Richard van der Blom

Tired of LinkedIn™️ not delivering the leads you need? Struggling to stand out in all the noise? Too much advice, not enough results? Running out of time to land new clients? Wondering how to turn connections into paying customers? I’ve got exactly what you need!  ☎️ 𝘁𝗲𝗹. +𝟯𝟭 𝟲 𝟱𝟱𝟭𝟭 𝟳𝟮𝟴𝟮

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗔𝗺 𝗜?
I'm Richard van der Blom, born in the Netherlands 🇳🇱, currently living the Spanish 🇪🇸 life. My world revolves around my partner Evelina 🇦🇷, our delightful doodle Siena 🇩🇪, and an undying love for international cuisine 🍲 , travel, Pearl Jam 🎶 , and yes, a Gin-Tonic 🍸 . Once a technical wizard on the football ⚽️  field, now I get my kicks from steering businesses towards success on LinkedIn™️.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗲 𝗗𝗼
We specialize in leveraging comprehensive, evidence-based strategies to enhance LinkedIn™️ engagement and effectiveness for B2B clients. Our partnerships with a diverse clientele of over 900 companies and the mentorship of more than 300,000 professionals have enabled us to develop a robust repository of best practices and actionable insights. Our commitment to ongoing research in social selling, content optimization, and staying ahead of LinkedIn’s algorithmic updates ensures that our consultancy and training services are at the forefront of the industry, delivering customized solutions that drive tangible business outcomes.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁?

𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗨𝗕
An independent 100% dedicated LinkedIn™️ training and consultancy agency. Founded in 2009, we empower our clients with insights-based LinkedIn™️ training for sales, marketing and recruitment professionals as executives and consultants. In 7 native languages, online and on-site.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗕𝗘
Join my vibrant online community of 150+ members. We're all about leveraging social selling to amplify your online presence through continuous training, community events, and masterclasses. Learn from industry leaders and become part of a groundbreaking training community.

𝗞𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 
I bring the stage to life – either live or virtually – with insights that 99.9% of LinkedIn™️ experts can't match. Rated as the Best Keynote Speaker in over 80% of my engagements, I'm here to deliver strategies that truly make a difference and inspire business growth

𝗦𝗼...
Dive into the transformative world of insights-based LinkedIn™️ strategies and training – to see more results, with a more efficient and less time-consuming approach

📞 +31 6 5511 7282
✉ Or share your ambition with me via richardvanderblom@justconnecting.nl

Public Speaker / Keynote Speaker

Renowned international keynote speaker, deeply passionate and knowledgeable about a range of topics including LinkedIn, Social Selling, Content Strategy, and the evolving landscape of Sales. My expertise is in delivering insights-based, engaging, and impactful keynotes.

With a track record of delivering 60+ keynotes across cosmopolitan cities such as Buenos Aires, Marrakech, Austin, Paris, Copenhagen, Athens, Vienna, and Dubai, my global experience enables me to bring unique perspectives and insights to every event.

I'm proud to have been rated as the best speaker at 80% of all events I've attended, with an impressive average rating of 9.1 out of 10. As a speaker, I am dedicated to not just sharing knowledge, but also inspiring change and action. My talks are a blend of current trends, practical strategies, and forward-thinking ideas, designed to empower professionals to thrive in today's dynamic sales environment.

Dannos Tsakalos (CEO)
Richard was one of the 10+ international speakers who took the stage at our annual Social Media & Influencer Marketing Conference (Athens October 2023). He was the last who took the stage, yet he managed to captivate the audience and received an impressive rate of 9,5/10. Why? Because, in a nutshell, he is a gifted presenter, a true expert who delivers tons of actionable insights and useful tips around LinkedIn and how to stand out on it.

Michael Geary (CEO - SMPS)
I have had the pleasure of witnessing Richard in action at our annual marketing conference, Amplify A|E|C, and I am was impressed by his ability to captivate and engage audiences. He's a true master of a stage presentation and communication skills. Richard possesses the talent for making complex ideas accessible and compelling. He has the the ability to distill intricate concepts into clear, concise messages that resonate with our audience.

5 ways LinkedIn silently kills your post. 
No warning. No explanation. Just... gone.

Analyzed 600,000+ posts, found algorithm behaviors that LinkedIn will never publicly acknowledge. Some are brutal. Some are bizarre. All are real.

1.     The 60-Minute Cliff

Your post gets 50+ engagements in the first hour. Comments flowing. Likes stacking. You're thinking "this one's going viral."

Then... nothing. Complete flatline at minute 61.

We've tracked posts where 50%+ of ALL lifetime engagement came from that first hour — then the algorithm just... stopped distributing. No second wave. No extended reach. Dead.

Why? Our theory: LinkedIn's "quality gate" triggers at the 60-minute mark. If engagement velocity doesn't hit a specific threshold relative to your follower count, the algorithm assumes the content peaked. Distribution stops.


2.     The “See More” Shadow Ban

This one's eerie. Post something critical about LinkedIn, gender issues, religion, or politics. Get decent engagement. Someone clicks "see more" to expand your post and...

It vanishes. Not scrolls down. VANISHES. Gone from their feed entirely.

We've replicated this dozens of times. The post still exists on your profile. But it's been quietly removed from active distribution. No notification. No policy violation. Just algorithmic erasure.

3.     The Ambassador Penalty

This one breaks my heart. You have 15-20 loyal supporters. Real people. Genuine fans of your content. They comment on everything you post — manually, thoughtfully, because they actually care.

And LinkedIn punishes you for it.

When the same accounts engage with your content repeatedly, the algorithm flags it as "artificial engagement patterns." Your reach gets throttled. Sometimes immediately. Your biggest fans are accidentally killing your distribution.

4.     The Ghost Follower Drain

You have 10,000 followers. But only 2,000 are "active" (logged in within 30 days).
LinkedIn doesn't care about your total count. It calculates engagement rate against your 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 follower base — including the ghosts.

So your 200 likes on a post? 
LinkedIn sees that as 2% engagement on 10K followers. Mediocre. Distribution slows.

Meanwhile, someone with 2,000 active followers gets 200 likes and LinkedIn sees 10% engagement. Exceptional. 


5.     The Hashtag Trap

Using hashtags should expand your reach, right? Not anymore.
Posts with 3+ hashtags now consistently underperform posts with 0-2 hashtags. But here's the strange part: it's not gradual. At exactly 3 hashtags, we see a 15-20% reach drop. At 5+, it's 35%+.

LinkedIn's spam detection now treats hashtag stacking as a manipulation signal. The very feature designed to help discovery is now triggering suppression.

The algorithm isn't evil. It's just optimizing for metrics we can't see. Understanding these hidden rules won't guarantee virality. But ignoring them guarantees suppression.

Which of these surprises you the most? Drop a number (1-5) in the comments

Helping B2B Sales & Marketing Teams Turn LinkedIn into a Lead Generation & Business Growth Engine | Social Selling Expert | International Keynote Speaker| 4x Investor

Your 2024 LinkedIn tactics are killing your 2026 reach.
Lifespan of posts have changed, and this is how you can extend them

Please understand this. The algorithm didn't just update. 
It fundamentally shifted — from network-based to interest-based.

Here's what that means for your post lifespan:

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻:
• 20% of total reach in first hour
• 65% in first 24 hours
• 85% in first 48 hours
• Post dies around 84 hours

How to extend it? Likes, comments, engagement from your connections and followers. Being relevant to your inner-circle.

Boost tactics? Pods. Replying to every comment.

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻:
• 40% of total reach in first hour (2x faster!)
• 55% in first 24 hours
• 65% in first 48 hours
• Last 5% often comes after 6-8 days

How to extend it? Saves, reposts, comments from 2nd and 3rd degree connections. Being relevant to your Interest Cluster.

Boost tactics? Paid promotion. Getting into Suggested Posts.

See the shift?

In 2024, your network decided your reach.
In 2026, your topic relevance decides your reach.

Your connections don't matter as much anymore.
Your content's fit to interest clusters matters more.

Pods? Mostly useless now — the algorithm sees through same-network engagement patterns.

The new currency? 
Strangers saving and reposting your content.

𝟰 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲:

1. Write for saves, not just likes. Ask yourself: "Would someone bookmark this to reference later?"

2. Create repost-worthy content. Give people something they want to share with their audience — not just react to.

3. Target interest clusters, not your network. Your ICP might be a 3rd-degree connection who's never heard of you.

4. Front-load value in the first hour. 40% of your reach happens there — make those first 60 minutes count.

The algorithm isn't broken.
It just stopped caring about who you know.

Now it only cares about what you know — and who needs to hear it.

Still optimizing for 2024? 
You're already behind.

Which shift surprises you most — the speed (40% in first hour) or the extended tail (6-8 days)?

Senior Partner Manager at Hootsuite | Enterprise Alliances with MarTech SaaS | Head of Sales & Marketing at MyRisk | Board Director | Author of "Connect & Act - Systematic Social Selling"

The world is working in a hybrid mode - many continue to commute to their workplace while others work from home. How to find technology to enable and manage this new way of working?

The Australian ICT industry is unique: it is an ideal test market for new technologies and services. I moved to Sydney in 2016 to apply my 20 years of European ICT industry experience to the Aussie cloud and software business combining sales and marketing activities, mostly with partner companies.

Since I came to Sydney, I developed myself as a strategic networker bringing people together face to face and online using Social Selling techniques. I became an educator sharing this passion especially while serving the channel in Australia and Asia Pacific in the Software-as-a-Service industry.

I am passionate about the transformation of modern workplaces to embrace new ways of collaboration. Cloud based tools, mobility and Artificial Intelligence enable these trends. I consult and guide my audience as a trusted advisor along the change journey, to prepare for a connected tomorrow.

In addition to modern IT trends I care about heritage architecture, enjoy cultural activities and write about travel. As a published author of 22 books including two hotel guides, I combine these streams together.

Adapting my subject matter expertise and leadership experience to the next level, I serve as Board Director of my favourite hotel in Sydney.

Gunnar Habitz

Fun to be in the sales profession if you see these photos from yesterday‘s LiveHaus  event!
🥂
But not all have reasons to be happy as 42% of salesreps don‘t make quota and 91% in APAC report burnout (highest in the world).

Where to find out what to do with it?

Yesterday‘s SalesHaus event at The Commons in Sydney was the place where Australia‘s top #B2Bsales people came together.

Joe Hindmarsh MBA from Highspot set the scene with shocking facts line those reported above - but shows how #salesenablement platforms can improve the revenue impact (especially through partners).

Here are my key takeaways from some of the panelists, well moderated by 🚀 Saurabh Kaura: 

- Ricky Pearl: The best performing salesreps didn‘t change their approach radically from AI

- Steve Tolen: People still buy from people, we can‘t automate the relationship building process

- Adem Manderovic: Quota-hitting teams don‘t try harder, they engineer certainty in an GTM architecture approach (launching his book in 2026!)

My two cents: Authencity as sellers - also through #partnership - is key to win client trust. Using AI-powered tech tools is a short cut to be more efficient and creative - but not a replacement for the power of human connection.

What‘s your tip to remain connected in the sales profession?

Helping boutique marketing agencies scale through human connection, automation & AI-powered workflows | Agency Ecosystem Lead @ ActiveCampaign (APAC)

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Who do you know who can help organise the typical digital chaos of small businesses?

My tip is Suzanne Disher, the founder of Digital Dish - an expert in setting up a strong digital foundation, to catch and nurture more leads.

We met as the 87th guest in my #42coffees series at Code Black Coffee in the vibrant suburb of South Melbourne.

Coming from digital agencies serving the brands across Australia and New Zealand, Suz is now working with e-commerce and service-based businesses to turn disconnected systems into  a simple customer data growth engine that saves you time and $.

While she can execute brilliant digital marketing strategies, Suz is educating her clients beforehand - knowing they are not digital experts.

Here are my notes from enjoying excellent coffee during typical Melbourne weather:
 
1. Most businesses like to buy leads but don‘t know how to catch and nurture them - that‘s where Suz comes in.

2. Solve the digital frustration for her clients, give them clarity and their time back, so they can focus on what they do best.

3. If you don’t know how your customers behave, your marketing turns to guesswork.

4. Converting leads is like dating… you can’t jump straight to the commitment.

How do you turn chaos into clarity?

The moment every agency founder laughed last week 😄 

At both ActiveCampaign agency events I ran over the last two weeks, the same moment kept happening:

I’d make an observation about how agencies grow… and the room would burst into knowing laughter.

Less about making fun but rather because it was true for everyone in the room.

Here are the three responses that got the strongest reactions:

1️⃣ “You have more work than ever and somehow less space to think.”

2️⃣ “Every agency has one process that only lives in someone’s head.”

3️⃣ “Your team doesn't burn out from client work, they’re burnt out from context switching.”

Every event break had variations of the same story, such as:
- “We added clients but our delivery rhythm didn’t change.”
- “We know what ‘good’ looks like but we’re just too underwater to do it consistently.”
- “We’re not disorganised, just operating in different worlds.”

What I loved most about the conversations was how shared the feedback was; nobody felt alone in the room.

And it fits to this slide: We're sitting in the same boat.

Let me ask something that everyone can answer without naming tools, processes or platforms:

What is the part of agency life that always makes you laugh because it is universally true - like the 37th revision of “final_v4” or the unpredictable Friday 4:55pm request?

Drop yours in the comments, keen to learn and share!

#partnerships #digitalmarketing #agencylife #agencyleaders #agencygrowth

Do you know the sentence: "The shoemaker wears the worst shoes?" Sounds familiar especially in marketing?

This week I did something I haven’t done properly in a long time: I rebuilt my own LinkedIn profile from the ground up - not for vanity or keywords.

I wanted to answer one question I often ask agencies:

“Does your profile express who you actually are or rather the version you created three years ago?”

Here’s what surprised me when I looked at my own: My identity had evolved, but my language hadn’t. The work I’m doing with agencies today is partially visible in the content but not reflected clearly enough.

That's what agencies told me about their clients but often don't do that for themselves. They grow but their own website and LinkedIn profile stay in the old lanes.

Here are my tips after that exercise, noted in this 367th episode of #socialsellingmonday all about using #LinkedIn to stand out and be relevant to the right people in an #AI sea of sameness within the feed.

1. Start with your identity, not job titles. Nobody cares how roles are called internally, it need to be understandable for the readers.

2. Write the content in the jargon of your clearly defined Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) as they need to get it (e.g. "He talks about my challenges").

3. Craft your About and Experience sections accordingly. Not corporate KPIs achievements but rather what the outcome means for the reader.

4. Add learning from outside of your core role as a flavour of your character and capabilities instead of a second or third job (good learning for me).

In the view of my "Happy Habits" book: Positioning is a rhythm, not a one-off project. That rhythm becomes a regular habit.

Thanks to Matt Lakajev for the inspiration and urgency to tackle that task.

When was the last time that you changed your profile?

What is the key activity as event organiser, main speaker or MC? Hint: it's not about the content.

Running our two ActiveCampaign Evolving Agency Series events in Sydney and Melbourne recently I discovered my main task:

Connecting people (remember the good old Nokia slogan)?

This event format is designed for marketing agencies - in theory they all compete. In reality everyone can add something extra to the table.

Here are my tips in this 368th episode of #socialsellingmonday in a #socialselling or #networking approach for events.

1. Research about the participants beforehand - easy as organiser, possible also as an attendee with a bit of social listening.

2. Prepare conversation starters for 1:1 and group discussions to ensure you contribute and learn at the same time.

3. For organisers: prepare moments for introductions, enhance breaks to allow networking, give the participants a task to discuss.

4. Create a post afterwards sharing your learning with our audience. That way you can position your expertise and connect with relevant people.

Bonus tip: I created name tags with their names and companies large enough to read plus a QR code with their LinkedIn profile - so easy to connect!

What's your tip to connect during events like this?

One of the biggest conversations in last week's agency events wasn't about AI, campaigns or tools. Instead we talked about niching and productisation.

These two topics made every founder sit up a little straighter.

And I learnt that agencies are not afraid of choosing a niche, it's rather difficult for them to choose the wrong ones.

I heard comments like
- "We can do so much for everyone but where do we draw the line?"
- "If we niche too hard, what if we lose the clients we already have?"
- "Our work is custom-built so how do we productise something that changes every week?"

But then something shifted as founders began recognising what they already kind of knew deep inside: You niche so that the right clients recognise you instantly.

And productisation helps giving your team breathing space through rhythm and repeatability.

I remember one founder told me: "We solve the same five problems every month but we describe them like 42."

Then I learned by myself that niching lives in repeatable work. We just have to find enough businesses who suffer from repeatable problems.

Hyper-niching means focusing your energy where it actually creates momentum.

What is the repeatable problem your best clients always return to you for?

#marketing #marketingautomation #EvolvingAgencySeries

Public speaking gets easier when you treat it as a good habit, not a star performance. Here's how to get there.
🎤
Over the last two weeks I spoke at two ActiveCampaign Partner Events in two cities, first in my home town in Sydney, then in Melbourne 🇦🇺.

My global teammates delivered the same concept in London, Copenhagen, São Paulo, Boston and in San Diego just yesterday.

Each room was different, each conversation took its own direction. And because I had already spoken so many times before, it all felt natural in my events down under.

That is the quiet benefit of public speaking: the more you do it, the less you need to prepare for it - simply because you’ve built the muscle.

You know how to read the room, adjust your pace, and follow the energy. You neither freeze not overthink. You simply step in and start.

Speaking often removes the drama from speaking at all. And when you treat public speaking as a good habit worth building instead of the heroic star performance, it becomes something you can rely on.

Whether it’s a panel panel, a fireside chat or a short presentation in front of a small group, you carry the same rhythm with you.

Please check my "4-2-1 Habit" episode (my weekly version of James Clear's famous 3-2-1 newsletter):
4️⃣  mini insights what public speaking can help you achieve
2️⃣  habit building actions to perform regularly
1️⃣  reflection question

👉 https://lnkd.in/g5tqvuc3

How do you build your #publicspeaking muscle?

Where is the place to meet startup founders, entrepreneurs, professionals, students and people in the #startup community for relaxed morning #networking?

Happy to invite you to the last session of Open Coffee Sydney at the Charles Darwin University near Central Station this Friday morning.

Why would you want to attend? It is the right place to look for a mentor, investor, client, co-founder, employer, vendor, inspiration, or a new friend.

Proud to volunteer at Open Coffee alongside Raghav Ravisankar, Kieran Longhurst, Peter Do and team for this monthly event.

Event Details:
📅 Date: Friday, 5 December 2025
⏰ Time: 8.30 AM - 10 AM
📍 Location: Charles Darwin University Sydney Campus, 815 George Street, Haymarket NSW 2000 (Level 8 Room 8.04/5)

I love the discussions with participants - met a range of marketing agencies over the last year as well.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to engage with Sydney’s vibrant startup community. 🌐

👉 Reserve your spot now: https://luma.com/pxxyuyi5
(RSVP is essential!)

See you there!

Three years ago, ChatGPT 3.5 was released and AI shifted from a niche tech topic only known by nerds to a true mass phenomenon.

Since then, AI has flooded our feeds, our tools, our workflows, and our minds.

Besides the obvious usage of gaining efficiency there are so many voices against the over usage of AI.

The 3-year anniversary was the right moment to review the book "Everyday Ethical AI" by Karen Smiley.

Most AI books are either written for engineers or tech geeks - or they are carried away by the hype.

Karen did something far more useful: she explains AI ethics in plain language and shows how everyday people can make responsible choices.

In my latest book review, I share why this book is especially valuable for parents & families, for founders & solopreneurs and also for non-technical professionals.

The review comes with an interview where Karen also shared her experience about writing the book with tips for fellow authors.

How confident do you feel about the ethical side of the tools you use every day?

#learnfrombookswithgunnar #bookreview #AI

AI is everywhere these days with the majority of social media content being either written or influenced by generative AI apps like ChatGPT, Claude, G

Open article: How to Navigate AI in an Ethical Way by Gunnar Habitz • 9 min read

Do you also receive a lot of sales messages as DMs in LinkedIn and email about buying something with urgency?
🤔
As we prepare for the festive season or the end of year period where hardcore business activities shall be less in the centre of social media, there are other values in life we should care about.

This photo shows us on Norfolk Island 🇳🇫 where we spent two weeks covering Christmas and New Year for digital detox due to limited internet, admiring the origin of the Norfolk Pine trees which are all over mainland Australia as well.

Here are my suggestions what we can start now in this 369th episode of my #socialsellingmonday series:

1. Close the loop on open LinkedIn related topics worth getting out before it gets slower, incl. accepting connection requests where relevant.

2. Prepare an Away message directly in LinkedIn to tell others when you will be fully back on (Premium only). Yes, we can have a break from social media!

3. Show some gratitude to people who matter. Have a friend struggling after facing a layoff? Good time to write a recommendation now.

4. If you want to say "hello" to someone, just endorse them for a skill or two... they will receive that notification and most likely respond.

This period in the year follows the GLUE model which I created for my 2026 book, "Celebrate Your Network" (launch on 4 May). These letters stand for:
- give
- listen
- unite
- enhance

This works very well for the upcoming weeks. Less about us, more about others. Givers gain. Uniting regardless of background.

Let's make social media a good place, starting with LinkedIn.

taplio

The Battle

Richard van der Blom

Gunnar Habitz

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Performance ScoreRichard van der Blom's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreGunnar Habitz's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Richard van der Blom

Gunnar Habitz

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);}Richard van der Blom's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreGunnar Habitz's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreRichard van der Blom's LinkedIn Performance