My social media epiphany – and it started with LinkedIn

So I’m sitting in my office, and my good friend and business partner Christa Heibel sends me her latest blog draft, “My love / hate relationship with LinkedIn!”.  Now let me make a quick statement about Christa before I get into it.  Christa not only knows the contact center space where she got her start, she is an overall business guru.  From operations, planning, sales, marketing etc…  She is smart, savy, honest, trustworth, and constantly giving consideration to every possible angle to not only improve her business, but her clients business.  Christa Heibel is an absolute Alpha!

With that being said – when I saw her blog draft I told her she shouldn’t post it.  I told her that I couldn’t believe that she didn’t “get” it.  She points out some very real truth, and honest assessment in various regards towards LinkedIn, but I felt she missed the overall theme.

So after about 30 minutes of back and forth discussion – we decided that I would write a blog to serve as a yang to her yin if you will.  Here we go…

I’ve been on LinkedIn for a long time.  It has been a tool that I have used for networking and doing business for over a decade.  I’ve used it to get around gate keepers.  It’s help me get access to people that otherwise I may NEVER have access to, and allowed me to close million dollar advertising/marketing deals.  In terms of the rest of social media, I have never used Facebook for business, and I have had a Twitter account for several years, I just started to truly use it over the last six months.  That turned into also using snapchat, and being an absolute daily fanatic for Video Blogs (Vlog’s) on youtube.  Thanks Casey Neistat!

Now after coming back to work with CH Consulting Group again after an almost 8 year hiatus, I started digging deeper into LinkedIn on how it can help grow our client base.  That’s when I was quickly introduced to an ever growing InMail box of those very people that Christa was talking about, that wanted to “teach” us how to make LinkedIn work for us.  I listened to a LOT of pitches.  These services range from legitimate businesess with good information and services that are fairly priced for what they are willing to do for your business – and on the opposite end there are just downright scams.

Is it LinkedIn’s fault for people reaching out to others with false information and intent?  I say no.

What is LinkedIn’s overall goal?  Is it to actually allow people to connect and build legitimate relationships?  From LinkedIn directly:  Its main purpose is to help people network professionally.

That’s it.  It’s no different than a business mixer, or a Chamber of Commerce After Hours.  It’s just on a global scale.

Now as I mentioned with my new found social media – I have had a little bit of an epiphany on LinkedIn and the rest of social media.  They are this moment’s letter and envelope. They are this era’s rotary telephone.  They are this generation’s flip-open cellphone.  They are just a means of communication.

So yes – to answer Christa’s question – it’s just a numbers game.  It’s just the next version of the hustle.  You gotta do, what everyone else is doing, in order to stay relevant and in front of your desired audience.

But the largest demographics of users of social media – which are millennials – they can teach all of us now the next evolution – and that is a level of authenticity and content.  It’s so much more than just a blanket marketing message anymore – people want to feel they are truly apart of something, connected and appreciated when they donate/give their time, attention and money.  It’s one of the reasons that Direct Response Omni-Channel Marketing is so important now, and even more than that – it’s why Customer Experience is such a HOT thing right now for businesses.

So in regards to LinkedIn – if there are things that Christa and I have to do in order to stay relevant, to reach the desired outcome for the business… then yes – I think we have to do it.  That doesn’t take anything away from Christa or myself, or CH Consulting, or our authenticity when it comes to the quality of service that we provide.

But at the same time, we have to adapt and try and stay ahead of the curve.  Not only for us – but for our clients.

This doesn’t mean we are off the tracks.  Just on a different one.

It isn’t the first time we will have had a track change.  And it won’t be the last.

What do YOU think?

Allen Kruse is a Senior Partner with the CH Consulting Group.  He’s been involved in numerous projects, done a heap of things, met quite the number of people and overall been a serial adventurer for the past 15+ years.  From the online gaming news industry, to being in the United States military, to going to college, to forming several businesses, to even being a consultant.  He’s always on the go and working towards an ultimate goal.  While he’s on his journey -he would like to get to know you, and how he might be able to learn more about your journey and ultimate destination.  You can find him here