⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Anthony did a phenomenal job improving the performance of our LinkedIn ad campaigns. We immediately felt the difference and are now receiving leads for hundreds of dollars less than we were previously. I can't recommend him enough"

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀

Are you looking to get better customers for your B2B product or service?

LinkedIn Ads are the best way to reach and attract professional buyers at scale.
🔸Target Bigger Customers
🔸Generate Sales Leads
🔸Scale Your Pipeline

See the results we get for clients 👉 https://speedworksocial.com/results/


GREAT FOR B2B:
✔️SaaS & Software
✔️Digital Products & Services
✔️Information Technology
✔️Professional Services
✔️Agencies
✔️... and Sales, HR, Legal, Finance industries!

After working with 100s of Software Products, SaaS Platforms, and Professional Services, we've figured out what works in the LinkedIn Ads and B2B space. If you want to get the absolute best performance from your LinkedIn Ad campaigns – get in touch!


SERVICES:
🔸Campaign Strategy & Setup
🔸Ad Copy & Design
🔸Expert Ads Management
🔸Social Posts & Thought Leadership
🔸Retargeting & Lead Nurturing

Learn more about our services 👉 https://speedworksocial.com/services/


Getting started is easy... Let's connect and jump on an intro call.

📅 Grab a call: https://speedworksocial.com/free-consultation/
📩 Or email: hello@speedworksocial.com

Anthony Blatner

My LinkedIn profile alone drove 16M impressions and 200+ booked calls last year. Here's how to kickstart yours in 2026 👇

1. 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆: You have to create a LOT of content to find your voice and your style. Eventually you'll figure out your rhythm and see your engagement increase. Same if you're doing on behalf of a company leader.

2. 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝘀: Take your best posts and target them at your ICP instead of relying on the organic algorithm. And then retarget those who engage, so you're always in front of your warm audience and they get to know you.

3. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗖𝗣 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲: Sales Nav has filters for Viewed your profile recently. Go down that list once per week and connect with people who are visiting your profile (from your boosted TL ad).

4. 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲-𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮: This is a great way to keep a warm audience engaged. Encourage them to subscribe to your podcast, YouTube channel, follow on social, or sign-up for your newsletter.

5. 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘀: Once they've engaged with a few of my posts (via a few layers of retargeting) or visited my website, then send a conversation ad to invite them to my main offer.


In today's age of social, posting is a great place to start. It builds the foundation for other forms of marketing.

And if you're in business, it's likely that people are already visiting your profile and page to learn more. Have great content there that engages them.

Raise your hand if you have big 2026 goals 🖖

Founder/CMO @ Speedwork: Scale w/ LinkedIn Ads 🚀 | SpeedworkSocial.com | Top 50 Linkedin Certified Marketing Expert | Ex-IBM | We’re Hiring!

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲? January is the best time to learn a new skill and apply it for the year.

LinkedIn Learning offers a wealth of great courses, and I had the pleasure of publishing two last year.

After 10 years and working with 1,000+ companies, I boiled down everything you need to know into this foundational course → "B2B Marketing on LinkedIn"

𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:
✔️ How LinkedIn works different than other platforms
✔️ The foundations to ads, prospecting & social strategy
✔️ How to combine paid & organic for maximum impact
✔️ Top performing ads, scripts, and post samples
✔️ How to track and measure your results

Through real-world examples and hands-on exercises, you will gain practical skills and insights to fine-tune your LinkedIn strategy. 

By the end of the course, you will have a clear action plan to integrate LinkedIn into your marketing efforts, ensuring greater reach, engagement, and conversions. 

Whether you are new to LinkedIn or looking to deepen your expertise, this course provides the essential tools and knowledge to thrive in the B2B marketing landscape.

Here's the link 👉 https://lnkd.in/gmgzHQ8e

Ohhh, ahhh - you can now setup and launch your own Brand Link in-stream video ads via the Partnership tab in LinkedIn Campaign Manager.

How does it work?
1. LinkedIn presents a list of post candidates where you can run your in-steam ad.
2. You select which one you want to add your video to.
3. You upload your video and provide a destination URL.

Currently it's just a small preselected list of big name publishers, like Reuters and Fortune. If your brand has a close affiliation with one of these, give it a try.

Will be interesting to see how this feature continues to evolve.

Planning to try LinkedIn Ads in 2026? Start with the simplest (and most effective) strategy: The thought leader ad funnel 🔥

So here it is for you -- swipe it, put it in your content planner, or share it with your content manager. Let's dive in:


1. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆: Other ICP dream clients will want the same results. 🧲

2. 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀: Show that you have a repeatable process.

3. 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗽𝘀: Video = face time = the fastest way to build a relationship with prospect at scale. They'll feel like they know you.

4. 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀: A little personal touch goes a long way in our digital world. Share stuff outside of work. Let people get to know you as a real person, not just an avatar. 🫶

5. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿: We know social platforms hate links in posts, so this is the best one for you to boost.

--

This is the perfect funnel for people-centered businesses. It's perfect for founders, coaches & consultants. And it's also great for subject matter experts inside an enterprise company.

Because when you put it all together - prospects will show up to calls saying "I've been seeing ALL of your posts!"

**Of course, there is a lot more that goes into the execution, and honing in the performance.

--

Drop a like if your marketing team is pushing for more 'thought leadership' this year 👇

One thing I keep seeing with LinkedIn Ads: teams optimize for the metrics that are easiest to get, not the ones that actually matter.

High clicks and low CPLs look good, but they don’t mean much if sales can’t turn those leads into pipeline.

The teams doing this well are clear on who they’re targeting, lead with value instead of a demo ask, and build in follow-up and nurture after the form fill.

That’s when LinkedIn Ads start acting like a growth channel instead of a cost center.

Full breakdown here 👇

In B2B marketing, lead quality always trumps lead volume. Chasing vanity metrics like low CPL (cost per lead) or high CTR (click-through rate) often r

Open article: How B2B Companies Can Use LinkedIn Ads to Generate High-Quality Leads by Anthony Blatner • 2 min read

How B2B Companies Can Use LinkedIn Ads to Generate High-Quality Leads

No, LinkedIn pages aren't dead. In fact, they're frequent destination in your sales process - that you need to pay more attention to.

LinkedIn Pages rank very high in Google.
Your prospects are already visiting them. 

Plus, followers are one of the best signals to see from your ABM accounts. Yet, followers can be darn hard to earn sometimes.

It takes really great content to get prospects to follow your company.
But content alone won't always do it.

It takes true community engagement.

(Like, someone actually replying to the comments... and not leaving them hanging)

But really, the best ones spark the discussions in the posts and in the comments. Because we know the organic algorithm is all anti-viral these days.

That's what separates "just posting" from a real organic social strategy.

Strong pages support strong brands, and make everything else in the sales process easier.

So if you're struggling to get results from LinkedIn, build your organic foundation first. Focus on engaging your network, not just pushing content to it (before you consider ads).

And if you want to do it faster, better, "funner" - talk to our team at Speedwork -- LinkedIn Ads Agency

Here's the process to improve the Lead Quality of your LinkedIn Ads 🥇
 
𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 "𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲" 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿
LinkedIn profiles are messy. Someone might be a "Marketing Manager" at their day job but also list themselves as "Founder" of their side hustle.

If you are targeting Enterprise/Mid-Market, you need to layer your exclusions.

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝘅: Exclude the opposite criteria of your ICP to filter out the misfits. If you target large companies, explicitly exclude small company sizes. This prevents your ads from serving to a VP’s side project profile instead of their main role.
  
--

𝟮. 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀
There's a handful of commonly excluded criteria that you can make before you even launch your campaigns.

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝘅: Standard exclusions almost always include: Intern, Student, Unemployed, Retired, and Job Seekers. (funny enough, Owner is often a low quality title when targeting anything larger than small biz)

--

𝟯. 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀 ("𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻" 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀)
This is the silent budget killer. "Reach people similar to your target audience" sounds good, but gives the algorithm permission to color outside the lines you just drew. It almost always dilutes lead quality in favor of cheaper impressions.

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝘅: If you have a very broad and large ICP, you can consider it. For everyone else, turn it off. Trust your own targeting data over the algorithm’s guess.

--

𝟰. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟭-𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸
Don't "set it and forget it." Even if you target "Senior Decision Makers," LinkedIn will naturally serve ads to the cheapest segment within that audience first (often the more junior people).

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝘅: Check the 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘴 tab in Campaign Manager after the first few days. You'll often find that the majority of your impressions are going to your least desired part of your audience. You need to segment your campaigns further to force spend toward the C-Suite.

--

𝟱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗽
B2B sales cycles are long. You can’t wait 6 months for "Closed-Won" data to optimize your ads.

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝘅: We set up a grading system with Sales. As soon as a lead hits the CRM, the rep grades it as "Qualified" or Not. We feed that data back into the ad account weekly.


High volume looks good in a weekly report. High quality looks good in the bank account.
 
How are you currently grading your inbound leads?

A few of my personal takeaways from last year:
 
→ Keep a physical to-do list for the day. Having it right in front of me keeps me on track.
→ At the end of the day, plan your next day, instead of trying to remember where you left off.
→ For every meeting, send an agenda before, and action items after so everyone is aligned.
 
→ Record your calls, our memory stinks (<3 Fathom.ai)
→ If an email is too complex, send a video (<3 Loom)
→ Talk to text instead of typing - SO much faster (<3 Wispr Flow)
 
→ Monitor & control your expenses (<3 Ramp)
→ Protect your attention - unsubscribe, use do not disturb (<3 Inbox When Ready)
 
→ A good mic gives a good first impression (a bad mic makes you seem tech-challenged)
→ You’d be surprised at who is reading all of your posts 👀
 
→ Ask 'How did you hear about us', AND 'Why did you choose us' - that info is gold
→ Join sub-groups in your industry - scrolling LinkedIn is great for discovery, but the real juicy details are in niche communities.

What are some of yours?

If thought leadership is the most effective type of B2B marketing - why do bigger companies struggle the most to get their subject matter experts involved?

Enterprise companies are brimming with smart people, now you need a system to get that content out of their head and into LinkedIn (and into your marketing campaign).

In this webinar, we'll walk you through the process to creating an enterprise thought leadership content engine.

And then how to turn it into a Thought Leadership Ad Funnel, using LinkedIn's Thought Leader ad format, to enhance your full funnel marketing approach.

I've worked with 500+ companies on their LinkedIn marketing and we've built this engine many times over.

Join us on Thursday at 2pm ET / 11 am PT: https://lnkd.in/gMD8sGpE

No alternative text description for this image

𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗕𝟮𝗕 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗱 - 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀.

If you're not showing up on social, you can be sure your competitors are.

LinkedIn's traffic has increased.
User engagement has increased.
Video watch time is up.

Now, I'm an "Ads Guy", but before you start advertising, maximize your organic social first (those free impressions).

Your prospects are already looking you and your company up on here. And, posts are indexed by Google and LLMs. Big for AEO/GEO.

--

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝘂𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲:
1. Create content your ICP wants to learn.
2. Format it for LI.
3. Post 3x+/week.
4. Do it consistently.
5. Boost the best with ads.
6. Retarget with your main offer.

𝗕𝘂𝘁, 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀:
• Posts aren’t consistent – so viewers forget about you.
• Posts don’t grab attention – so they don't get read.
• Post don't spark engagement – so no clicks.

What's the best way to change it? 
>> Put someone in charge to own it. 

We've helped:
+ 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 find their voice on social.
+ 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 draw more visitors than big competitors.
+ 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 attract significant deals via posting.

It's not terribly complicated, just good consistent content that works (not mediocre AI-generated stuff).

We use a Thought Leadership content framework to help executives communicate key points, AND deliver offers that attract leads – just like this post :)

Want a free organic social plan? Schedule a call at Speedwork -- LinkedIn Ads Agency

I see a lot of SaaS teams blame LinkedIn Ads when results stall.

But most of the time, the issue isn’t the platform, it’s how the campaigns are being run.

I’ve reviewed a lot of LinkedIn ad accounts over the years, and the same mistakes show up again and again:
- Optimizing for clicks instead of revenue
- Treating targeting like a set-it-and-forget-it task
- Skipping retargeting or using it too late
- Relying on “nice-looking” creative that doesn’t actually say anything

None of this is complicated to fix, but it does require being intentional.

We wrote a blog breaking down the most common LinkedIn Ads mistakes SaaS companies make and how to avoid them.

Give it a read 👇

LinkedIn Ads are one of the most effective paid media channels for B2B SaaS growth – but only when used strategically. Many startups and growth-stage 

Open article: Top Mistakes SaaS Companies Make with LinkedIn Ads (and How to Avoid Them) by Anthony Blatner • 3 min read

Top Mistakes SaaS Companies Make with LinkedIn Ads (and How to Avoid Them)

The holidays are great and all – but Q1 is where the real holly jolly of the B2B world is.

Why?

Everyone is back to work and excited for the year.

Traffic is way up online – meaning ad costs are way down. In fact, they're the lowest of the year (get in now while the gettin's' good!)

Many are starting to plan their campaigns, but haven't launched yet - meaning competition is lower, which also helps with ad costs.

Companies are talking about their initiatives for the year, and Leaders are exploring new tools, services, solutions to achieve those initiatives.

They're booking demos, they're asking for proposals, and they're moving to closed/won.

Aka we're in Buying Mode season.

Merry Q1 y'all!

"Social" is the most influential channel in business today. Paid Social is the amplifier... Are your organic & paid strategies working together?

My favorite module in my new course, B2B Marketing on LinkedIn is "Integrate organic and paid strategies for maximum impact".

Most companies treat them like separate worlds: organic runs on hope, paid runs on budget. But the magic happens when they work in sync... when your organic content fuels paid performance, and your paid campaigns lift your organic reach.

In this module, I break down how to boost the right posts (not just any post), how to turn personal profile content into high-performing Thought Leader Ads, and how to use Events and Newsletters as tools in your full funnel strategy.

The takeaways: Help you build a strategy where every dollar spent and every post published work together to drive awareness, engagement, and pipeline.

You’ll never look at your LinkedIn strategy the same way again.

🎥 Find this course module on LinkedIn Learning or below 👇
https://lnkd.in/gjzCfrRq

Integrate organic and paid strategies for maximum impact

Here are the top 5 things jamming up your SaaS' marketing funnel:
 
• 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴. Your prospects want to know we're at least in the ballpark before they spend 30+ minutes on a call and get harassed by your SDRs for a month. Plus, those unqualified calls are juicing your meeting numbers, but killing your conversion rate to Opp.
  
• 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆. Everyone asks for a demo right away. Prospects have a "not interested" reflex when they hear demo, just like when they get a cold call.
  
• 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼. Are you going to jack up the price based on my company revenue you're asking for? What will you do with my phone number, and what happens to it if your company gets hacked like everyone else?
  
• 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿. Everyone knows demos are sales calls and it takes a lot of interest for someone to get on one. For everyone else, you need an intro offer - a free trial, analysis, a free sample - to attract them in.
  
• 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻. What's even going on over there? Is this company legit or are they another one of those fly by nighters. If your last post was 8 months ago, that's a red flag
 
What's your biggest funnel pain point at the moment?

Wendy van Gilst

Scrolling on LinkedIn doesn’t deliver leads, a good LinkedIn strategy does. 

Attract your ideal customer via LinkedIn in the way that works for your business. With your personal brand or with advertising. Or maybe both. Successful LinkedIn strategies fit your business goals and deliver real results. Don’t have your ideal customer waiting for you, reach out to them via LinkedIn! 

Hi there, welcome to my profile! I'm Wendy, a LinkedIn consultant and trainer with over 8 years of experience in helping businesses, entrepreneurs, and professionals to generate leads and grow their businesses with LinkedIn. I'm also an ex-LinkedIn employee, so I know the ins and outs of the platform and how to leverage its full potential for your goals.

My passion is to share my knowledge and experience with my clients and empower them to generate leads and find new customers via LinkedIn. Instead of scrolling on LinkedIn, I help you to create a LinkedIn strategy that delivers leads and new customers. Some of the clients I've worked with include Findock, Atlas Professionals, GreenDay Finance, Tribal Impact, Plinkr, NucleusBI, PAQT.com, DSM-Firmenich, Teleperformance, Adyen, and more.

Do you want to start generating leads and find new customers via LinkedIn? Schedule a FREE 20-minute call via the link at the top of my profile.

Sr. Client Solutions Manager

As a client solutions manager I'm a trusted digital marketing advisor for my clients. I'm a strategic solution driver who helps enterprise companies in the Benelux to achieve their marketing objectives using LinkedIn Marketing Solutions in the best way possible. My background as a marketer helps me to step into my client's shoes and to understand how digital marketing can be used best to drive success. Insights driven reporting, growth hacking, content and audience recommendations, are part of my core responsibilities. Together with an Account Director, I'm responsible for the Tech and Government industry. 

On a daily basis I tell stories with insights, create and present QBR reports for my clients, demo (new) products, educate my clients on their marketing strategies including how to measure ROI, deliver Content Marketing Workshops and create and maintain valuable client relationships.  

Wendy Gilst

The 14th of January always hits me. It's the date my father died, 19 years ago.

My father was only 51 years old. I was 21 and thought 51 years was old. I was aware it was not normal to lose a partner at this age, but it also felt so far away, being 51 years old. 

Since last year, I've realized how young 51 years is. He got sick at the age of 48. While building a business and raising teenagers. 

Losing a parent at the age of 21 is weird. You want to leave the house and start to build your own life. But you also need (and want) their support and advice. 

Being 21 years old when you lose a parent is old enough to have lost of memories. It's old enough to have had a solid childhood. It's old enough to have adult conversations. 

But life only begins. Like life only begins at 51. 

I would have loved to ask my father questions about raising our kids and building a business. At 21, I felt like I knew it all. 

I'm the last one to say I never struggle with getting older. I do. But thinking of my dad, I realize it is a gift to get older. 💙

Certified LinkedIn Marketing expert - I will teach you how to align your sales & marketing teams & turn your LinkedIn campaigns and LinkedIn strategy into lead magnets - Grow your business, book a FREE 20 min advice call

If I had to optimize a LinkedIn strategy for lead generation, these are the first things I would implement. 

✔️ Optimize LinkedIn profiles of all customer-facing employees. Much investment often goes into advertising or content creation. It's easy to forget that (potential) customers are checking out your employees on LinkedIn! Make sure they make a professional first impression. 

✔️ Thought leadership strategy for leadership and sales teams. Whether it is building your brand, building trust with a (new) audience, or lead generation, thought leadership is the most effective way. 

✔️ Build brand first before driving demand. Stop all advertising campaigns that focus on lead generation only and invest in branding. You can generate leads with branding campaigns, but you can't generate high-quality leads without branding.

What would you like to change about your LinkedIn strategy and why?

In H1 2026, we’re shaping Vondice Hotel Amsterdam to reflect our story.
Not bigger. Sharper. Intentional. 

We don't want to change platforms (just yet), so we’re looking for a WordPress consultant (Amsterdam region only) with strong expertise in SEO (& GEO 😅 ), conversion optimization, and website flow. 
Someone who understands that essence is about less, clarity, and intentional choices. It has to breathe through all our channels in 2026. 

Vondice is a one-room retreat.
Every click should feel deliberate, not like a funnel.

What we’re looking for:
* WordPress expert (technical and strategic)
* Strong in SEO, local visibility, and conversion (and has ideas about GEO)
* A refined sense of branding, rhythm, and minimalism
* Experience with premium or boutique hospitality is a plus

What we offer:
* Work on a design-led experience
* Full focus on quality over volume
* Space for real strategic influence, not a production factory

Know someone, or is it you?
Send me a DM or Jean-Paul N.. 

www.vondice.com

This is why I believe it's important for my kids to see I work out daily (and this is the main reason WHY I can work out daily with kids). 

When I tell people I work out daily, they always ask me, How? 

One of the reasons why a lot of people struggle to work out is that they have kids. They can't go to the gym or for a run because the kids are at home. They don't have time before or after work because the kids are around.

Interestingly enough, they do support their kids with their own sports program (football classes, ballet classes, swimming classes). 

Our kids mirror what we do, so how can we expect them to take sports seriously when we don't do anything ourselves?

When my oldest daughter was born over 7 years ago, I started to work out again right away (with the right support and advice). She joined those sessions, and seven years later, she is still used to being around me when I work out at home. This is very similar to my 4-year-old. 

When I work out at home, my kids colour, play with Duplo, and read books. They are used to me leaving for an hour on Sunday morning for a sports class. When I drop them off at school, wearing my running outfit, they know I will go for a run. 

My kids are growing up seeing me working out and prioritizing sports. Because of this, I can work out daily and hopefully inspire them to live a healthy lifestyle, too.

If I were asked to optimize a LinkedIn strategy for lead generation, these are the first three things I’d put in place:

✔️ Optimize the profiles of all customer-facing employees
Companies invest heavily in ads and content, but often overlook something crucial: prospects check out your people. Sales, leadership, consultants, their profiles are brand touch points. Make sure they create a professional, credible first impression.

✔️ Build a clear thought leadership strategy for leadership and sales
Whether the goal is brand building, trust, or lead generation, thought leadership consistently delivers. It positions your team as experts, shortens sales cycles, and attracts the right conversations.

✔️ Build brand before pushing demand
Pause lead-gen-only campaigns and invest in branding first. Yes, branding can generate leads, but without a strong brand, you’ll struggle to generate high-quality ones. Demand follows trust.

What’s the one thing you’d change about your LinkedIn strategy right now and why?

This was my first week after the Christmas break. How was yours…

The one investment that consistently grows my personal brand and brings in new clients via LinkedIn.

I run a lean business.
A few software tools.
Website hosting. (Which I consider to stop...)

Nothing excessive.

But there’s one thing I intentionally invest in: Content Creation.

I work with a photographer and videographer to create high-quality visuals. 

Not because it’s required, but because it delivers results.

Over time, I’ve learned that:
✔️ Showing your face builds real connection
✔️ Strong visuals create trust before a single word is read
✔️ Personality-driven posts spark meaningful engagement
✔️ People remember faces far more than names
✔️ Familiarity leads to credibility, and credibility leads to clients

As a consultant, I don’t have a large marketing budget.

And I don’t need one.

I simply need to show up, consistently, clearly, and authentically.

These are the 3 reasons you shouldn't invest in LinkedIn premium accounts. 

We have reached this point with all of my customers, who want to generate leads via LinkedIn. Should we invest in LinkedIn Premium? 

My answer is often yes because, without a premium account, it is harder to generate leads from your organic and thought leadership efforts. 

But, there are 3 reasons why I do not recommend you to invest in LinkedIn Premium:

❌ When your teams don't have the goal to generate leads via their profiles
❌ When there is a lack of knowledge within the team about LinkedIn
❌ When LinkedIn can't be part of the daily routine

The return on investment with LinkedIn Premium can be huge. But, commitment and knowledge of the usages is key. 

What is the reason you do or don't invest in LinkedIn Premium?

If I had to start over with my LinkedIn profile to grow my following and to generate leads, this is what I would do.

• Set a clear goal with my profile 
• Write my profile for my ideal customer
• Add a clear profile picture and compelling banner
• Buy LinkedIn premium for the premium button (and more!)
• Communicate a clear CTA across my whole profile
• Reach out to connect with relevant people on a daily basis
• Follow up on all relevant profile visitors
• Create engaging content 3-4 times per week 
• Add relevant comments to content, every day

Generating leads via LinkedIn requires consistency, more than anything else. Consistency in what you communicate, how you communicate and how often you communicate. 

It's not hard of difficult, you just have to show up and keep on showing up.

Only a few likes on your posts? This doesn't mean your content isn't relevant. 

People are very careful when they "like" content on LinkedIn. Because liking is associating yourself with content. 

Instead of focusing on getting likes, focus on other metrics such as impressions, profile visits and new followers. 

Likes feed our dopamine addiction, high quality profile visitors bring leads. (sorry not sorry)

taplio

The Battle

Anthony Blatner

Wendy Gilst

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreAnthony Blatner's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreWendy Gilst's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Anthony Blatner

Wendy Gilst

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Anthony Blatner's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreWendy Gilst's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreAnthony Blatner's LinkedIn Performance