u/LinkedInOutreach

I was registering for a lead generation webinar today and after I hit submit, the founder popped up on a video encouraging people to put the meeting in their calendar. he made two statements:

1. People who watch the webinar live get 3x results from their campaigns as people who watch on a replay

2. 68% of people who watch live are able to implement their new lead gen program within 14 days vs 12% who watch on replay

The reason I am interested is that my team runs lead gen webinars and we get a healthy attendance of around 40% with 10-15% tuning in for the replay.

They seem like pretty significant results. Wondering if anyone has seen similar in their business? I tried searching for stats on webinars and nothing came up that backed up the claim.

Saw a nice example of newsjacking done well from a car parking company today: note, I have no link to the company in question!

The new Premier League fixtures were released on fri and this morning, they sent an email saying:

"Next season's Premier League fixtures dropped at 10am Friday, so now's the time to lock in your matchday parking before someone else does."

I quite liked this approach. There was forced storytelling, no "football brings communities together" and in particular, no attempt to convince me that booking a parking space will change my life.

Just a nice, genuinely relevant link to an event, sent at exactly the right time for some footy fans, with a clear action for customers.

It reminds me that effective marketing doesn't always need a big creative leap. Sometimes it's just about spotting the moment your audience is going to be receptive about needing your product and showing up.

What's the best example of well-timed marketing you've seen recently?

One of my marketing contacts is onboarding a new Business Development Manager at her company and wants them to use LinkedIn prospecting tools to build connections, book meetings, etc.

But the MD of the company has raised a query around data ownership.

If the BDM spends time connecting with prospects, building a network, saving contacts, notes, conversations, etc. through their LinkedIn account, what happens if they leave the company?

There's nothing stopping them from walking away with a large amount of valuable relationship and prospect data and walk straight over to a competitor and start using it there.

I'm guessing this isn't a unique problem and that plenty of sales teams have had to deal with it.

A few questions for those managing sales teams:

• How do you handle ownership of prospect and relationship data built on LinkedIn? (I can't see an 'easy' way to protect the data).
• Do you require everything to be synced into a CRM?
• Do you use company-owned LinkedIn accounts rather than personal ones?
• Is this better covered in contracts and employee handbooks?
• Have you ever had an issue with a departing employee taking prospect data with them?

Interested to hear how other organisations balance helping salespeople do their jobs, build relationships etc, with protecting company 'assets'.

One of my marketing contacts is onboarding a new Business Development Manager at her company and wants them to use LinkedIn prospecting tools to build connections, book meetings, etc.

But the MD of the company has raised a query around data ownership.

If the BDM spends time connecting with prospects, building a network, saving contacts, notes, conversations, etc. through their LinkedIn account, what happens if they leave the company?

There's nothing stopping them from walking away with a large amount of valuable relationship and prospect data and walk straight over to a competitor and start using it there.

I'm guessing this isn't a unique problem and that plenty of sales teams have had to deal with it.

A few questions for those managing sales teams:

• How do you handle ownership of prospect and relationship data built on LinkedIn? (I can't see an 'easy' way to protect the data).
• Do you require everything to be synced into a CRM?
• Do you use company-owned LinkedIn accounts rather than personal ones?
• Is this better covered in contracts and employee handbooks?
• Have you ever had an issue with a departing employee taking prospect data with them?

Interested to hear how other organisations balance helping salespeople do their jobs, build relationships etc, with protecting company 'assets'.

LinkedIn automation often gets sold as a magical shortcut with more leads, less effort and predictable outcomes, all on autopilot.

But when you’re just starting out, it doesn’t feel that simple.

New users quickly run into lots of conflicting advice. Different tools, strategies and wildly different opinions on what actually works. One person says only do short messages. Another says long form messages win out.

Some experts say never pitch early, others say get straight to the point. Connect with a message or not is another divisive topic!

It’s enough to make your head spin and make it more challenging to know where to start.

There isn’t a one size fits all approach to LinkedIn outreach that works for everyone. But there are some classic mistakes that are worth avowing and these tend to separate people who get results from those who get ignored and give up.

I've curated tips from LinkedIn automation experts who have been there and done it, making probably every mistake along the way.

Start with a process

One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is jumping straight into automation without understanding what actually works.

Tyron Giuilani, CEO of Selling Made Social, puts it simply:

“Don’t begin with scale. Begin with a process that actually works manually first. Know who you want to talk to, what problem you solve, and what signal shows they may care right now. Then automate the boring parts, not the thinking parts.”

It’s easy to fall at the first hurdle. If your targeting is loose, your offer is vague and your message doesn’t resonate, automation won’t fix it. It will just help you fail faster.

Before you even think about tools or campaigns, be crystal clear on:

·       Who you want to connect with

·       Why they should care

·       What a ‘good’ conversation looks like

There is no “best” strategy

There are many playbooks and automation experts that claim to have cracked the LinkedIn code. In reality, the same drip sequence, messaging template or campaign structure won’t work for everyone.

Ashish Janiani, CEO of Motivational Diaries, explains:

“Don't try to look for ‘THE BEST’ strategy. Your goal is to make new connections, get into conversations and then share your story, value proposition and pitch. Automation simply means what took you one person and six hours can now happen 24x7 without you around.”

Think about it. A C-level executive is usually short on time, so concise, direct messaging is more likely to resonate than longer copy.

Different industries behave differently too. A recruiter might spend hours per day on LinkedIn, while a construction project manager may only check it occasionally. That changes how often you should message and how quickly you should follow up.

What works for one audience can easily fall flat with another.

Instead of chasing the holy grail of the “best” approach, focus on building something that fits your audience and your goals. It’s much more likely to succeed.

Consistency beats quick wins

When you start a campaign, everyone wants to see quick results. Yes, it’s possible to get leads and appointments in as little as 7-10 days but the majority take a bit of time especially if you are looking to build trust and authority.

Quino Maestre, LinkedIn automation expert at Marketing Honesto, shares a useful analogy:

“When I think about starting out with automation, I’m reminded of a story about a stonecutter who strikes a rock over and over again. He hits it one hundred times without it breaking, and then on the 101^(st) strike, the rock finally splits.

Was it the 101^(st) blow that broke the rock? No, it was all one hundred and one blows.”

That’s exactly how outreach works.

It’s not one perfect message or one perfect campaign. It’s the accumulation of consistent, thoughtful actions over time.

It can be hard to commit but being patient usually pays off in the long term.

Keep it simple and learn as you go

It’s really important not to overcomplicate things before you’ve even got started. Jordan Evans, CEO of Target Connect Co, recommends a simpler approach:

“The best way to get started is to keep things simple, then gradually scale as you become more comfortable with your setup and outreach.”

Start with a basic campaign targeting a small, well-defined audience, say 100-200 contacts. Don’t over elaborate on the messaging.

Robert Helmsley, Director at Helmsley Ltd, believes beginners should prioritize personalization over volume:

“Focus on smaller, niche audiences and manageable campaign sizes rather than trying to reach thousands of people at once. I also like testing different language and messaging styles across campaigns, then doubling down on what actually works.”

He also highlights one of the biggest mistakes beginners make:

“Don’t pitch slap immediately after they connect! Automation should scale your personality, not replace it.”

Then track what happens in the campaigns.

1.     Are people accepting your connection requests?

2.     Are they replying?

3.     Are conversations actually going somewhere?

Your LinkedIn automation platform will have analytics and KPIs that tell you what’s working.

Strong marketing still matters

There’s a common misconception that automation changes the rules. But it doesn’t.

Amy Metcalfe, Fractional Marketing Director, makes this clear:

“Before adopting any new tool, make sure the essentials of marketing are in place. Identify your target audience, understand why you’re contacting them, and develop a communication plan.”

All automation does it give you a way to execute more consistently and removes a lot of the manual effort that would normally be required. Strong fundamentals still apply though:

·       Clear targeting

·       Relevant messaging

·       A strong value proposition

If those aren’t in place, then there is no tool on the market that will fix that for you.

Automation to support not replace human judgement

With the rise of AI, it’s easy to lean too heavily on automation. Many LinkedIn automation tools promise to do everything, write your messages, look for prospects and even manage conversations.

But people can easily tell when something isn’t written by a human.

Bland, generic messages, phrasing with all the hallmarks of an AI bot or overly pushy outreach tend to get ignored.

You may be familiar with the phrase TL:DR or Too Long: Don’t Read. A popular variation is AI:DR which means written by AI: Didn’t Read.

Automation works best when it supports your outreach rather than taking control over the entire process.

Use automation to save time on repetitive tasks, but keep control over how you communicate and build relationships.

Tim King, Director of Match King, sees automation as a key part of his recruitment workflow:

“I rely on automation every day to monitor market activity and track progress, which frees up valuable time to focus on what really matters: engaging with candidates and successfully closing opportunities with clients.

Streamlining routine tasks allows me to concentrate on delivering a high-quality experience to clients and candidates.”

The sweet spot is where automation handles repetitive admin and prospecting so you can focus on areas that genuinely require human judgment.

Mistakes are part of the process

Experienced users will admit, they get things wrong from time to time, e.g. sending the wrong message, forgetting to update a template or targeting the wrong list. Whilst it is frustrating, it’s also a key part of the learning process.

The key is to slow down, double check your setup and don’t beat yourself up when a slip happens.  If in doubt, go back to basics, think about your process and how it needs to evolve over time.

Where to focus first?

If you’re just starting out with LinkedIn automation, keep things grounded and focus on the fundamentals:

1.     Define a clear strategy before you start and then build your process

2.     Define your audience carefully and write messages that feel relevant

3.     Start small and scale gradually

4.     Pay attention to your results and adjust

5.     Don’t rely on automation to fix weak marketing

Automation can be incredibly powerful if you see it as a tool that amplifies what’s already there. Get the basics right, stay consistent and you’ll be well on your way to making LinkedIn automation work for you.

Look forward to hearing any other tips or mistakes to avoid in the comments.

I'm setting up a networking business, aimed at small businesses who follow a particular sports team. I have seen it work well for one team and am now involved in launching the second 'chapter'. What they get for their subs is access to weekly online and occasional face to face events, regular group calls, opportunities to pitch their business to other members, listing in a membership directory

My background is digital marketing rather than networking so super interested in any tips people have for growing the audience.

We are giving away the first 20 members under a founders banner, where the people selected get free membership for life on the condition they engage and continue to engage over time.

This is designed to get the chat amongst members going and start pulling referrals in.

This is what else I am doing at the moment:

1. Media launch with a quirky story - low effort but might get some regional hits on radio/print and online publications
2. Networking and soft approaches to people in relevant LinkedIn and Facebook groups.
3. Encouraging member referrals (this seems to be working well in the pre-launch phase).

Hoping members here may be able to suggest some outbound activities that I could incorporate. Networking group not named so I don't fail the self promotion test :-)