Have you noticed the number of spam flavored emails you are getting from your LinkedIn contacts? If not getting any, you are lucky. I will have to admit the ones I am getting are mostly from a few of the hundreds of golf business people I have in my contact list. Since I do service the golf industry I recently reached out to one of the lost souls to learn more about their thinking. Some of the remarks I received were very alarming and indicates a number of issues related to what these newbies to the internet are being told as the correct way to obtain business online.
The remark of most concern I received from the reply email I sent to one of my spammer contacts explained the root cause or attitude these spammers have…
“.. how else am I going to get people to buy my product if I do not send them an email? They sure are not coming to me. I was told to get on LinkedIn and connect to people and then send them all emails to my product line.”
As you can see, there are a lot of misguided people on LinkedIn and even more coming online each day who are falling for very bad advice on how to market the internet. Most of these businesses actually have a great product and would server a portion of the golf industry very well if they were to use more acceptable methods of social media. However their use of spamming people does not give them the chance to become successful or to bring to the market’s attention what they offer. They get blocked or kicked out of social networks for the action they take.
It some other conversations I have had over the last year with people who respond back to me shows there is also a Old School Marketing mind-set being adapted to online promotions. Here is a statement one of the old school golf businesses made to my inquiry on why they bulk emailed their entire LinkedIn contact list with their very questionable golf business opportunity…
“..I use direct mail campaigns offline that results in limited success. Using the same technique online is much easier and cheaper and I am getting a small percentage of people contacting me as a result. I will take the chance of being blocked as a spammer. I can always create another online ID and then do it again. You might want to mind your own business.”
As you see, there are a few people who are very proud to be spammers since the small percentage of responses they get from their spam emails must be profitable. However, it is the larger percent of the people who get these unwanted emails who’s negative thoughts towards that business’ unorthodox marketing methods that hurts all of the other businesses in that industry.
Why so many businesses fight using effective method of social media is a true mystery. In a few of the conversations I have had with some of the old school marketers coming online I have learned their attitude towards social media is negative. Remarks like…
“..socializing with people one-on-one to get business connects is too slow.” “Social Media takes too much manpower to maintain and has little ROI".” “Finding the consumer who is going to buy my product through social networking is not worth the effort.”
…really show there are many, many business people in the golf industry who still do not understand that marketing online has changed to a social based style.
The golf industry really is having a hard time staying afloat in this economy which is forcing many of the smaller golf businesses to take on spamming as, more or less, a last resort. This is very unfortunate and is needs to change to keep this negative approach to marketing from reflecting poorly on the rest of the golf industry. The challenge will be how to get across to the businesses who choose to take the low road to marketing. Maybe more exposure to the problems spamming in the golf industry is causing will push many of these golf businesses to seek professional help.
One can only hope that with more people replying back to spammers to stop they will see the need to change. Let me know how I can help.
Rob Cairns says
A great post Scott. Mind your own business – if it is in your mailbox it is your business. Social media is not about doing things the old way. It is about making connections first. It seems these two businesses will fail in the long run because they do not understand the new way of marketing.
mrbusinessgolf says
Rob,
I agree..lot of lost souls out on LinkedIn who are not reading the privacy policy LinkedIn has posted.
Bill Hibbler says
I’m a little late to the party, Scot but found you on Google after getting LinkedIn spam today. I’ve been an online marketer for over ten years so I shouldn’t be surprised but believe it or not, I’d never head LinkedIn spam from my contacts until I got two in the past 24 hours.
Some people definitely don’t get it like Mr. Mind Your Own Business.
Great post!
Bill
Scot Duke says
Thanks Bill. I agree. It is unfortunate how many times I have had to use the Delete and Remover from Contacts features on LinkedIn. Hope LinkedIn survives this recent onslaught of unwanted messages and posts made in Groups.