linkedinistheworst

The Roundpeg Team has dubbed the 2nd full week of every month a “theme” week. That’s why last month you saw so much about Holiday Marketing. This month, we opted for a week dedicated to LinkedIn and why we all #LoveLinkedIn. Moreover, we decided to write specifically for the Business to Business market and explain how new clients can be found by using LinkedIn. 

So I opened a blank blog page. 

And stared…and stared…and stared…

For days, I tried to think about what to write about LinkedIn. What the hell – I’m a freaking English major. I should be able to pull something out… Right?

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks: I think LinkedIn sucks. Why? Well…for a lot of reasons. 

1. It’s not pretty 

I get it. How a profile or news feed looks is not really LinkedIn’s primary concern. Rather, LinkedIn is essentially a place for people to digitize their resume, brag about their accomplishments, and stalk prospective employers. 

But hear me out. When you’re already pretty much viewed as the unwanted stepchild in the Social Media Realm, the least you could do is put in a little effort. I mean, G+ looks nicer than LinkedIn. 

2. Ads.

Need I say more? Well, I’m going to. That’s why you’re here, right? This is three-part hatred.

A. As someone who sees the ads

As a member of the LinkedIn general public, when I go to my LinkedIn Feed, I have to mentally prepare myself in the same manner that I would as if I were going to a sketchy website. A number of ads I see in the first few seconds is overwhelming. From the top of the page single sentence ads to the sidebar, and even my feed itself. It’s just too much. 

What’s worse, is that 99% of the time, they’re irrelevant. Unsecured business loans? Virtual reality headsets? Getting an MBA in DENVER, COLORADO? 

And the biggest cardinal sin: LinkedIn literally promotes itself in my news feed. What’s next – an email in an email signature? 

linkedin2

B. As someone who creates the ads

Now, as a digital marketing professional, creating ads on LinkedIn sucks. It is an absolute pain. 

Much like Facebook, you can create an ad from scratch, or sponsor content that has already been posted by the business. You can target people based on their job industry, income, job title, etc. 

BUT here’s the kicker: you don’t really get all that much bang for your buck – especially in comparison to Facebook. Sure, the impressions may be impressive (see what I did there?), but the cost per click or action is much higher (typically 10 times higher – yes, you read that right) so your results are going to be pretty disappointing. 

Oh also, there’s no “lifetime” budget. So if you want to spend only $50, you have to set it for $10/day, $5/day, etc. and set an end date. I know it sounds petty, but it’s actually a pretty archaic budgeting system.  

C. We all know that one person

Maybe they’re a realtor…or a lifestyle coach…or are some sort of representative for essential oils or a beauty supplier. And they choose to use LinkedIn as their own personal promotional platform. The simple thing would be for me to unfriend (unlink with?) them. But you know what they say: 500+ connections is key to an “all-star” profile…so I personally choose to keep them and complain about it in a blog post. 

3. I just don’t care enough

I use Facebook and Snapchat to see fun pictures and interact with my friends. I get to be goofy and tag my best friend (what’s up, Laura?) in cute videos of piglets. And sometimes, one of my friends has some really big news that’s super exciting. And that’s awesome and I get to congratulate them. 

LinkedIn, on the other hand, likes to show me a lot of content that my connections have liked…and I really don’t much care about that. 

Moreover, it sucks that I know these people, but can tell that they have to restrain their real personality due to the fact that it’s the expected thing to do on LinkedIn. 

In my opinion…

All this is to say, LinkedIn works for some people, and it really works. Some companies have a wonderful, responsive following. But others, not so much.

To me, LinkedIn is a platform that all respectable adults feel obligated to have, but it doesn’t really do anything notable. But that’s just my opinion. What’s yours?

Editor’s Note: When it comes to social media, each platform has a purpose and a community. As you read Lydia’s post today, it is clear, this is not her platform.  While she is perhaps a little extreme in her opinion, you should take a good hard look at social platforms you are using for your business, and be willing to decide that some just don’t fit. 

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