Why Your LinkedIn Posts Are Failing (And How to Fix Them)

Are your LinkedIn posts not bringing in leads? 😰

Ilze Švarcbaha, founder of Not Scheduled and a B2B SaaS content expert, knows exactly why and what you can do to fix it.

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In this week’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ilze Švarcbaha to tackle a challenge most B2B marketers have faced before:

– How do I make LinkedIn work for us as a channel to drive engagement and leads?
– How can we use this platform to drive business growth and not just add more noise on the platform because everyone says you "need to be active on LinkedIn"?

Ilze’s agency, Not Scheduled, champions a simple yet overlooked philosophy: social media should be, well, social. Too often, brands focus on producing lots of content and neglect engaging with their audience. Ilze and her team help brands build meaningful connections by focusing on strategic content creation and authentic engagement.

Let’s dive into the key takeaways from the interview:

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1. Common LinkedIn Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

lze shared three common reasons LinkedIn profiles and posts fail:

• Unclear Profiles: Your LinkedIn profile is like a landing page. If visitors can’t immediately understand who you are and what you do, they’ll leave. Keep it clear, concise, and aligned with your goals.
• Lack of Originality: Sharing links or resharing others’ content isn’t enough. To stand out, you need to create original posts that reflect your unique perspective.
• Ghosting: Social media is about give and take. If you post and disappear without engaging with others, your content will struggle to gain traction. Proactive engagement matters – spend at least 15 minutes engaging before and after posting to maximize visibility.

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2. Shift Your Mindset: Give Before You Ask

One of Ilze’s key points was the importance of shifting from a sales-first mindset to a value-first mindset.

Instead of constantly pitching your product or service, focus on educating, inspiring, and entertaining your audience. By giving value upfront, you’ll naturally build trust and attract leads over time.

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3. You're Not “Giving Too Much Away” (don't worry)

Many marketers worry that sharing too much value will leave potential customers with no reason to buy. Ilze’s take?

"Everyone can find all the information on Google or with AI now," she explained, "but what people want help with is the actual execution."

‍Sharing expertise freely not only builds trust but also attracts the right clients who value your unique approach.

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4. Use the TOFU-MOFU-BOFU Framework

Ilze introduced the “TOFU-MOFU-BOFU” content framework she follows when creating content, explaining how each stage serves a unique purpose:

• TOFU (Top of Funnel): This is about creating awareness and showing personality. Examples include personal stories, behind-the-scenes moments, or even fun, relatable content. Ilze shared an example of using a TikTok trend where people created freckles with broccoli as inspiration for a beauty product comparison post comparing using broccoli to draw on freckles to using an actual freckles pen. This playful, top-of-funnel content grabs attention while staying relevant.
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• MOFU (Middle of Funnel): Educational content that demonstrates your expertise and solves audience pain points. For example, Ilze’s team created a carousel comparing a product to market alternatives, tying it to trending data like Google Trends or TikTok insights to educate and engage the audience.
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• BOFU (Bottom of Funnel): This is where you directly sell, using posts like case studies, special offers, or testimonials to convert leads into customers. Ilze says BOFU posts come most naturally to most people. Your time will be better spent mastering TOFU and MOFU content, providing value and building a connection to your audience. BOFU post are essential, but are more easy to produce.
  
  Hot Tip: You can pair BOFU text with engaging TOFU visuals (like a selfie or something lighthearted) to attract attention while delivering your sales message in a more engaging way.

This framework ensures your content mix serves a variety of purposes, from building trust to driving conversions, and keeps your strategy balanced.

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5. How Storytelling Can Transform Your LinkedIn Content

Storytelling is powerful, but incorporating it into LinkedIn posts can feel tricky or a bit forced in the beginning.

Ilze suggested:

• Collecting Stories: Write down interesting client interactions, successes, or challenges to use in future content.
• Asking Questions and Interviewing the Founder: If you're helping the CEO / Founder build their founder brand on LinkedIn, you can start by interviewing him once a month or per week and can get many golden nuggets of information from this:
  
  “Start by asking about their journey: why they founded the company, what makes their product unique, and how they’ve solved key challenges for their clients. Ask the CEO about the most common questions or surprising insights they’ve learned from clients. These nuggets can inspire great content."

Here are some example questions Ilze recommends:

• Why did you start this company?
• What’s the biggest challenge your product solves for customers?
• How do you differentiate from competitors?
• What’s a memorable client success story?
• What unique feedback or questions have customers shared with you?

These questions are a great start to start posting engaging and educational content that will build a connection with your audience.

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6. Leverage Team Members as Brand Ambassadors

Featuring employees in content can add authenticity and relatability to your brand.

While some companies worry about associating the brand too closely with individuals (as they may move on to other opportunities or roles further down the line), Ilze says that showcasing real people builds trust and humanizes your company - and that is always worth the potential "risk" in this case and effort.

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7. Look Beyond LinkedIn for Inspiration

Need content ideas?

Ilze’s go-to sources are Instagram and TikTok. “I’m always checking what’s trending on Instagram or TikTok because people are incredibly creative there. You can adapt these ideas for LinkedIn while still maintaining professionalism.”

Bringing in creative elements from more casual platforms can help your posts stand out.

For example, there was a trend on TikTok where people used broccoli to make fake freckles. Ilze and her team used that as inspiration for a beauty product brand's post! It’s playful and engaging, and LinkedIn could use more of that.

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8. Measuring Success: Go Beyond Likes

While impressions and engagements matter, Ilze emphasized focusing on meaningful metrics:

• Shares and Conversations: These indicate your content is resonating with your audience.
• Employee Interactions: If employees are sharing your posts without being asked, that’s a strong signal.
• Leads: Bottom-of-funnel content, like case studies or special offers, is where you’ll see direct inquiries.

“Sometimes, a single BOFU post can drive more business results than weeks of engagement-focused content,” Ilze explained.

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9. Why Consistency Is Key

Building a strong LinkedIn presence is a marathon, not a sprint. People expect overnight results, but LinkedIn’s impact grows with consistent effort. She recommends posting 2-3 times per week and experimenting with a mix of Tofu, Mofu, and Bofu posts to see what resonates most with your audience.

To stay consistent, Ilze suggests planning content in advance and repurposing. For example, if you’ve written a great blog or filmed a video, break it into smaller pieces for LinkedIn. This not only saves time but ensures you always have something valuable to share.

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Final Thoughts

LinkedIn’s not just about posting now and then and hoping for the best.

To get real results for your business in terms of revenue, awareness and clients, you need a clear profile, a mix of content, and actual engagement. Ilze’s advice is super practical: give more than you ask, share what you know, and don’t be afraid to try creative ideas that make you stand out.

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Curious to learn more?

Check out more Marketing Mondays with Maria episodes – where we dive into real marketing problems and no-nonsense solutions. And connect with Ilze on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date with her fantastic LinkedIn tips or get support with your LinkedIn strategy.