The Mysteries of LinkedIn?

One of the world's great mysteries is the Bermuda Triangle. This area in the western North Atlantic Ocean, roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico, has long been the subject of mystery and speculation. Ships and planes tend to enter and then disappear from it.

On average, it is claimed that four planes and 20 boats disappear unexplainedly each year in this region. However, scientific authorities like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) maintain that the frequency of disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle is not statistically different from other well-traveled areas of the ocean.

However, when it comes to marketing today, perception is reality. Marketing is also the science of creating scarcity, which creates the perception of increased demand and the perceived value of products or services.

When it comes to any social media platform, people, features, and more are like the Bermuda Triangle. One second, they are there, and the next, they are gone.

The Mysteries of LinkedIn

I know that sometimes LinkedIn can feel like the Bermuda Triangle of social media in multiple ways. Often your content enters and then disappears (or does it?). Let me explain.

Even though it's a global platform, it is a smaller subset of the social media ocean. While most other platforms cater to consumers, LinkedIn is all about business.

People will connect with you, and then 'poof' they are gone. Some are just there to pitch their business to you, while others connect and never interact.

The average person has 400 connections, while power users can reach 1000. Of those connections, less than 10% actually see what you post. This is due to LinkedIn’s algorithm, which selectively shows your content to a subset of your network. The algorithm then uses the engagement from this initial group to determine whether to show the post to more of your connections.

So, let's logic this out. If you have 1000 connections, and let's say half are people you have met and worked with, only 2-5% of people who have a real relationship with you (10-25) will see what you post.

Another factor is time. People spend 4-5 minutes weekly and 17 minutes monthly on LinkedIn. Power users who visit spend 7 1/2 minutes seeing seven pieces of content.

So, if you think LinkedIn will help you out if you embrace the Attention Economy, it won't. You will be disappointed at best if you try to treat it like X, Facebook, or YouTube.

That does not mean that everything is lost or a waste of your time and energy.

Relationing!

For an example. I have almost 6000 connections, yet I had only 600 impressions of my posts last week. I post almost every day, and I create a weekly newsletter. That means that 10% of my audience saw my posts, and if half are people I have met, that means 300 people I know have seen or engaged with my content. So, I have to prime that pump as much as possible to improve the odds that my content lands in front of the right sets of eyes and ears.

First, I place a premium on people I have done business with or engaged in person. That means I make sure to send a connection request to each and every one of them. I am not always successful in getting that connection, but the sooner I make that request to an in-person meeting, the better the results.

To build on those relationships, I wish them happy birthdays and acknowledge milestones such as anniversaries and career moves. I make sure not to automate and I always reply back when they comment on those messages to prove it's me and not just an AI bot.

Finally, I make sure that the people I actually know and work with are recorded in my CRM. My CRM (Nimble) acts as a master database. I can use that to prune people who I don't know or have just connected, pitched, and entered the LinkedIn Bermuda Triangle.

Beacons of Hope

If you feel like your content is being swallowed up by LinkedIn's Bermuda Triangle (algorithms), I am here to offer you hope. The two things I have mentioned are to 1) connect with as many relational contacts as possible and 2) initiate engagement with them as much as possible.

Also, make it a habit to remove the dead weight of people who are just trying to sell you and disappear. Make it a habit to remove 10-20 connections daily, especially if you can't remember how and when you've met in person. You can always reconnect if you make any mistakes.

Another tool that I love is sharing your content as a LinkedIn Newsletter. Invite real connections to subscribe. This will email them the content, so it does not require them to log in to engage but encourages them to do so.

My 10-10-10 system will also prompt connections to use LinkedIn and engagement. Messages are also sent via a LinkedIn email. According to LinkedIn research, the average reply rate to LinkedIn messages from connections is 85%.

So, while just posting and commenting on LinkedIn makes your connections search for you, each of the tools and techniques I mentioned acts like a search beacon that helps people engage with you and keep your relationship top-of-mind.

Closing Thought

As I have said in past posts, email is the only tool you can use to control who sees your content. In reality, spam blockers and bad data can hinder that, but the message gets delivered. As a basic free system, social media is controlled by AI to determine who sees your content and when they see it, making it seem and feel like it just swallows it up.

In reality, you can help by ensuring your connections are solid by reminding them you are there. Also, the key is keeping them engaged with quality, 'them-focused' content.

Boats lost at sea have to do their best to connect with searchers and hope they can find you in the middle of an abyss. Using the best search beacon technology helps to ensure a happy ending.

By the way... I hear Bermuda is beautiful this time of year!

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Comment below and share your thoughts, ideas, or questions about business-to-business sales and marketing today! Do you have a sales or marketing communications strategy that works for you? What tips or techniques can you share that work for you and your business?

To learn more about this and other topics on B2b Sales & Marketing, visit our podcast website at The Bacon Podcast.