There are in reality constant changes to LinkedIn in one way or another – these might take the form of quite big changes or additions on occasions and sometimes much smaller elements which can still cause issues.
This is one of a sporadic series of posts highlighting some of these changes.
Asking 3rd level connections to connect
When you are on the profile of a 3rd level connection, you will no longer see the “Connect” button. The ‘Connect’ option is still there, but now (just like with people outside of the 3 levels of connection), LinkedIn has moved it to the drop down arrow / menu that you’ll see to the right of the “Send Inmail” button. Same function, different place.
Sharing an article in Groups
When you share an external article in a Group you belong to, you used to be “stuck” with the displayed headline that LinkedIn pulled from your site. You can now, however, edit the headline and the associated text, just like you can with your personal Updates by clicking on the ‘pen’ icon that sits in that box. Another good reason not to share to multiple Groups with a single submission – when you can make the headline and accompanying text specific to your audience that really helps attract more attention.
Messaging other members in Groups
Last month LinkedIn reduced the number of messages that you can send to fellow Group members – it used to be unlimited and is now just 15, so that’s a bit of a steep decline! Use them wisely and if you are communicating with a Connection in one of your Groups, then do so via your Connections section or your Inbox instead. That way, you save your 15 messages for introduction messages to potential prospects within the Group instead.
[As an aside: in a recent interview, Jeff Weiner (CEO) said that LinkedIn “is testing a messaging product for its users to communicate with each other”, so that may give us additional options in the future.]
New Social Selling Index (SSI)
This is something that LinkedIn introduced to measure / approximate the way that you are using LinkedIn from a business development perspective using their perceived 4 pillars of Social Selling metrics … categories that I’m broadly in agreement with if truth be told. (More details on that at Social Selling Index and how to Benefit from it). They introduced this for companies at the start of 2014 and then for individuals at the end of last year. Now everyone can check theirs out – we do love a good stat don’t we? Cynical hat on, it’s a marketing ploy to encourage use of Sales Navigator which is heavily promoted on the page but it’s a nice moving snapshot of how your selling on LinkedIn is probably going as well and can given you pointers towards where your effort should be directed. If your SSI is below 70, we should talk! 🙂
[Links: your SSI available at https://www.linkedin.com/sales/ssi and longer piece on this from myself here]
LinkedIn Inbox
Warning: changes to the layout of the LinkedIn Inbox are on the way. I don’t have the new version yet but reports of bugs have started to appear in the Help Centre so hopefully they will be eradicated before it reaches our shores. Will let you know if there are major changes in functionality when that happens.
