This week, I had the opportunity to speak at two events dealing with similar concerns about the use of LinkedIn and social selling. Despite one event catering to large technology businesses and the other to solopreneurs, the problems brought up were oddly similar. Both companies, despite their diverse dynamics, had struggled with leveraging social selling via LinkedIn and were wondering why it simply wasn't working out for them.

From attempting to post engaging content, to outbound messaging, and even attending one of LinkedIn's training sessions, the companies couldn't quite grasp how to effectively use the platform for sales. But having worked extensively on these exact issues, it was a situation I relished. It allowed me to share some crucial insights about why such problems occurs, not just to them, but to many others trying to use LinkedIn for sales.

LinkedIn, a colossal platform with a billion members, is a fundamental spot for salespeople, marketers, and solopreneurs to start their journey. The focus usually hovers over content, an avenue to get oneself known and visible, with an added eagerness to harness high engagement rates. But it is significant to remember that engagement isn't the be-all and end-all of social selling—resonating deeply with potential customers is.

The common mistake that many businesses make with LinkedIn is believing that a higher volume of eyeballs on their content equals more leads. But it is crucial to understand that the key is not in persistent expansion of viewership, but resonating with the target audience. Content alone can't generate sustainable sales; it's shooting out a signal that exactly the right people can pick up, rather than just making more noise that attracts a broader, and consequently more irrelevant, audience.

Instead of trying to cover broader demographics hoping to catch the right people, the secret is more in adjusting your frequency, dialling it into a form that speaks exclusively to your ideal customer. LinkedIn's improved algorithm works towards matching relevant content with users who resonate with it. Streamline your content to serve a specific audience rather than all possible audiences to maintain relevance and resonance. Crafting highly targeted content may mean having fewer impressions, but the majority of these impressions will be absolute gold.

No matter how broad your service or product offering might be, it is always more effective to present a curated, focused network that avoids confusing your audience and the LinkedIn algorithm. The focus is to encapsulate the needs and interests of one specific audience, with a critical understanding that not all content will be relevant for everybody.

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