“Cold calling is dead, thanks to LinkedIn” – Ken Krogue, Founder of Insidesales.com
It is safe to say that LinkedIn sure is an amazing sales tool. Even though the traditional form of sales is nearly done and dusted, unfortunately, the sales people have carried on with their former habits on LinkedIn as well.
The worst part of this is – it doesn’t stop with the InMails where you don’t know what the message is about until you open it. They have found more creative ways to spam users like us.
Yes, we are all used to the advertisements that precede videos or the pop-ups we see when we’re surfing the web. But wouldn’t you agree that this is different from a message that shows up in your inbox, clearly wasting your time?
Is it getting difficult for you to identify which activity is “spam” and which one is genuinely meant for promotion?
It’s time to put on our thinking caps to understand this social media equivalent of junk mail and sales calls.
Identify spammers on LinkedIn: If you do this, you are a spammer too!
Whether your ultimate goal is to find a new job, new leads or network with interesting professionals in your industry – let me tell you what you should or should not do on LinkedIn to ensure you that you do not become a spammer without even realising it.
Here’s what you can try starting today to make a difference and help LinkedIn stay as amazing and helpful as ever:
1. Always send a personalised message along with a connection request:
It’s OK to send a blank request to someone you already know. But with a new person, your chances of getting a positive response and standing out from the heaps of message-less invites, will increase with a simple, personalised note telling them how this connection will help both parties.
2. Don’t send a connection request to all the people who viewed your profile: While it is always flattering to know that someone has viewed your profile, they probably have various reasons for checking you out. It could be an accidental click for all we know! This means it may not always be the case that they would like to connect with you.
3. Sending a salesy message about your product or service is a big NO:
If all you wish to do is effortlessly forward the same message pitching your business, service and product to your old and new connections with an aim to get instant sales – LinkedIn is definitely not for you! The right and courteous way to do it is to build a foundation first – and before you ask me this – no, a mindless, quick, “Hey, how are you?” does not qualify.
4. Always keep it professional, take your personal stories elsewhere: I’m not saying you should not share anything personal – it’s completely alright to post a status about your career journey, any insights or suggestions you seek about your business or more. This is what people are using LinkedIn for – to help and get help on the professional front. But sending messages to random or even familiar connections ranting about your relationship or marriage? A big no.
5. Requesting recommendations from strangers:
This one is a no-brainer. If you ask strangers and random users (who know absolutely nothing about you) to endorse you for a skill, it is only natural for them to instantly question your credibility about everything you showcase on your profile. Is this what you want? The very purpose of endorsements and recommendations is to get a personalised review about your professional ways. So, what will make a will make a huge difference is getting it from someone you know very well, you have worked with directly or indirectly or someone who has a personal story to share about why they can vouch for your excellence.
6. Exploiting LinkedIn’s group discussions is a surefire way to earn a bad reputation: Most of us who do not follow this, rarely realise the ripple effect that is caused. Groups are created with a bigger purpose to facilitate dialogue, interaction and value-adding, mutually beneficial exchange of ideas, suggestions or queries. By jumping on to groups simply to post links and promote yourself, you are only fulfilling personal interests. You don’t belong in the LinkedIn community. For starters, ask yourself these questions before you post on groups – is this the right group for you to target? What are the group rules? Is it worth your time and effort?
Why spamming is not good for you at all
The word spam can mean different things to each person.
To me, spam is any kind of message that has no relevance or value.
The best etiquette for LinkedIn is simple: Do not send your connections unwanted sales messages or irrelevant links that will not benefit them in any way.
As a marketer, you don’t just care about what LinkedIn thinks of you but also what your fellow users think of you as well.
If you don’t follow this rule and continue to be impolite and exploit the platform, you will likely never get a response from any user that you seek to connect with. Worse yet, you may be flagged as a spammer and it is going to be harder for you to build connections, grow your business and earn more revenue.
LinkedIn is a networking site for people and companies who want to grow their brand. But wouldn’t you agree that being perceived as a spammer in the community would conflict with that goal?
When you are on LinkedIn, you have to ask yourself three questions.
- First, will LinkedIn disapprove of a certain action?
- Second, will people in my industry disapprove of this post or message?
- Third, does this benefit both parties in some way or is it simply for personal gain?
Other ways we can work together
Here are 5 ways we can help you accelerate your Lead Generation results:
- Grab our free 4-Week LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Course
It’s the road map to positioning your profile in the top 5% of the 650 million LinkedIn users currently active – Click Here
- Join our FREE LinkedIn Group and connect with entrepreneurs who are scaling too
It’s our Facebook community where smart entrepreneurs learn to get more leads and smart ways to scale using LinkedIn — Click Here
- Register for our FREE LinkedIn update webinar
Every 12-Weeks you can join us for a free update on all the latest news, ninja tips and outline of new features released by LinkedIn – Click Here
- Join our LinkedIn Influencer Program so you can “Show out” instead of just showing up
Click Here for more details
- Work with our team privately
If you’d like to work directly with us to create new marketing opportunities send us a quick message Click here … tell us a little about your business and we’ll organise a time for a deeper chat