Every one of your posts is the latest sample, self-promotion, or great deal. You haven’t shared any of your valuable expertise or even begun an insightful conversation. Instead of viewing LinkedIn as a community of sharing, you saw us as little more than sales prospects.
I even looked the other way and cut you some slack when you sent me a sales pitch within a nanosecond of connecting.
That’s not how LinkedIn is supposed to work.
Look, there’s nothing wrong with a little bit of self-promotion. I do it myself. And, when you like, share, or repost someone else’s content, you are helping to proliferate it. That’s great. But, how about sharing a tip or two and generating a few shares of your own?
You see, you’re missing a huge opportunity to really shine in front of your network and those beyond it. You have a wealth of knowledge that most of us don’t have. You are the only one in the world with your perspective. So, why not share it? How about a helpful tip or provocative question to start a meaningful discussion? There’s a lot going on out there and no reason why you can’t join the dialogue or, perhaps, help shape it.
LinkedIn provides one of the best opportunities to bring awareness to your business or organization. But, if there’s no, “What’s in it for me?” from our perspective, you’ve missed the mark of how LinkedIn works. Your posts read like commercials, and guess what? We’re tuning out and scrolling past you.
You’re not alone in this. This is a common mistake that some of the smartest people make. But it’s not wasted energy; it’s simply misplaced. Save the direct selling and promoting for another time and, more importantly, another place.
We don’t want to just hear from you. We want to learn from you.
Please, don’t take this personally. I only unfollowed you. It’s not the end of the world. We’re still in the same network and there’s a good reason for that. So, let’s try to make the most of it … together.
I’ll check back later and see what you’ve been up to.
Until then, tell us something we don’t know.
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