Journal of Financial Planning: July 2019
Robert Sofia is co-founder and CEO of Snappy Kraken, which provides digital campaigns and automated marketing for financial advisers. As a martech entrepreneur and consultant, he has served more than 3,000 companies since 2005.
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It happens to all of us—we accept a LinkedIn connection request and are immediately confronted with a follow-up sales pitch that often promises: “I can get you X leads per month,” or “I help people like you do X.” Sometimes it’s a person behind this; sometimes it’s a bot. Adding to the proliferation of this tactic, many services now automate the process of sending connection requests and follow-up messages with little personal effort required.
The popularity of this practice raises an important question: is this an appropriate marketing technique, or the LinkedIn equivalent of spamming?
My Research
In an effort to determine how this practice is perceived by other professionals, I conducted some basic research. I began by posting a screenshot of how to remove a connection on LinkedIn along with the caption: “What I do when people send me a connection request on LinkedIn and then immediately follow it up with a direct message trying to sell me something (when it’s clear that they know nothing about me or my business). What do you think? Too harsh? Or reasonable?”
The viral response to this post immediately indicated that I struck a nerve. It generated over 476,000 views, 2,000 likes, and 500 comments. Having reached a sufficiently sized polling group, I only needed to compile the results.
First, I wanted to know if the group engaging with my post was exclusively from within financial services, or if they extended into other verticals. A quick look at the data revealed that roughly three-quarters of the audience were from other professions and spanned the U.S. geographically. This reinforced that the data could be relied upon to reflect how prospective clients would actually feel about receiving such communication from a financial adviser.
Next, I had my virtual assistant compile all the comments based on which ones approved of the practice (13.0 percent), which ones disapproved of the practice (71.3 percent), and which ones were neutral (15.7 percent).
Interpreting Responses
It’s easy to look at the results and conclude that sending a new connection request and following it up with introduction email is wrong. But that would be a flawed conclusion. Note that I qualified my question by referencing a “direct message trying to sell me something when it’s clear they know nothing about me or my business.”
It’s not that making an introduction on LinkedIn is wrong; LinkedIn is a great place to make new connections. The problem lies in approaching new connections in an impersonal way.
There is a major difference between posting content to the LinkedIn feed for generating awareness, and sending individual connection requests or direct messages. Connection requests and direct messages convey the idea that you want to have a one-on-one dialogue; to genuinely engage. Just as you wouldn’t confront a stranger at a cocktail party with an immediate pitch before proper introductions are made, you shouldn’t do the equivalent on LinkedIn.
Notice some of the key expressions in these comments that get to the root of why many LinkedIn users find the practice objectionable:
“This happens to me several times a month. Lazy salespeople not doing their research trying to sell their widgets to me based on my title.” – telecom manager
“Saying “hi” and or being pleasant for the connection is one thing ... sales pitching me in the blind is the equivalent of the mall kiosk workers flicking their lotion packets at me saying “sample?!” – attorney
“Yes, this is a professional platform, but it’s a networking, relationship-building platform as well. I think of the people that you describe here like the flyer guys of Times Square; two seconds of eye contact and a flyer in your hand, and they’re on to the next.” – corporate recruiter
“For those doing the selling, very simple—no rapport, no sales. Get to know the people you are looking to target. Don’t sell on the first move. Take time to know the business they’re in. Bottom line, know your potential customer.” – CEO
The point? There is no shortcut to cultivating genuine connections on LinkedIn. A bot that auto-targets people and sends cold marketing pitches is not going to create the right impression on prospects. Do you really want your personal brand associated with a marketing practice that the majority finds offensive?
How to Get Results
An appropriately targeted introduction accompanied by a personal message can get results on LinkedIn. Case in point: I recently received a connection request along with the following message from someone who had clearly done their research ahead of time:
“Was watching your 50-second video on LinkedIn about successful marketing and thought it was great. Loved your explanation regarding your tip for advisers to have ‘quality’ marketing since people are already tired of getting so much communication. Amazing content!”
This message was sent by someone who wanted to sell me something, but note how elegantly he handled the introduction. He began by paying me a compliment for posting “amazing content!” This is the ultimate way to begin building a relationship. Think back to the cocktail party illustration—this person did the equivalent of approaching me and saying, “Nice jacket!” After an introduction like that, the foundation is laid for a friendly dialogue.
After proper introductions are made, sending a follow-up message with the goal of getting to know your new contact better and letting them know how you may be able to help them is perfectly appropriate. And of course, supplement your personal outreach with consistent, engaging posts to your feed. This will gradually raise awareness of you and increase the likelihood that prospects will naturally engage.
A Balanced Approach
You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs, as the saying goes. Sometimes this applies to marketing, too. If you send mass email, some people will unsubscribe. If you send mass snail mail, some people will call you to complain. If you prospect on LinkedIn, some people will block you. Certain individuals simply don’t want to receive any marketing at all. The only surefire way to avoid upsetting people is to do no marketing, which of course gets no results.
It really comes down to: is your marketing approach respectable? As long as you market in a way that leaves the majority with a good impression of you and your business, you’re probably on the right track. If you only care about short-term results, you may end up employing a tactic that is bad for your long-term reputation. Don’t let the appeal of so-called “set it and forget it” marketing draw you into a practice that will repel your ideal clients rather than attract them.
Ultimately, it’s not the process of sending LinkedIn connection requests and direct messages that’s wrong; rather, it’s the approach some people take that’s wrong.