If you’re in business, I’m sure you’ve been introduced to the concept of content marketing. Experts have advised businesses to produce content for quite some time now for search engine optimization, branding, lead generation and engagement, to name just a few of the many reasons.

Content marketing can be powerful, if done properly. It is more than simply broadcasting content. You may achieve some SEO benefits without a strategy, but that’s about it. Each piece of content should support your company’s message, but also help drive interest in your product or service. Without a proper strategy in place, you’re probably underachieving.

In a proper content marketing strategy, integration and support are the key ingredients. This strategy requires a meeting of the minds on a regular basis. It should include your marketing department, PR department, any content production team, as well as key management.  I find including key management to be invaluable for drawing out ideas and developments that should perhaps be better known. And having the entire team as part of the meeting tends to produce much better results as far as ideas that really work. Topics of discussion should be centered on the following:

• How the company should be branded
• The launch of any new products or services
• Any product updates that can be announced
• Any messages or content that supports overall marketing positioning
• Any news that should be disseminated – big new clients, company growth, new hires of note, company awards, etc.
• Any customer case studies that could be developed
• Any trade shows coming up that need a content strategy plan to increase booth visits
• Any white papers that can help explain, forward a particular message
• Article and blog topics

Content marketing includes marketing collateral, case studies, white papers, press releases, social media, blog articles and articles for trade magazines. It encompasses any conferences your company will be involved in, as well as product and service offerings now, and in the near future.

This is how a comprehensive content marketing strategy looks:

• Marketing – This content is your sales content. This type of content is your direct call-to-action and awareness, designed to generate interest and gain exposure for your product or service. It includes website content and marketing collateral/sales support materials.
• Press Releases – These are designed to spread the news and generate excitement and interest in a product, service or the company itself. They are tailored to attract media attention and reach industry influencers and your customers. They can also be used to better explain your competitive advantages and what it is that you do. In addition, they serve to keep you top of mind with editors and writers for any stories they may be developing.

• Blog articles – These are designed to be a soft-sell to your audience through education. They also help company executives gain visibility by becoming industry thought leaders and educators. These should not be pitchy but should support your company’s message.  The better ones can also start conversations on topics and engage your audience.

• Social media – Your social media properties should be used to push a variety of content that supports your message. Be sure to tailor your message to what your audience likes and don’t just sit there passively watching -- use your presence and interact with your followers. Social media allows your company to have a virtual personality and gives prospects an opportunity to get to know your company. Social media can also be used to create hyper-targeted ads that can generate awareness, branding or leads.

There are many articles out there on topics such as “Easy Ways to Generate Blog Ideas,” or “How to Get Engagement on Social Media.” While many have some great best practice tips and can be useful, content marketing works best with a fully integrated approach with all of the pieces in place. Develop a strategy. Include everyone. And execute on that strategy. With each piece of the puzzle in place working together, it should leads to more success while expending less effort.

If you’re in business, I’m sure you’ve been introduced to the concept of content marketing. Experts have advised businesses to produce content for quite some time now for search engine optimization, branding, lead generation and engagement, to name just a few of the many reasons.

Content marketing can be powerful, if done properly. It is more than simply broadcasting content. You may achieve some SEO benefits without a strategy, but that’s about it. Each piece of content should support your company’s message, but also help drive interest in your product or service. Without a proper strategy in place, you’re probably underachieving.

In a proper content marketing strategy, integration and support are the key ingredients. This strategy requires a meeting of the minds on a regular basis. It should include your marketing department, PR department, any content production team, as well as key management.  I find including key management to be invaluable for drawing out ideas and developments that should perhaps be better known. And having the entire team as part of the meeting tends to produce much better results as far as ideas that really work. Topics of discussion should be centered on the following:

• How the company should be branded
• The launch of any new products or services
• Any product updates that can be announced
• Any messages or content that supports overall marketing positioning
• Any news that should be disseminated – big new clients, company growth, new hires of note, company awards, etc.
• Any customer case studies that could be developed
• Any trade shows coming up that need a content strategy plan to increase booth visits
• Any white papers that can help explain, forward a particular message
• Article and blog topics

Content marketing includes marketing collateral, case studies, white papers, press releases, social media, blog articles and articles for trade magazines. It encompasses any conferences your company will be involved in, as well as product and service offerings now, and in the near future.

This is how a comprehensive content marketing strategy looks:

• Marketing – This content is your sales content. This type of content is your direct call-to-action and awareness, designed to generate interest and gain exposure for your product or service. It includes website content and marketing collateral/sales support materials.
• Press Releases – These are designed to spread the news and generate excitement and interest in a product, service or the company itself. They are tailored to attract media attention and reach industry influencers and your customers. They can also be used to better explain your competitive advantages and what it is that you do. In addition, they serve to keep you top of mind with editors and writers for any stories they may be developing.

• Blog articles – These are designed to be a soft-sell to your audience through education. They also help company executives gain visibility by becoming industry thought leaders and educators. These should not be pitchy but should support your company’s message.  The better ones can also start conversations on topics and engage your audience.

• Social media – Your social media properties should be used to push a variety of content that supports your message. Be sure to tailor your message to what your audience likes and don’t just sit there passively watching -- use your presence and interact with your followers. Social media allows your company to have a virtual personality and gives prospects an opportunity to get to know your company. Social media can also be used to create hyper-targeted ads that can generate awareness, branding or leads.

There are many articles out there on topics such as “Easy Ways to Generate Blog Ideas,” or “How to Get Engagement on Social Media.” While many have some great best practice tips and can be useful, content marketing works best with a fully integrated approach with all of the pieces in place. Develop a strategy. Include everyone. And execute on that strategy. With each piece of the puzzle in place working together, it should leads to more success while expending less effort.

My primary goal as a PR Professional is to assist my clients in achieving the most exposure possible and build top-of-mind brand awareness among their potential customers, namely auto dealers. To help better understand how to best position my clients for success, last year, I did a little research into how dealers perceive vendors and their practices.

I reached out to Bobbie Herron, Digital Sales and Marketing Manager for the Garber Automotive Group. Herron was named to Automotive News’ “Retail 40 under 40” list last year, and she was kind enough to share a few things with me that vendors do to irritate her, causing them to potentially lose her business. She also shared some best practice tips on how vendors can better approach dealers.

The blog generated a lot of attention and received many responses, varying from agreement to complete irritation. In an effort to balance the scales, Bobbie agreed to a second interview in which she shares some of the things that she feels vendors do right -- that help catch her interest and earn and keep her business.

Here is what she had to say on the matter:

1.  “Be personal in your approach: When vendors reach out to me trying to entice me to look at a new product, all too often the initial contact is via an e-mail template. Many times my name is misspelled. Or they assume I’m a male. Some of these templates are horrible and full of grammar and/or spelling errors -- just really sloppy work. I don’t want to be made to feel as if I’m just some random person on some e-mail list that a vendor obtained - actually, quite the opposite. Vendors who take the time to e-mail me personally – not as part of some e-mail blast – will get my attention. If the e-mail impresses upon me that they have done their homework about Garber. If they have identified specific ways in which they feel their product can help my marketing efforts be more successful. And, if they portray a genuine interest in Garber, they will get my attention.
2. "Make me feel like I matter: People do business with people who make them feel important. I want a vendor to make me feel valuable. That I matter. Vendors can accomplish this by showing an interest in helping me use their product to its maximum potential. One way in which vendors can do this is through training. I’m not talking about webinars and conference calls, but rather in-store training with me and my whole team. It’s sad that there are times in which I find out about new features and products for services I already use by walking an exhibit hall at a conference. I purposefully walk an exhibit hall without my badge so that I can get honest demos (or sit in on one) from my existing vendors. Sometimes this is how I discover features I didn’t even know existed in my current services.”
3. “Pay regular visits: I absolutely love vendors who visit my store regularly – at least once a quarter – in order to come and teach me, and any new employees, about their product. Everyone needs refresher courses. And new employees need actual training. Who better to train them on these services than the reps? They know more about their product than I do. Vendors who do this prove to me that they have a genuine interest in the auto group’s success level.  I want a vendor to be my partner. I don’t want to be just be a sale, but want the vendor to care about our success just as much as we do. Instead of just selling us the farm, these vendors start with the meat of their product… the cows. We can plant corn in the next step of the improvement process. In addition, I love vendors who are willing to share information they have learned in the industry that could help us improve. Who knows their industry, products and best practices better than they do?”

4.  “Manage my expectations by providing good data: I want a vendor who sets and manages expectations for results and is clear on what those results are based on. I don’t want some vague reports where I have to attempt to gauge the ROI of their product or service. I want data that will give me a realistic ROI based on the areas that matter to me – not what their bosses tell them to share. I expect my vendors to ask me what data or reports matter to me. If they throw in a few additional reports that they think I should see, that’s fine. This is a collaboration; a partnership. By asking me what’s important, then providing that data, it shows me that they recognize that what I think is important is relevant.”

5. “Dealer Advisory Boards: I love vendors with dealer advisory boards. This shows me that they listen and give us (their dealers) a voice in building and improving their product. It’s not uncommon for vendors to focus on adding features that they think we want, when we’d rather see them tweaking their product for better or easier usability. It’s all about the customer experience. Vendors who listen, know their product, have great training and support, and give me a voice in building and improving their product, will keep my business.”
6. “Friendship: Finally, I love that, through my vendors, I am able to make amazing friends. Not only within their companies, but also within the industry itself. Friends that inspire me, motivate me and make me stronger as a professional, as well as an individual. That’s my absolute favorite part.”

I think Bobbie makes some excellent points and hope this serves in some way as useful information.

My primary goal as a PR Professional is to assist my clients in achieving the most exposure possible and build top-of-mind brand awareness among their potential customers, namely auto dealers. To help better understand how to best position my clients for success, last year, I did a little research into how dealers perceive vendors and their practices.

I reached out to Bobbie Herron, Digital Sales and Marketing Manager for the Garber Automotive Group. Herron was named to Automotive News’ “Retail 40 under 40” list last year, and she was kind enough to share a few things with me that vendors do to irritate her, causing them to potentially lose her business. She also shared some best practice tips on how vendors can better approach dealers.

The blog generated a lot of attention and received many responses, varying from agreement to complete irritation. In an effort to balance the scales, Bobbie agreed to a second interview in which she shares some of the things that she feels vendors do right -- that help catch her interest and earn and keep her business.

Here is what she had to say on the matter:

1.  “Be personal in your approach: When vendors reach out to me trying to entice me to look at a new product, all too often the initial contact is via an e-mail template. Many times my name is misspelled. Or they assume I’m a male. Some of these templates are horrible and full of grammar and/or spelling errors -- just really sloppy work. I don’t want to be made to feel as if I’m just some random person on some e-mail list that a vendor obtained - actually, quite the opposite. Vendors who take the time to e-mail me personally – not as part of some e-mail blast – will get my attention. If the e-mail impresses upon me that they have done their homework about Garber. If they have identified specific ways in which they feel their product can help my marketing efforts be more successful. And, if they portray a genuine interest in Garber, they will get my attention.
2. "Make me feel like I matter: People do business with people who make them feel important. I want a vendor to make me feel valuable. That I matter. Vendors can accomplish this by showing an interest in helping me use their product to its maximum potential. One way in which vendors can do this is through training. I’m not talking about webinars and conference calls, but rather in-store training with me and my whole team. It’s sad that there are times in which I find out about new features and products for services I already use by walking an exhibit hall at a conference. I purposefully walk an exhibit hall without my badge so that I can get honest demos (or sit in on one) from my existing vendors. Sometimes this is how I discover features I didn’t even know existed in my current services.”
3. “Pay regular visits: I absolutely love vendors who visit my store regularly – at least once a quarter – in order to come and teach me, and any new employees, about their product. Everyone needs refresher courses. And new employees need actual training. Who better to train them on these services than the reps? They know more about their product than I do. Vendors who do this prove to me that they have a genuine interest in the auto group’s success level.  I want a vendor to be my partner. I don’t want to be just be a sale, but want the vendor to care about our success just as much as we do. Instead of just selling us the farm, these vendors start with the meat of their product… the cows. We can plant corn in the next step of the improvement process. In addition, I love vendors who are willing to share information they have learned in the industry that could help us improve. Who knows their industry, products and best practices better than they do?”

4.  “Manage my expectations by providing good data: I want a vendor who sets and manages expectations for results and is clear on what those results are based on. I don’t want some vague reports where I have to attempt to gauge the ROI of their product or service. I want data that will give me a realistic ROI based on the areas that matter to me – not what their bosses tell them to share. I expect my vendors to ask me what data or reports matter to me. If they throw in a few additional reports that they think I should see, that’s fine. This is a collaboration; a partnership. By asking me what’s important, then providing that data, it shows me that they recognize that what I think is important is relevant.”

5. “Dealer Advisory Boards: I love vendors with dealer advisory boards. This shows me that they listen and give us (their dealers) a voice in building and improving their product. It’s not uncommon for vendors to focus on adding features that they think we want, when we’d rather see them tweaking their product for better or easier usability. It’s all about the customer experience. Vendors who listen, know their product, have great training and support, and give me a voice in building and improving their product, will keep my business.”
6. “Friendship: Finally, I love that, through my vendors, I am able to make amazing friends. Not only within their companies, but also within the industry itself. Friends that inspire me, motivate me and make me stronger as a professional, as well as an individual. That’s my absolute favorite part.”

I think Bobbie makes some excellent points and hope this serves in some way as useful information.

It seems as if every big event nowadays is live tweeted by brands seeking to gain free marketing on the back of these popular events. This last Super Bowl saw brands literally setting up war rooms filled with social media professionals, graphic designers and even lawyers, simply to post content in reaction to real-time events. For most events targeted by brands in this fashion, guerrilla-style social media marketing is more than likely less expensive than a 30-second TV commercial. And, if the team is creative enough, it could have more reach.

Oreo has won wide-spread infamy for starting this trend with its creative response to the Super Bowl blackout that occurred 2 years ago. It featured a cameo by Audi crashing the Mercedes-Benz Superdome’s big day.

Many brands are now trying to one-up the other and gain exposure by spending money on live social media activities, rather than ponying up for traditional advertising (thus the term “guerrilla” social media).

This trend has caused social media platforms to make it even easier for their advertisers to utilize these platforms to insert themselves into conversations happening around real-time events. Twitter advertisers have long had the ability to target events through phrases and hashtags. Now Facebook is joining the party with the recent rollout of a new feature allowing brands to pay to promote ads specifically tied to real-time events. While this is certainly a great new revenue stream for the social media platforms, users need to ensure they use it correctly

At least two brands recently experienced severe mess ups in their social media marketing efforts. One brand – Totino’s -- makers of pizza rolls – decided to get into the “live-tweeting” game during the Super Bowl, but it was very poorly executed. Apparently, someone on their social media team scheduled tweets so that it appeared they were live tweeting when, in fact, they were just pre-scheduled posts. The problem was that they were actually scheduled to be sent the day before the Super Bowl, assumedly by mistake.

Another recent social media faux-pas was Coca-Cola’s automated tweeting campaign which encouraged tweeters to find negative tweets and retweet them with the hashtag #MakeItHappy. Coca-Cola’s Twitter account was set to transform the tweets into pretty text art. The problem was that someone realized it was automated and tricked Coca-Cola’s Twitter account into tweeting out passages from Mein Kampf. Of course, Coca-Cola had to shut down that campaign.

While brands are experimenting with increased social media content marketing, attempting to engage their audience through real-time interactions, automated campaigns or scheduled posts, they are also experiencing the growing pains associated with this. Mistakes are being made and companies are experiencing the type of exposure that they don’t wish to create – negative.

Social media is all about human interactions. Fans of brands who engage them imagine a real person sitting behind a desk (or at the event) interacting with them. If they figure out that is not the case (which they will), those brands will accomplish the exact opposite of what they set out to do. Instead of joining the conversation, they will find they are escorted out of the party. Large-scale social media campaigns such as real-time live tweeting are hard work and can be fragile endeavors. Brands who can pull it off can win the day. But it only takes one slip to ruin the whole adventure for the brand.

Take care when deciding to embark on these types of voyages as, at least from a public relations perspective, it only takes one distraction to sink the whole ship.

It seems as if every big event nowadays is live tweeted by brands seeking to gain free marketing on the back of these popular events. This last Super Bowl saw brands literally setting up war rooms filled with social media professionals, graphic designers and even lawyers, simply to post content in reaction to real-time events. For most events targeted by brands in this fashion, guerrilla-style social media marketing is more than likely less expensive than a 30-second TV commercial. And, if the team is creative enough, it could have more reach.

Oreo has won wide-spread infamy for starting this trend with its creative response to the Super Bowl blackout that occurred 2 years ago. It featured a cameo by Audi crashing the Mercedes-Benz Superdome’s big day.

Many brands are now trying to one-up the other and gain exposure by spending money on live social media activities, rather than ponying up for traditional advertising (thus the term “guerrilla” social media).

This trend has caused social media platforms to make it even easier for their advertisers to utilize these platforms to insert themselves into conversations happening around real-time events. Twitter advertisers have long had the ability to target events through phrases and hashtags. Now Facebook is joining the party with the recent rollout of a new feature allowing brands to pay to promote ads specifically tied to real-time events. While this is certainly a great new revenue stream for the social media platforms, users need to ensure they use it correctly

At least two brands recently experienced severe mess ups in their social media marketing efforts. One brand – Totino’s -- makers of pizza rolls – decided to get into the “live-tweeting” game during the Super Bowl, but it was very poorly executed. Apparently, someone on their social media team scheduled tweets so that it appeared they were live tweeting when, in fact, they were just pre-scheduled posts. The problem was that they were actually scheduled to be sent the day before the Super Bowl, assumedly by mistake.

Another recent social media faux-pas was Coca-Cola’s automated tweeting campaign which encouraged tweeters to find negative tweets and retweet them with the hashtag #MakeItHappy. Coca-Cola’s Twitter account was set to transform the tweets into pretty text art. The problem was that someone realized it was automated and tricked Coca-Cola’s Twitter account into tweeting out passages from Mein Kampf. Of course, Coca-Cola had to shut down that campaign.

While brands are experimenting with increased social media content marketing, attempting to engage their audience through real-time interactions, automated campaigns or scheduled posts, they are also experiencing the growing pains associated with this. Mistakes are being made and companies are experiencing the type of exposure that they don’t wish to create – negative.

Social media is all about human interactions. Fans of brands who engage them imagine a real person sitting behind a desk (or at the event) interacting with them. If they figure out that is not the case (which they will), those brands will accomplish the exact opposite of what they set out to do. Instead of joining the conversation, they will find they are escorted out of the party. Large-scale social media campaigns such as real-time live tweeting are hard work and can be fragile endeavors. Brands who can pull it off can win the day. But it only takes one slip to ruin the whole adventure for the brand.

Take care when deciding to embark on these types of voyages as, at least from a public relations perspective, it only takes one distraction to sink the whole ship.

When considering the successful use of social media by a business, the first thing that pops into many people’s minds is quantity. Not necessarily quantity of posts, but how big their audience is. Many judge social media success by the number of fans they have on Facebook, or followers on Twitter. If that number is large and/or growing, they feel as if their efforts are a success. The second thing that many business owners think of is engagement. Of course, with some social networks determining who sees your content based on engagement, that’s also important. Are these the most important things, however?

No. And here’s why:

Social media by the very definition of its name is social. If you went to a party and you started talking to someone who never talked back, you would probably abandon your efforts and seek a friendlier audience. Social media is about two way engagement. It provides an opportunity to connect with people you might not otherwise have been able to. Your audience probably includes your employees, clients, peers and perhaps even prospective customers. And this is the audience you want to have. There’s no doubt that it’s a great feeling when your content gets liked, retweeted, shared or prompts a comment. How do you think that commenter feels when your business doesn’t acknowledge them? Is there a chance that they may leave feeling as if they were talking to someone at a party who wasn’t talking back?

Proper and effective social media is more about the art of listening and finding opportunities to connect with your audience. The content that you post is simply the icebreaker to the conversation. When your audience interacts with you in any way, you should make an effort to acknowledge that interaction. Something as simple as clicking the like button on their comment or favoriting their tweet shows that you are paying attention. Your audience will realize that they aren’t talking to themselves. Even if the comment they make needs no reply, a quick thank you shows your appreciation for their engagement. That is what you need, after all, to increase organic exposure on Facebook, at the very least.

As for the quantity of fans or followers, bigger isn’t always better. While having a larger audience is certainly better than a smaller one in general, it’s more important to understand that the quality of the audience trumps quantity. If the people in your audience would never do business with you, then you’re talking to an empty stadium. There are far too many businesses that engage in buying likes with the thought that a larger audience is going to be more effective. The truth is that the answer is quite the opposite. By diluting your fan base with irrelevant fans intentionally, you only accomplish making your message LESS visible to the audience members that matter.

Make sure that you are paying attention to the most important part of social media… and that is being social. Active listening and acknowledgement of your audience’s engagement is paramount to building an audience that is listening and that cares.

When considering the successful use of social media by a business, the first thing that pops into many people’s minds is quantity. Not necessarily quantity of posts, but how big their audience is. Many judge social media success by the number of fans they have on Facebook, or followers on Twitter. If that number is large and/or growing, they feel as if their efforts are a success. The second thing that many business owners think of is engagement. Of course, with some social networks determining who sees your content based on engagement, that’s also important. Are these the most important things, however?

No. And here’s why:

Social media by the very definition of its name is social. If you went to a party and you started talking to someone who never talked back, you would probably abandon your efforts and seek a friendlier audience. Social media is about two way engagement. It provides an opportunity to connect with people you might not otherwise have been able to. Your audience probably includes your employees, clients, peers and perhaps even prospective customers. And this is the audience you want to have. There’s no doubt that it’s a great feeling when your content gets liked, retweeted, shared or prompts a comment. How do you think that commenter feels when your business doesn’t acknowledge them? Is there a chance that they may leave feeling as if they were talking to someone at a party who wasn’t talking back?

Proper and effective social media is more about the art of listening and finding opportunities to connect with your audience. The content that you post is simply the icebreaker to the conversation. When your audience interacts with you in any way, you should make an effort to acknowledge that interaction. Something as simple as clicking the like button on their comment or favoriting their tweet shows that you are paying attention. Your audience will realize that they aren’t talking to themselves. Even if the comment they make needs no reply, a quick thank you shows your appreciation for their engagement. That is what you need, after all, to increase organic exposure on Facebook, at the very least.

As for the quantity of fans or followers, bigger isn’t always better. While having a larger audience is certainly better than a smaller one in general, it’s more important to understand that the quality of the audience trumps quantity. If the people in your audience would never do business with you, then you’re talking to an empty stadium. There are far too many businesses that engage in buying likes with the thought that a larger audience is going to be more effective. The truth is that the answer is quite the opposite. By diluting your fan base with irrelevant fans intentionally, you only accomplish making your message LESS visible to the audience members that matter.

Make sure that you are paying attention to the most important part of social media… and that is being social. Active listening and acknowledgement of your audience’s engagement is paramount to building an audience that is listening and that cares.

In yet another move by LinkedIn to create a more engaging user experience, the company has decided to penalize any users of the InMail feature that send mail that is irrelevant to the recipient. As LinkedIn cannot read the messages, it had to formulate a way to determine which messages are more likely irrelevant – namely those which receive no replies. LinkedIn used to offer a “guaranteed reply” for its InMail. If the message recipient failed to reply, your account was credited back. In a complete reversal, LinkedIn has now decided those InMail messages which receive no reply are likely to be irrelevant. InMail credits are now returned when your message IS replied to. They are not returned when your message goes unanswered -- the complete opposite of its past policy.

As social media networks have continued to grow and compete for users, LinkedIn has added features that make it, for lack of a better analogy, more Facebook-like. It encourages bloggers to publish within the LinkedIn platform, versus sharing content from outside. It nurtures social engagement through its own newsfeed-like feature and within groups. Now it is seeking to eliminate what it has essentially deemed spam. Make no mistake, LinkedIn will still allow anyone to purchase InMail credits – it still wants all of the money it can get. Now, however, the new policy will perhaps force those wishing to send messages to take care to better optimize each message for the recipient. Or they will pay for it – literally.

It should certainly motivate senders to give more thought about what message they are sending, and whether the recipient would be interested in it.

In yet another move by LinkedIn to create a more engaging user experience, the company has decided to penalize any users of the InMail feature that send mail that is irrelevant to the recipient. As LinkedIn cannot read the messages, it had to formulate a way to determine which messages are more likely irrelevant – namely those which receive no replies. LinkedIn used to offer a “guaranteed reply” for its InMail. If the message recipient failed to reply, your account was credited back. In a complete reversal, LinkedIn has now decided those InMail messages which receive no reply are likely to be irrelevant. InMail credits are now returned when your message IS replied to. They are not returned when your message goes unanswered -- the complete opposite of its past policy.

As social media networks have continued to grow and compete for users, LinkedIn has added features that make it, for lack of a better analogy, more Facebook-like. It encourages bloggers to publish within the LinkedIn platform, versus sharing content from outside. It nurtures social engagement through its own newsfeed-like feature and within groups. Now it is seeking to eliminate what it has essentially deemed spam. Make no mistake, LinkedIn will still allow anyone to purchase InMail credits – it still wants all of the money it can get. Now, however, the new policy will perhaps force those wishing to send messages to take care to better optimize each message for the recipient. Or they will pay for it – literally.

It should certainly motivate senders to give more thought about what message they are sending, and whether the recipient would be interested in it.