Best of LinkedIn: Social Selling CW 39/ 40

00:00:00: brought to you by Thomas Allgaier and Frenas.

00:00:02: This edition highlights key LinkedIn posts on social selling in weeks, thirty nine and forty.

00:00:07: France 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 pipeline.

00:00:21: Welcome back to the deep dive.

00:00:24: Our mission today, well.

00:00:25: It's pretty laser focused.

00:00:26: We've been digging through a ton of recent LinkedIn content, specifically from weeks thirty nine and forty looking at what B to B sales pros are saying.

00:00:34: Right.

00:00:34: And the goal isn't just, you know, inspiration.

00:00:36: We're looking for the actual strategies.

00:00:38: How do you move from just posting stuff out there passively?

00:00:41: to actually generating real measurable pipeline.

00:00:43: That's the key question.

00:00:43: Exactly.

00:00:44: And what really jumped out from, well, hundreds of posts, frankly, is this massive shift towards precision.

00:00:49: I mean, the days of just spraying vague content, they seem to be over.

00:00:53: So what's taking its place?

00:00:54: It's all about a really sharp ICP focus, ideal customer profile, knowing exactly who you're talking to, and then getting those conversations into the DMs quickly, and having your profile tuned so perfectly that when someone does land on it, they get it.

00:01:09: Instantly, they see how you solve their problem.

00:01:12: It's really about converting views into potential revenue, not just chasing likes.

00:01:17: Right, leaving those vanity metrics behind.

00:01:19: Okay, let's unpack that.

00:01:20: Let's start maybe where everyone seems to spend way too much energy worrying.

00:01:25: Theme one, which is LinkedIn mechanics and visibility.

00:01:28: The

00:01:28: algorithm, right?

00:01:29: Yeah, the algorithm frustration is definitely real.

00:01:32: We see it everywhere.

00:01:33: But you know, the sources are pretty clear.

00:01:35: Adaptation, strategic consistency, that's what wins now.

00:01:38: not complaining about it.

00:01:39: So where do you start with adapting?

00:01:41: Well, it really starts with the basics.

00:01:43: Stuff people still miss.

00:01:44: Inge's, Zaya's, Dia's, Disaralde, for instance, she really hammered home the point about your LinkedIn profile URL, you know, that web address for your profile.

00:01:53: The one that often looks like a random string of numbers.

00:01:55: Exactly

00:01:56: that one.

00:01:57: If yours still looks like that, you're basically herding your own discoverability.

00:02:01: Her advice is simple.

00:02:02: Replace it.

00:02:03: Use strategic keywords.

00:02:05: Ah, like an SEO for your profile link.

00:02:07: Precisely.

00:02:08: Think, maybe, linked in your name, social selling expert, or something really specific to your niche.

00:02:14: It's a small change, but it boosts your positioning, makes you easier to find in searches.

00:02:19: Simple fix.

00:02:20: That is a great actionable tip.

00:02:22: Okay, so they find you.

00:02:25: than the profile itself needs to work hard.

00:02:27: Robert Heinecke made a pretty bold claim about this.

00:02:29: Yeah, he argued the profile is now, well, potentially much more important than a traditional company website for generating leads.

00:02:36: Especially, he says, post AI, when people are looking for that authentic human connection and trust.

00:02:42: It is bold, replacing the website.

00:02:44: Maybe not replacing entirely, but certainly elevating its importance.

00:02:48: Think about it.

00:02:48: People vet individuals now, right?

00:02:50: Not just logos, but there's always a counterpoint.

00:02:53: Of course.

00:02:54: Graham Riley added a really important layer of caution here.

00:02:57: He said, basically, a super polished profile on its own.

00:03:00: It's not enough.

00:03:01: He called it a billboard in the desert if you're not actually engaging.

00:03:04: So looking good isn't enough.

00:03:06: You have to talk to people.

00:03:08: Exactly.

00:03:09: Relationships get built in the comments section, offering insights, reacting, being part of the conversation, not just having a perfect about section sitting there.

00:03:17: Okay, so being active matters.

00:03:19: Let's get into the nitty-gritty of the algorithm.

00:03:21: then Derek Pollard shared some really fascinating specific data points.

00:03:26: This came from Richard van der Blom's big analysis, right?

00:03:29: Yeah, over a million posts analyzed.

00:03:31: Yeah, and it shows the old rules.

00:03:32: They're pretty much dead.

00:03:34: Okay, like what.

00:03:35: give us an example.

00:03:36: first

00:03:36: up Hashtags.

00:03:38: You know how everyone said use three to five relevant hashtags, standard practice?

00:03:42: Yeah.

00:03:42: Well, the analysis suggests that now risks being flagged as a spam signal.

00:03:47: It could actually lead to nearly thirty percent less reach compared to using zero hashtags.

00:03:52: Wow.

00:03:52: Thirty percent less.

00:03:53: Just for doing what we thought was right.

00:03:55: Crazy, isn't it?

00:03:56: It seems LinkedIn prefers, you know, genuine language with keywords baked in rather than just stuffing tags at the end.

00:04:02: Okay,

00:04:02: that's a major shift.

00:04:04: What about links and posts?

00:04:06: The eternal debate.

00:04:07: Keep them out.

00:04:08: Put them in comments.

00:04:09: Right.

00:04:09: This one's maybe the most counterintuitive finding.

00:04:12: Sharing one single link directly in your post.

00:04:15: That can tank your reach by almost seventy percent.

00:04:19: Seventy.

00:04:19: Seventy percent.

00:04:20: Okay, that fits the old.

00:04:21: don't link out advice.

00:04:23: Ah,

00:04:23: but wait, here's the paradox.

00:04:25: If you include three or more links in the post body, the algorithm actually seems to reward

00:04:31: you.

00:04:31: Hold on, punish one link, reward three.

00:04:34: Why on earth would that be?

00:04:36: That feels backwards.

00:04:37: The thinking seems to be about distinguishing intent.

00:04:40: A single link looks like you're just trying to pull people off.

00:04:43: linked in immediately, a direct CTA.

00:04:45: Okay.

00:04:45: But three or more links.

00:04:47: LinkedIn might interpret that as you acting like a curator, a knowledge hub, sharing multiple resources, providing broader value within the platform's context.

00:04:56: Ah, so it's about providing utility on LinkedIn versus just driving traffic off LinkedIn, interesting.

00:05:01: Exactly, it shifts the strategy.

00:05:03: And we also have to talk about the clock, timing.

00:05:05: The first few minutes after posting.

00:05:07: Yeah, that five minute window is absolutely critical now, according to the sources.

00:05:11: We have to get meaningful comments and engagement happening right at the start.

00:05:14: Otherwise the post just stalls.

00:05:16: it doesn't get pushed out widely.

00:05:18: if you miss that initial burst of activity It's pretty much game over for that post's reach.

00:05:23: So knowing when your audience is actually online and active Not optional anymore.

00:05:29: Okay, so nail the profile Understand the weird new rules for links and hashtags get the timing right.

00:05:36: But all that visibility doesn't mean much unless it leads somewhere

00:05:40: Absolutely, which brings us nicely to theme two outreach, and messaging strategies.

00:05:46: The big shift here seems to be moving away from those generic, cold connection requests.

00:05:52: Yeah, the ones we all ignore.

00:05:53: Towards messages that have context, using what are called pattern interrupts.

00:05:57: The pattern interrupts, explain that.

00:05:59: Okay,

00:05:59: Chris Gasolino shared some great data on this.

00:06:01: He actually tracked his DM opening lines, the standard one, you know, hey name, thanks for connecting.

00:06:07: Yep,

00:06:07: see it all the time.

00:06:08: He changed that to something that disrupts the expected pattern.

00:06:11: Like, I know this is random name, but I'm chatting with job title.

00:06:15: Like, there's about a specific problem they likely face.

00:06:18: Okay, so it's unexpected, relevant.

00:06:20: Yeah.

00:06:20: What happened?

00:06:21: His reply rates doubled, went from about twelve percent to twenty-five percent, just from changing that first line.

00:06:27: Wow.

00:06:28: Double the replies, that's huge leverage from one sentence.

00:06:30: It is, because it avoids that immediate, oh, here comes the pitch reaction.

00:06:35: It sounds more like a peer sharing something relevant.

00:06:38: He also gave other examples that worked.

00:06:40: Like

00:06:40: what?

00:06:41: Things like, you seemed like the best person to reach out to for this, or even something a bit provocative, like, I probably shouldn't be sending this, but...

00:06:49: God, that definitely breaks the pattern.

00:06:51: Makes you curious.

00:06:52: Exactly.

00:06:53: They bypass the usual defensiveness.

00:06:55: They hint at something potentially valuable or exclusive, making the recipient curious enough to actually read the next line.

00:07:02: But, and this is important.

00:07:03: There's

00:07:03: always a but.

00:07:05: Martin Holtz offered a crucial reminder.

00:07:07: These frameworks, they give you structure, they can open the door, but you can't systemize the whole thing.

00:07:13: Real growth needs personalization, genuine human connection.

00:07:16: His point was you have to master the parts you can't systemize.

00:07:20: The framework might get their attention, but it's the authenticity that actually builds the relationship and eventually closes the deal.

00:07:28: Authenticity, that seems like a good bridge to theme three.

00:07:31: High converting content strategy.

00:07:34: Because once you've got their attention, maybe even started a chat.

00:07:38: What kind of content actually works?

00:07:40: What converts?

00:07:40: Yeah,

00:07:41: what do you actually talk about?

00:07:43: Eddie Bonham had some sharp insights here.

00:07:45: He stressed that the best content solves specific audience problems, not vague, fluffy inspiration, and definitely not just feature lists.

00:07:53: Okay, so what doesn't work?

00:07:55: What are the conversion killers, according to Eddie?

00:07:58: He highlighted three main types.

00:08:00: First, that vague, inspirational stuff.

00:08:02: You know, reach for the stars kind of posts.

00:08:05: People don't buy motivation.

00:08:06: They buy solutions to concrete problems.

00:08:08: Makes sense.

00:08:09: What's number two?

00:08:10: The humble brag disguised as advice.

00:08:12: Posts that are really just about flexing how great you or your company is without giving the reader a clear, actionable takeaway.

00:08:19: Just a noise people.

00:08:20: Okay.

00:08:20: Avoid vague inspiration.

00:08:22: Avoid humble brags.

00:08:24: And the third killer.

00:08:25: The feature dump.

00:08:27: Just listing all the bells and whistles of your product or service.

00:08:29: People don't buy features, they buy outcomes.

00:08:31: They buy the time saved, the revenue increase, the risk avoided.

00:08:35: Focus on the benefit, not just the capability.

00:08:37: That ties directly into this whole quantity versus quality debate, doesn't we?

00:08:41: We see that constantly.

00:08:42: Absolutely.

00:08:43: Terry Heath directly challenged what he called, myth one, you need to post every day.

00:08:49: His take.

00:08:50: Two genuinely thoughtful problem-solving posts a week will crush seven rushed generic updates.

00:08:57: The less is more if the less is much better.

00:08:59: Seems so.

00:09:00: And Bianca Colwitz echoed this.

00:09:02: She found that too high quality razor sharp posts weekly are enough to attract clients if your foundational positioning is right.

00:09:09: So quality and relevance trump shear frequency.

00:09:12: And how do we measure if that content is actually working?

00:09:15: We need to rethink metrics too, it sounds like.

00:09:17: Totally.

00:09:18: Linda Alice was really blunt about this.

00:09:19: She basically said likes are irrelevant for conversion, especially in B to B sales.

00:09:23: Irrelevant.

00:09:24: That's strong.

00:09:25: So what is relevant then?

00:09:26: Expertise

00:09:27: and social proof.

00:09:29: That's what drives sales, she argues.

00:09:31: Not just getting a thumbs up.

00:09:33: She detailed the real levers.

00:09:35: Okay, what are they?

00:09:36: Content that shares industry trends, but with your clear opinion attached.

00:09:41: Not just reporting news, also well-founded predictions.

00:09:44: Things that help guide your audience.

00:09:46: And critically, customer testimonials and actual case results.

00:09:50: Proof.

00:09:51: Proof it works, got it.

00:09:52: That makes sense for building trust for a sale.

00:09:54: Sales

00:09:55: pros need that evidence, not just a pretty post.

00:09:57: Okay, now let's talk about video.

00:09:59: There seems to be a bit of a paradox here.

00:10:01: Marcus Sherwin ran an experiment.

00:10:03: Yeah, this was interesting.

00:10:04: His video content reached fifty-six percent fewer people than his other formats, like text or images.

00:10:10: Fifty-six

00:10:10: percent less reach.

00:10:12: That sounds terrible.

00:10:14: Why would any busy BDB person bother with video if the reach is that much lower?

00:10:18: Seems like a waste of time.

00:10:19: That's the immediate reaction, right?

00:10:21: But here's the other side of his data.

00:10:23: Despite that lower reach, the video drove incredible engagement among those who did see it.

00:10:28: Over nineteen hours of listening time in his experiment.

00:10:31: Nineteen hours, that's

00:10:33: different.

00:10:34: And more importantly, it resulted in five direct inbound leads.

00:10:38: Wow.

00:10:39: Five inbounds from content with significantly lower reach.

00:10:43: That's actually highly efficient, isn't it?

00:10:45: Exactly.

00:10:46: It suggests video isn't really a play for maximum reach.

00:10:49: It's a play for maximum trust and connection with the right people.

00:10:52: It lets your voice, your personality, your expertise come through in a way text can't.

00:10:57: So it's about depth, not breath.

00:10:59: Yeah.

00:10:59: Building that trust at scale with the key decision makers who do engage with it, essential for complex B to B sales.

00:11:07: Precisely.

00:11:08: which flows perfectly into our final theme, Theme Four.

00:11:11: Personal branding and advocacy.

00:11:13: This is especially crucial for leaders in B to B, building that authority before you even try to sell.

00:11:18: Right.

00:11:18: Establishing credibility.

00:11:20: And Christian Kross dropped some powerful stats here.

00:11:22: He cited data showing sixty-four percent of buyers consume thought leadership content, and fifty-six percent explicitly use it to evaluate potential vendors.

00:11:30: Okay, so buyers rely on it heavily.

00:11:32: Hugely.

00:11:32: Yet most CROs, VPs of sales, they're basically silent on platforms like LinkedIn.

00:11:36: They're not posting consistently, if at all.

00:11:39: Wow.

00:11:40: So they're sitting on this mountain of experience and credibility and just... not using it where buyers are looking.

00:11:46: Pretty much.

00:11:46: Christian's point was leaders need to leverage that experience.

00:11:50: He even suggested practical ways like taking snippets from successful customer calls or just recording voice notes about insights and using AI tools to help graph posts.

00:12:00: So make it easier to get that knowledge out there.

00:12:02: Yeah, the expertise exists.

00:12:03: It just needs to be surfaced consistently.

00:12:06: Right.

00:12:06: Leaders really can't afford to just be spectators anymore.

00:12:09: Okay, so if leaders need to build their brand online, What does personal brand even mean in this context?

00:12:16: Lame Darmady offered a useful distinction.

00:12:18: He contrasted reputation, which is earned from people who've worked directly with you, it follows you with personal brand.

00:12:24: And the brand is?

00:12:25: The brand is what you strategically build through visibility.

00:12:29: It's designed to convince strangers, people who haven't worked with you yet, that you're credible and worth talking to in advance.

00:12:35: Ah, reputation is earned proof.

00:12:37: Brand is built potential.

00:12:39: Kind of.

00:12:40: And Georgina Paul added that your online brand has to be authentic.

00:12:43: An extension of who you really are offline.

00:12:45: It can't feel manufactured or fake.

00:12:47: Which brings up AI again.

00:12:49: Can you use AI to build an authentic brand?

00:12:53: Steph Curcio had thoughts on this.

00:12:54: Yeah, she talked about using AI to speed things up, handling structure, research, maybe getting a first draft done in under ten minutes, which is amazing for busy people.

00:13:04: But she stressed the absolutely crucial final step.

00:13:08: the quick human touch, refining the voice, making sure it actually sounds like you, AI for efficiency, human for the soul, basically.

00:13:15: AI for speed, human for soul.

00:13:17: Yeah.

00:13:18: I like that.

00:13:19: Okay, let's wrap this theme with employee advocacy.

00:13:21: It's not just about the leaders or internal celebs, is it?

00:13:24: Not at all.

00:13:25: Joni Leon shared data showing that employees with relatively smaller networks, maybe five thousand to ten thousand followers, often see incredibly high engagement rates.

00:13:33: Why is that?

00:13:34: Their networks tend to be tighter, more niche, more relevant perhaps.

00:13:38: And Emily Page-Jones backed this up noting that most actual advocacy activity often comes from employees with fewer than two thousand followers.

00:13:45: So the collective power of many smaller Engaged networks is huge.

00:13:49: Exactly.

00:13:49: It's not just about relying on one or two internal stars.

00:13:53: And Susie Gidsegg had some great advice for leadership on how to foster this.

00:13:57: What was it?

00:13:58: Keep it simple.

00:13:59: Make advocacy safe and fun.

00:14:01: Provide tools, maybe some prompts or ideas.

00:14:05: Recognize people's contributions publicly and crucially.

00:14:08: Lead by example.

00:14:09: If leaders are active, others are more likely to join in.

00:14:12: That really does bring everything together, doesn't it?

00:14:14: From the profile URL right through to company-wide advocacy.

00:14:19: If we had to boil down this whole deep dive, summarize the big shift we're seeing.

00:14:23: What would it be?

00:14:24: I think it's moving away from chasing vanity metrics or trying to hack the algorithm.

00:14:29: Success in social selling now seems to be about strategic consistency.

00:14:33: Showing up regularly with purpose.

00:14:35: Right.

00:14:35: And delivering razor sharp content that actually solves problems for your specific audience.

00:14:40: Plus, that genuine human connection.

00:14:43: Building real relationships.

00:14:44: It's not just about the numbers you see on the screen.

00:14:46: No.

00:14:47: And Dustin Howard made a brilliant point about this.

00:14:50: He said, we often confuse visible engagement likes, comments with actual impact.

00:14:54: The real buyers might be the ones who never like or comment.

00:14:58: Lurkers.

00:14:58: Yeah, the ones quietly taking screenshots, reading your insights, forming an opinion.

00:15:03: They might reach out months later.

00:15:05: It's about building what he called invisible momentum, long term trust.

00:15:10: So your reputation.

00:15:12: built consistently over time is what ultimately pays off, not necessarily the dopamine hit from one viral post.

00:15:19: That's the essence of it.

00:15:20: Focus on the long game, the real connections, the value you provide.

00:15:23: That is a great perspective to end on.

00:15:25: Focus on building trust and solving problems for the right people.

00:15:29: Well, if you enjoyed this deep dive into social selling, new editions drop every two weeks.

00:15:34: Also check out our other editions where we break down insights on topics like account based marketing, field marketing, channel marketing, market tech, go to market strategies, and AI in B to B marketing.

00:15:44: Thank you so much for tuning in and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss the next edition.