breakdown of what is actually working today.

00:01:01: Exactly because let's be real if you don't understand the rules that the environment You're operating in your essentially Just you know shouting into a void.

00:01:10: Yeah A very crowded voice right?

00:01:12: And to understand those rules.

00:01:13: We really have to look at Richard Vanderbloom as massive data analysis He looked at, like we mentioned seven million posts since twenty-twenty.

00:01:22: Which is just an insane amount of data.

00:01:24: It's massive and his main takeaway Is that the algorithm is ruthlessly prioritizing a very narrow niche focus right now.

00:01:35: Okay so define narrow.

00:01:37: Well basically if you stray outside of say three core topics your reach just gets

00:01:41: throttled.

00:01:42: Wow, okay.

00:01:43: so it feels like the algorithm is...it's a strict bouncer at networking event right?

00:01:47: That's good way to put it!

00:01:48: It only lets you in the room if you agree.

00:01:50: talk with exactly three people about that exact same topic all night.

00:01:53: but I mean what if genuinely want to mingle and actual value comes from having lateral perspective?

00:01:59: Well thats thing its brilliant mechanism.

00:02:02: If you're machine trying to categorize data There's a terrible experience if you are, ya know?

00:02:07: A multi-dimensional human being.

00:02:08: Yeah

00:02:09: exactly

00:02:10: and Frank Panzer actually posted it really visceral reaction to this data.

00:02:14: He said this forced categorization literally gives him a stomachache

00:02:19: a stomach ache.

00:02:20: I mean i get it.

00:02:21: yeah because he has these broad interests right like democratic education dementia care Children's education,

00:02:27: all really important topics.

00:02:28: Absolutely

00:02:30: the second.

00:02:30: he tries to use his platform To support those causes.

00:02:34: The algorithm just.

00:02:36: it gets confused about his semantic cluster and It actively penalizes His professional reach.

00:02:42: that is so frustrating because if I'm say a marketing strategist my insights might come from I don't know studying psychology or architecture But if i engage with Those I get punished?

00:02:52: I think That frustration Is pretty universally felt right now.

00:02:55: yeah But, and this is important if we dig into the why behind this algorithm shift it actually starts to make sense from a business perspective.

00:03:02: Okay

00:03:03: how so?

00:03:03: So Nazrin Panjuta and Anika Schiller both pointed out that the platform is fundamentally shifting away from vanity metrics.

00:03:11: So let's focus on just raw likes in broad impressions

00:03:15: Exactly!

00:03:15: The algorithm is now obsessively tracking time spent on posts.

00:03:20: It's measuring dwell-time like Are people actually stopping their scroll?

00:03:24: Or are they clicking see more.

00:03:26: Right, so quality and like the depth of the relationship signal is beating broad quantity.

00:03:31: That's it.

00:03:32: It essentially measuring friction

00:03:33: Friction I liked that.

00:03:35: So if someone stops the scroll And reads a deeply technical post on a highly specific topic The algorithm says okay this isn't viral fluff This has high value for this specific subset Of users

00:03:47: Which sounds great in theory.

00:03:48: But you know People were clever.

00:03:50: Oh yeah They always find a loophole.

00:03:51: Exactly, if dwell time is the new currency people are going to game that metric.

00:03:55: Thomas Thaler actually issued a very sharp warning about this.

00:03:58: he's seeing creators fabricate controversial facts or like exaggerated stories simply to write a hook

00:04:04: just of force users to stop scrolling.

00:04:07: yeah they're gaming The Dwell Time Metric with friction heavy fiction.

00:04:11: Wow!

00:04:11: Friction Heavy Fiction.

00:04:13: That'a great phrase.

00:04:14: and Harold Schirmer took the critique even further.

00:04:18: He noted that the algorithm isn't just trying to improve quality.

00:04:21: It's actively squeezing organic reach so hard, The creators and companies are basically forced to pay for sponsored reach.

00:04:29: So it's an intentional push to turn the feed into an advertising catalog.

00:04:34: Basically which means relying purely on Algorithmic Reach is a really dangerous game For a B-to-B strategy.

00:04:40: very dangerous.

00:04:40: But okay here's the catch.

00:04:42: even if you do manage to appease the bouncer Let's say you get past the algorithm That doesn't actually closed deals.

00:04:48: When someone finally sees your post and decides to click on

00:05:14: They're risk-averse.

00:05:16: Before they give you fifteen minutes of their calendar, they want to verify that your legitimate.

00:05:20: They wanna know if actually understand the world and aren't gonna waste time

00:05:23: Exactly.

00:05:24: And yet If look at most profiles The banner is that default gray & blue constellation graphic

00:05:29: Of a worse Right!

00:05:31: And about section starts with like.

00:05:32: Passionate about innovation driven by results

00:05:35: Which let's be honest Is just white noise.

00:05:39: It means absolutely nothing.

00:05:40: It creates friction where there should be clarity And Martin Holtz explicitly advised B to be professionals, just permanently ban the word passionate from their profile openers.

00:05:51: I fully support that ban.

00:05:53: Your profile format needs a functional tool that matches your operational goals Like... A marketing coordinator's profile shouldn't read like visionary founders Right

00:06:03: and a founder should not have a profile which looks.

00:06:05: they are actively hunting for mid-level management job

00:06:08: Precisely And Rake Adler provided a highly actionable formula to fix the headline itself.

00:06:15: Yeah, clear value plus personality Plus target audience and then optional social proof.

00:06:20: Okay I understand the formula but let me play devil's advocate for second here before if i'm A sales rep?

00:06:25: I don't want To sound like a generic marketer But I also Don't Want to Sound Like a Desperate Quota Crusher.

00:06:31: So what's the actual filter I should run my copy through before I hit publish?

00:06:35: That's a great question.

00:06:36: And the sharpest filter for this actually comes from David JP Fisher.

00:06:40: Okay, What does he say?

00:06:41: He suggests sitting down and answering three highly specific questions Before you touch a single word on your profile.

00:06:48: I'm listening.

00:06:49: first What is your top professional goal right now like?

00:06:53: Is it booking meetings or is it getting recruited?

00:06:56: second who was The exact group of people you need to influence to achieve that goal.

00:07:00: Okay, and the third?

00:07:01: Third.

00:07:01: And this is the most critical one what reputation do you want them to associate with you?

00:07:06: Oh wow that third question Is everything because if The reputation You Want is say Trusted Industry Advisor Your featured section Shouldn't be cluttered With six different links To your company's product demos.

00:07:18: Exactly!

00:07:19: The profile is your digital storefront.

00:07:23: It needs to Do a heavy lifting of establishing trust Long before you ever send A direct message.

00:07:28: Ok so let's assume you've done the work.

00:07:30: The digital storefront is optimized, the headline is sharp.

00:07:33: The banner points to a clear single

00:07:35: action."

00:07:36: You ready for business?

00:07:37: Right!

00:07:37: But you can't just sit behind-the-counter and wait for algorithmic foot traffic to wander in —you have go out into the Digital Neighborhood.

00:07:44: Yes...You absolutely HAVE

00:07:45: TO!".

00:07:46: And Tiffany Spalnelli brought up a reality that I think terrifies a lot of content creators—she said posting alone makes you invisible.

00:07:53: It's so true….

00:07:54: I think it is the single biggest misconception in modern B to D marketing.

00:07:59: People think they can just broadcast their way of

00:08:01: pipeline because organic reaches capped like even if you write an absolute masterpiece, The algorithm only shows a fraction of your own network right?

00:08:09: so Tiffany pointed out that You need to be actively commenting on your prospects posts.

00:08:14: She actually advocates for a rhythm Of ten thoughtful comments today five days A week For ninety Days.

00:08:20: That's a serious commitment

00:08:21: It Is.

00:08:22: But she argues that this alone will completely change a pipeline.

00:08:26: I believe it, because commenting allows you to basically borrow reach while simultaneously building familiarity through these micro-touch

00:08:37: points.

00:08:37: Like red touchpoints exactly.

00:08:38: Brenda Meller uses really brilliant analogy for this.

00:08:41: She calls LinkedIn karma A checking account.

00:08:44: Oh!

00:08:44: i like.

00:08:44: where is going?

00:08:45: Yeah

00:08:46: You have to make deposits, which means genuinely supporting others on their content long before you can ever make a withdrawal and ask for their business.

00:08:54: That makes total sense!

00:08:55: And Michael Kerson is the perfect case study for this right?

00:08:57: Oh absolutely He attributes two hundred ninety nine booked meetings in over two million dollars in pipeline strictly his commenting strategy.

00:09:05: like he uses it as social first go-to market pillar.

00:09:09: For anyone unfamiliar with that jargon A Go To Market Pillar Just means this isn't some cute side project for the marketing team.

00:09:16: Right,

00:09:17: it's the primary strategic engine that entire business uses to acquire customers.

00:09:22: zero cold calls Zero pulled emails just Strategic commenting.

00:09:28: but and I have to push back here a little because we all see those terrible generic comments every day Oh yeah

00:09:34: great post.

00:09:35: agree one hundred percent exactly.

00:09:37: That is not networking That is just loitering in the digital lobby.

00:09:41: It's worse than loiter, it actually damages your brand.

00:09:44: buyers just skim right past or they actively block you.

00:09:47: This where Jacqueline Sargent and Graham Riley frameworks become incredibly valuable especially for teams because if leadership tells reps to go comment more They end up copy-pasting that generic garbage.

00:09:59: Yeah...they

00:09:59: need a system.

00:10:01: Jacqueline and Graham outline a specific architecture for what makes a comet actually convert.

00:10:06: I would assume it has to prove you actually read the post, for starters?

00:10:09: That's the baseline.

00:10:10: yeah The architecture starts with empathy validating this specific struggle that the author just posted about.

00:10:16: Then... You offer a mini-example or tactical tip from your own experience.

00:10:20: Okay And then then...?

00:10:22: Finally end up with an appointed question which shows you deeply understand the nuance of their specific industry.

00:10:29: So the psychological goal is to create a what?

00:10:33: Oh wait, who was this moment in the prospect's mind.

00:10:37: Exactly!

00:10:37: You want your comment be so additive of public conversation that they just naturally click you headshot

00:10:43: And boom They are on your optimized landing page.

00:10:45: The funnel connects.

00:10:47: It's beautiful thing when it works.

00:10:49: So you're dropping these architectural masterclass comments.

00:10:51: Your borrowing reach.

00:10:52: people aren't noticing But eventually have move the conversation out at the Public Square and slide into direct messages.

00:10:59: This where deals go die because people just rush it.

00:11:02: Oh,

00:11:02: they rushed so badly!

00:11:03: Louisa Balaniak was very firm about this.

00:11:06: Pitch slapping is dead

00:11:07: Good and by pitch slapping...just to be clear We mean that terrible practice of sending a connection request And the millisecond its accepted

00:11:17: Dropping.

00:11:18: five paragraph automated pitch for software demo.

00:11:21: Yes It's digital equivalent Of handing stranger flyer on street And immediately asking them to marry you.

00:11:29: It's so aggressive, and Louisa notes that it takes four to six months of organic interaction... ...to actually earn a meeting.

00:11:35: Four-to-six months?

00:11:36: That requires so much patience!

00:11:38: It does.

00:11:39: but Linda Alice brought in this concept of deal attraction To help you know operationalize that patients.

00:11:44: She absolutely refuses to reach out cold, she waits until she sees five inner yes signals from a prospect.

00:11:51: Wow!

00:11:52: That requires an incredibly disciplined workflow.

00:11:54: it really does.

00:11:55: reps have to actually track these micro-signals like maybe a prospect viewed their profile twice in a week or left a thoughtful reply on a comment or attended a company webinar.

00:12:04: so the goal is to wait for the signals so that when you do send the message, the outreach feels entirely logical to the buyer.

00:12:11: Exactly rather than an intrusive interruption.

00:12:14: And when you finally reach out... The framing is everything!

00:12:18: Connor Paulson shared some data that honestly should be plastered on a wall of every sales floor.

00:12:24: When your direct messages focus strictly onto buyers' problems You see at twenty-to-thirty percent reply rate.

00:12:30: That's solid.

00:12:31: But when your messages focus on your solution like product features or asking for a demo, that reply rate tanks to five-to eight percent.

00:12:40: Wow because buyers are entirely consumed by their own internal chaos right?

00:12:45: They do not care about your software!

00:12:47: Not at all.

00:12:48: they care about their missed quota or their broken supply chain.

00:12:51: if you're messaged as I'm talking to a lot of logistics leaders who are struggling with Q three shipping delays can i share a framework?

00:12:58: we've been seeing work... That gets a reply.

00:13:01: But if it says we sell logistics software, got fifteen minutes.

00:13:05: It just gets deleted

00:13:06: immediately to lead.

00:13:07: and Stacy Wong also pointed out that reps are stressing over cold lists when a massive amount of pipeline is already hidden in plain sight.

00:13:14: really they just aren't looking at the people who recently viewed their profile.

00:13:18: or you know new connections.

00:13:19: They never actually followed up with

00:13:21: low hanging fruit.

00:13:23: but I have a strategic question for your regarding timing.

00:13:26: sure everyone's inboxes Just a battlefield from Monday to Friday.

00:13:31: Matt Williams suggests a pattern interrupt.

00:13:34: He says, look for the green active circle next to a prospect's name on Saturday or Sunday morning and message them

00:13:40: then.".

00:13:41: Oh that is bold!

00:13:42: Right I honestly can't decide if it is brilliantly cutting through noise…or just highly intrusive and obnoxious?

00:13:50: It is massive Tyroplock Strategically, yes a VP of engineering might actually have the mental space to read your message while having coffee on a Sunday morning.

00:14:00: Right!

00:14:01: But that timing only works if the room is already warm.

00:14:04: If you pitch slap them on a sunday You aren't just getting ignored...you are getting blocked.

00:14:08: Good point And JD Garcia provided an incredible data-point On what warming the room looks like.

00:14:14: What

00:14:14: did he find?

00:14:15: He found that when sales reps actively post on LinkedIn about the specific pain points of their prospects, it acts as air cover.

00:14:23: It warms the room so effectively that those reps book forty-three percent more meetings compared to reps who stay silent.

00:14:29: Forty three percent?

00:14:31: That is an absurd advantage!

00:14:32: —It really is—it basically means the marketing team should be running targeted awareness campaigns... ...to the exact same list five hundred accounts….

00:14:40: …that the sales team is actively trying to

00:14:42: penetrate.".

00:14:43: The alignment between what marketing publishes and who sales targets just have to be airtight.

00:14:49: Completely.

00:14:50: And Zaid Sayali adds one final rule for the inbox, which I think is crucial.

00:14:55: Your call-to action absolutely must match your ticket size.

00:14:58: Oh explain that.

00:14:59: Well if you're selling a fifty thousand dollar enterprise contract You cannot jump into a DM an ask for a fifteen minute quick chat To close.

00:15:06: it has to mirror the complexity of the sale.

00:15:11: You have to lead with immense value and slowly earn the right to ask for their time.

00:15:15: okay so, To maintain this entire machine we're talking appeasing algorithm bouncer optimizing storefront commenting daily executing a four-to six month relationship cycle.

00:15:27: that's lot

00:15:28: it is.

00:15:28: you need relentless amount content which brings us into elephant in room.

00:15:33: AI yes

00:15:35: AI.

00:15:35: With generative tools everywhere, how do B-to-B marketers maintain this volume without sounding like a swarm of automated bots?

00:15:43: Sasha Alexander Kugler voiced a very real fatigue about this.

00:15:46: he says the feed is completely overrun with AI evangelists and Automated Zapier chains.

00:15:52: And for anyone not deep in the tech stack a zapier chain In his context means Like stringing together automation tools so that an AI automatically spots a trending post writes a generic reply and publishes it without a human ever even reading the words.

00:16:06: It's industrialized spam, And The market is actively rejecting

00:16:09: it completely.

00:16:11: Benjamin Majira noted he is so exhausted by that He intentionally marks generic AI flavored posts as irrelevant just to train his own algorithm to stop showing him That kind of content

00:16:20: because people can spot that overly enthusiastic emoji laden chat GPT wall Of text from A mile away.

00:16:27: They really can.

00:16:28: So if using AI as an easy button to just blast out content is dead, how do the top performers actually use it?

00:16:36: Well Timothy Hughes provided a highly practical blueprint for this.

00:16:40: he argues you have to stop treating AI as a ghost writer and start treating him ecosystem of reference.

00:16:49: Okay, Ecosystem Of Reference?

00:16:51: How does one mechanically build that?

00:16:53: because we aren't just typing.

00:16:54: write a post about B to D marketing into the prompt box anymore... Not even

00:16:57: close!

00:16:58: Building The Ecosyst means using features like custom instructions or uploading brand guidelines before you ever ask it to generate a single sentence.

00:17:06: Ah so your giving it context

00:17:07: A tonne of context.

00:17:08: Yeah You feed the AI specific ideal customer profiles Upload PDFs for your past original writing.

00:17:15: So it analyzes your sentence structure and tone.

00:17:17: You're essentially teaching your professional identity.

00:17:19: and then you write a rough draft yourself And you feed it to the AI as a sparring partner.

00:17:26: You ask it analyze this draft against my target audience of CFOs.

00:17:31: Where is my argument weak?

00:17:34: I love that so it sharpens your original thought.

00:17:36: It doesn't invent

00:17:37: it exactly,

00:17:38: it's like using AI as the bumpers in a bowling alley.

00:17:42: Yeah.

00:17:42: It keeps your ideas out of the gutter and points them at the pins, but you still have to be one physically throw-the-ball with your own force in spin.

00:17:50: That is a perfect analogy.

00:17:51: And Yonathan Levy pointed something very similar regarding Claude.

00:17:55: What did he say?

00:17:55: He said that chat interface actually it's least powerful feature for professionals.

00:18:00: B-to-B marketers should be using Claude's projects feature to upload their internal strategy documents, linking the AI directly to their actual workflows rather than just treating it like a glorified search engine.

00:18:11: Because the goal isn't just produce more words—the goal is to produce content that actually moves the needle!

00:18:17: Yes and Der McKee tracks this meticulously.

00:18:20: he argues we need completely abandoned impressions as metric.

00:18:23: Oh

00:18:24: controversial but I agree!

00:18:26: Right Impressions are a vanity metric given out by the algorithm bouncer.

00:18:31: True revenue is driven by three specific actions, saves sends and link clicks.

00:18:37: because if someone saves your post they're going to reference it later exactly.

00:18:41: And If They Send It In A Direct Message To Their CEO You've Just Penetrated The Buying Committee.

00:18:46: Without Making A Single Cold

00:18:47: Call you've bypassed the gatekeepers content

00:18:57: that doesn't expire in a week.

00:18:58: Right, BtoB creators waste so much time writing posts that recap an industry event they went to yesterday.

00:19:05: Honestly nobody cares about yesterday's events No!

00:19:07: They care about their own problems.

00:19:08: tomorrow

00:19:09: Exactly You have to share deep learnings.

00:19:11: you have take a stand with clear defensible opinion.

00:19:15: A well-researched text that breaks down fundamental problem on the supply chain will still be relevant and still generating saves & sends twelve months from

00:19:23: now.

00:19:23: You really have to transition from telling people superficial updates, too deeply teaching them something valuable.

00:19:29: Which requires vulnerability and actual hard-earned expertise.

00:19:34: you just cannot fake that with a clever prompt!

00:19:38: And if we pull all of these insights together the algorithmic shifts The landing pages...the micro touch points..the warm outreach it brings up an incredibly important question for you to consider as you build your own strategy.

00:19:50: If the algorithm is increasingly prioritizing high quality, long session engagement and buyers are actively aggressively ignoring AI generated spam.

00:20:01: Right then The ultimate competitive advantage in BB marketing moving forward won't be who has the biggest tech stack or the most complex automated sequences.

00:20:10: It's

00:20:10: gonna be something much harder to scale

00:20:11: it Is?

00:20:19: If you enjoyed this episode, new episodes drop every two weeks.

00:20:22: Also check out our other editions on account-based marketing field marketing channel marketing MarTech go to market and AI in BDB marketing.

00:20:31: Thank you so much for joining us.

00:20:32: make sure to hit subscribe And we'll see you on the next deep dive.