Often in prospect meetings, I hear people tell me that LinkedIn is not right for them. They are worried about using it for one reason or another. Below, Wingman Direct Marketing demystifies and debunks seven LinkedIn myths and why they needn’t be a worry at all.
LinkedIn Myth 1: LinkedIn is a ‘time suck’
Fact: A person can get good results on LinkedIn in as little as 30-40 minutes a day (or less). Time for everyone is relative. Pre-pandemic, many would commute 30-60 minutes (or more) to and from work each day. Imagine if you invested the equivalent of a single direction commute to generating the real connections and possible leads LinkedIn can put in front of you.
LinkedIn Myth 2: LinkedIn is expensive
Fact: The basic LinkedIn account is free. You can post useful and interesting content to showcase yourself as the subject matter expert you are. The upgrade to Premium or Sales Navigator is roughly $80 CDN/month. Either of these upgrades provides you access to genuine targets your business could be a solution for. If you use account-based marketing (ABM) in your sales and marketing tactics to truly understand the organization you want to connect with. There is no better tool on the market (in our Crew Chief’s experience). Depending on the value of your product or service, a $3-4 per workday investment is peanuts in the overall cost of acquisition.
LinkedIn Myth 3: I must put myself out there and give up my privacy
Fact: At the end of the day, you are the face of your company so you must put yourself out there somewhat to promote it. Thanks to recent pandemic realities, connecting remotely is the most common way of doing business. With that said, you can connect, share, and comment on other people’s content without having to write it yourself. Post imagery and solutions for real-life problems your products or services solved. Highlight clients, vendors, and staff and engage with other subject matter experts and prospects virtually.
LinkedIn Myth 4: You need to have a technical background
Fact: One of the fabulous aspects about LinkedIn is its intuitive interface and easy-to-use features. There are no complicated software integrations. You can use its tools to search, to connect, to publish and to engage with people just like you.
LinkedIn Myth 5: I need to be a trained copywriter or content publisher
Fact: Most people post simple content that anyone can write. Or they share other expertly written content from others which is relevant to their audience.
LinkedIn Myth 6: You need to hire a professional to write, publish and engage your audience
Fact: As stated above, a solid LinkedIn strategy can be accomplished in as little as 30 minutes a day or less. With that said, a solid content strategy should be crafted with your short-term and long-term goals in mind. This can be outsourced to a third-party marketing strategy agency like Wingman or to a freelance social media professional. You could do this DIY, but you must decide how much your time is worth. For example, a service-based company sells their billable hours. Every hour spent on a non-billable task such as marketing, accounting, or similar is choice made not to sell that hour for you’re your time is worth.
LinkedIn Myth 7: Using LinkedIn strategically is complicated
Fact: Once people have been shown some simple systems that can be managed quite simply using LinkedIn, it becomes part of their daily routine. Many people are scared to use LinkedIn because they don’t understand the capabilities, features, or benefits clearly. No one has ever taken them by the hand and shown them the tool in depth and how to maximize its benefits for their business. A simple discovery guide of why to use LinkedIn, how to use it, and when to use it demystifies even the most skeptical.
Do you want to learn how to use LinkedIn or other social media platforms successfully?
These LinkedIn myths exist for a reason. That’s why Wingman’s seasoned social media experts will coach you to master your social media so you can do it yourself. Then you can debunk these LinkedIn myths personally. Or we can be the social media secret weapon you lean on to take care of drawing up the strategy, producing content, publishing and engaging on your behalf. Book a Wingman today. You don’t have to fly solo!
