1-minute read
As an in-house GTM person and a buyer of B2B products and services, I don't log in to LinkedIn to be sold to. I go there for entertainment and distraction, to meet cool people, and to conduct research.
I never respond to sales attempts on this platform. And I usually block the folks who pitch me via DM.
The frustration that those of us on the other end of the incessant stream of DM sales pitches and disingenuous connection requests experience stems from many sellers not understanding that behavior and use-case vary by channel.
LinkedIn is not a sales channel. LinkedIn is a brand marketing and awareness channel. It’s a place for brands to meet people where they’re spending time—in their feeds—without disrupting the flow of those users’ experiences.
Tactically speaking, LinkedIn is a place to distribute information via an algorithmic scroll. We, the people on the other end of that algorithm, will come to you if or when we need your thing.
Understanding the difference between channels is the solution to a healthier and happier buyer experience.
Moral of the story: Not everything is a nail.
Now, if you’re a stranger who wants to pitch me, it’s not complicated. Send me a well-thought-out email that's highly contextual and relevant to the work I’m doing now—today. Something that shows you understand that I’m in-market.
(I post enough that it’s not hard to figure out what matters to me at any given time. For the people you want to reach who aren’t actively posting, do other forms of intent research. Yeah, do some work.)
Why is email a sales channel? Because my email inbox has an expectation built into it. It’s not the same as rudely interrupting my LinkedIn experience which, again, is not designed for solicitations and disingenuous connection requests.
LinkedIn within the context of recruiting:
A B2B buyer and a job candidate are not the same thing. Those two personas are fundamentally different in their behavior and intention when logging in to LinkedIn.
A job candidate logs into LinkedIn looking for professional connections and opportunities. (In-market → sales)
As previously mentioned, a B2B buyer does not log into LinkedIn looking to be sold to. (Not in-market → marketing and awareness)
Therefore, those two use cases are entirely different and should be treated differently.
Context matters.