Considering upgrading to LinkedIn Premium (or Sales Navigator) and wondering if it's worth the investment? Or wondering what you're missing out on if you DON'T upgrade?
Read this.
Full disclosure: I am an independent marketing consultant. I do not work for LinkedIn or Microsoft. I make no money on referrals for people who upgrade to Premium or Sales Navigator.
That said, I also am a frugal business person and I don't like to see people wasting money or paying for features they don't need.
For some people, YES! LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator makes sense and it helps to make them money.
Sometimes, I notice a client has LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator, and I ask them, "Why? What features are you using?"
Their response is typically one of these:
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I don't know. But premium sounds better, and I want the best.
-
I'm not sure. I upgraded a while back to see everyone who looked at my profile. I never really thought about it, and my employer is paying for it.
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I didn't even know I had it. I guess I must have signed up at some point.
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I use it for sales prospecting and research. (then they go on to tell me about specific features they use)
If your response is # 4 - you're in good shape.
If you responded # 1 - consider changing the word "premium" to "paid." And think about the "basic" version as "free."
Some people think "Premium" means BETTER. And they have FOMO (fear of missing out) if they don't have the BEST version of LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is a business, and I get that they need to be profitable and make money. However, I want to make sure that my clients are getting value out of their investment.
Sometimes I joke to them to cancel and pay ME to provide
LinkedIn strategy coaching instead, and then upgrade later, when they can really get value out of an upgraded investment.
I recommend upgrading to LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator ONLY if you need access to additional features offered through these upgraded subscriptions that will help to support your business but only if:
1. You have a optimized profile
2. You are personalizing EVERY invitation and making it all about them.
3. You are screening in all invitations and creating dialog
4. You are participating in conversations on your homepage feed on a daily business AND posting once every business day.
If so, then premium or sales navigator may make sense for you.
And if you do decide to proceed, make sure you sign up for 1 month for free. You will have to put your credit card on file and cancel by day 29 if you don't decide to renew. Otherwise, your card will get charged $59.99 for Business Premium for the next month.
If you can gain one client from using the features in LinkedIn Premium that you get access to for the $59.99 spent each month that you would NOT have had been able to with the FREE version, then LinkedIn Premium makes sense.
Here's the link to learn more about LinkedIn Premium and to upgrade.
I'm not going to try to sell you on this feature. LinkedIn makes money if you upgrade. I don't.
Side note: I have Sales Navigator and recently upgraded after having LinkedIn Premium for the past few years. It helps me and my business and it's worth the investment for me.
But for you? Maybe. Maybe not.
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Need help with LinkedIn strategy? Visit
www.mellermarketing.com/linkedin to learn more about my LinkedIn strategy services. I'd love to help you unlock the power of LinkedIn and to maximize your investment in LinkedIn Premium or LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
