Dear SaaStr: How Important Is a Strong LinkedIn Presence Today?
Look there are few folks out there more skeptical and critical than me on folks that waste their entire day on LinkedIn. Go do the real work, folks. 🙂
And way too many folks are selling snake oil on LinkedIn. Agencies that can magically generate pipeline for you. Tools to manage your LinkedIn with mediocre AI generated content. Tools to generate auto comments. Sales execs pretending that posting about their sales prowess is … work. SDRs pretending lame LinkedIn Inmails will work.
But … but … LinkedIn’s reach is massive in B2B. And it works for SaaStr itself:
So my learning is if you phone it in, outsource it, or expected >too much<, you’ll be disappointed.
But also, you need to be where your customers are. And they are on LinkedIn. As are 95%+ of the folks you want to hire
So a few reason why doing LinkedIn right it matters:
1. Recruiting and Networking
LinkedIn is a magnet for talent. If you’re hiring or building teams, a strong presence helps you attract top-tier candidates. It also works the other way—if you’re looking for a leadership role, hiring managers and boards will check your profile. They want to see not just your experience but also how you think, what you value, and how you engage with the community.
2. True Thought Leadership
Sharing insights, lessons, and even failures positions you as a thought leader if you do it right. If you truly add value in your industry. In fact, it’s so much easier to do this on LinkedIn than almost anywhere else. Add real value.
3. Business Development
It’s true. Your potential customers, partners, and investors are on LinkedIn, especially if you sell into B2B. The rest of the world is there too, just not as engaged. It may or may not generate leads, but it can at least be a second or third touch, which often is just as important. a great way to stay top-of-mind with your network, which can lead to unexpected opportunities.
If it’s not you, don’t do it. There are many ways to do marketing. Do what works at all for you, and just do more.
But yeah, LinkedIn right does work. Just don’t believe the snake oil.
