More people resolved to post almost daily on LinkedIn this January, as they did last year at the same time.
You can see it and feel it. This means there is MUCH more content on LinkedIn, but about the same number of people to see it.
AI is not creating this expansion, but it doesn’t help.
The TikTok ban won’t help either. A few of those business or career content creators will come back to LinkedIn.
It’s all the other marketing and awareness tactics that stopped working efficiently in the last 2 years for most startups and growing software businesses:
- Outbound emails and calls
- Inbound SEO and content
- Paid ads
- Influencer marketing on YouTube
You can pick your channel; it got flooded. These channels didn’t stop working, but they each got much harder.
They stopped being a reliable and efficient growth lever for most businesses, funded or unfunded.
LinkedIn has to spread this exposition of content across its finite-ish audience. That’s fewer views per post on average. Now they push your content more to your existing audience than to new eyeballs.
I have heard from dozens of SaaS CEOs who have felt this “channel squeeze” and have recently resolved to post more thought leadership on LinkedIn.
That’s all good. They ought to expect modest results even if they do a great job. Expect to be disappointed if you aren’t serious and crafty about it.
This happens to all marketing channels that work when they get flooded, automated, and “everyone’s doing it.”
2-3 years ago on LinkedIn, a 2% engagement rate on my LinkedIn posts (Likes/Impressions) was a post that got 30K views or more. Now, that same 2% engagement might get 5K views. There aren’t enough eyeballs to share all the content at the same level anymore.
So how can entrepreneurs succeed against this tide? Four things:
- Narrow the focus of your target audience even more. Focus is a force multiplier in a sea of sameness and generalities.
- Get great at one or two of the channels and be dedicated about crafting great content for your narrowed audience. Mediocre content won’t move the bar.
- Double down on clearly articulating your different value. If you have something that your customers value that stands out, don’t hide it. (See the Chik-fil-A cow).
- Be more realistic about new customer acquisition this year and more serious about keeping your existing customers–and making them very happy.
Any marketing tactic that works gets flooded, and then it stops working so well.
It’s noisy in here and it will get noisier.
Many are returning to basics in the real world – love your customers, create human connections in your community, build trusted partner relationships, go to trade shows, partner with real people, and show up as a unique person online.
