Reasons LinkedIn Isn’t Working for You

As experts in LinkedIn Lead Generation, we often speak to companies who have previously tried marketing their business on LinkedIn but failed to see any results or ROI – even when it’s been outsourced to a Lead Generation company!

This is a phrase we hear often – and one we totally disagree with!

Of course, we can’t guarantee that LinkedIn Lead Generation is a perfect fit for every company and, unlike most other salespeople, we won’t try to convince you otherwise.

That being said, our experience in LinkedIn Lead Generation strongly suggests that, for a wide majority of companies across various B2B and B2C sectors, there really is no other marketing tool like it for building relationships with your target audience and generating leads.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a brief list of reasons why LinkedIn might not currently be working for you and how you can turn this around!

Reason 1: You’re Being Too “Salesy”

FACT: No one likes to be sold to – not even salespeople themselves!

And, right now, it seems like LinkedIn is awash with companies trying to force their products or services on you before taking the time to ascertain if it’s really for you!

Being too “salesy” (as we like to call it) is a real faux pas when it comes to any type of selling – be that telesales, advertising or LinkedIn – so, rather than selling on Message 1, take your time to get to know each new connection before mentioning your product/service and offering a call of any kind!

Reason 2: No Relationship Building

When it comes to LinkedIn Lead Generation, half the battle is getting your target audience to connect back – so why do we see so many companies with thousands of connections they haven’t messaged once?

Or maybe you did engage and your connection wasn’t interested in your product or service at the time. That doesn’t mean it will always be the case!

So if you find yourself already connected to your dream customers, rather than maxing out further invites, focus your time on building relationships with your existing connections. Again, you don’t have to sell to them, view their LinkedIn profile or company page and see what they have been posting about – yes it takes time, but your messages will stand out from the crowd. You could also send them an article you’ve written that may be of interest. We all love getting something for nothing, and business advice is no different!

Reason 3: Using Automation Software

We have TWO good reasons not to automate your LinkedIn strategy!

1. Not only is the use of automation software against LinkedIn’s community guidelines, but it could also lead to your account being deactivated, losing you access to all the valuable connections you have built!

With the number of companies selling LinkedIn automation software, it can be hard to believe it’s banned. In fact, even we receive weekly calls trying to sell it to us! You might hear them say things like “We are undetected by LinkedIn so it’s safe”, but that doesn’t mean it will always be the case! Being undetected right now isn’t a great advertisement as LinkedIn is always running new tests to find these software companies – and we would never risk our business’ reputation by potentially getting a client blocked on LinkedIn!

2. Even when you add all the relevant filters, LinkedIn searches are never 100% foolproof! With Bee Social Marketing, you benefit from a dedicated account manager who vets each contact against your preferred customer criteria, something automation software simple can’t compete with!

Here are just a few of the spammy automated messages we’ve received recently, what’s even worse, they straight out lie from the get go!

“I’ve been looking at your website and you are a perfect fit for our LinkedIn Lead Generation services.”

If they had taken just one second to view our website or LinkedIn profile, they would know we are actually a competitor of theirs. Naughty, naughty! Can you imagine if they were automating your LinkedIn and messaging your competitors, you wouldn’t be very happy would you?! We’ve even had competitors send us their PDF sales pack; thank you very much…

Another common automated message we receive.

“I see you specialise in Web Design and SEO.”

Well actually… We don’t!

Again, if they had viewed our website or LinkedIn profile, they would know this – and that’s the big problem with any form of LinkedIn or Email automation!

These are the reasons we guarantee our clients we would never use any automation tools on their LinkedIn accounts. Your dedicated account manager gets to know your business and target audience, and takes their time to view their content and engage personally, making your messages stand out for all the right reasons!

Reason 4: Lack of Expertise or Time

We can’t all be good at everything – we simply don’t have the time for it!

Way back in 2013 when Bee Social was first founded, we decided that, rather than offering an unlimited amount of marketing-related services, we wanted to be specialists in LinkedIn Lead Generation and Social Media!

You could always attend a LinkedIn training course, but most will cover the basics of LinkedIn and not really go into detail about strategy and how to construct your messages – from our experience, messaging and strategy is the main reason people are unsuccessful with LinkedIn.

This is the reason we don’t offer group LinkedIn training and instead focus on 1:1 sessions so we can create a personalised strategy to give each individual business the tools they need to be successful.

For busy Business Owners and Sales Directors, time is another hindrance when it comes to LinkedIn Lead Generation – it just gets pushed to the back or even forgotten about for some time. We’re all human and it’s very common!

If this sounds familiar, you may want to consider outsourcing to a LinkedIn Lead Generation company. This is where we can help and take away the hassle, our day to day targeting and strategies provide consistency in your lead generation and relationship building, allowing you to focus on running the business you love!

Give us a buzz on Leeds: 0113 3206266 or Harrogate: 01423 297009 or click here to get in touch today.