Why I’m sending people voice notes on LinkedIn
The below is a reprint of an article originally posted on LinkedIn in Feb 2021
I, like many of you, never expected we’d be entering 2021 in the grip of a global pandemic with half the world under restricted movements and people finding it hard to get into their full mojo.
I can’t say that I wasn’t affected by this just as much as the next person and, as someone who gets some of their energy from others, I wanted to do something (no matter how small) to address this.
Around the same time that I was thinking this, a friend mentioned that he thought my messages on LinkedIn (I send everyone a personal message to celebrate any major milestone/announcement in their life) were automated. I was offended.
“Did my written messages sound that fake and robotic?
As a man who loves data and leading by fact, I did a quick test by assessing the last 100 messages I sent to connections to try and understand how many actually responded. I was shocked/not shocked to discover that every 10 messages I sent, I would get only about 3 responses (some of these no more than a standard “Thanks” or similar).
I couldn’t help that I was broadcasting but people weren’t receiving and, more than that, it had led to my messages becoming a bit generic and losing the vibrancy that is a big part of me.
It was then that the idea of voice notes was born. I’d been made aware of them over a year ago when a random connection sent me one and I remember how personal it felt and how it stood out.
Emboldened by that thought, I told myself that the very next day I would do my daily salutations by voice note and not by written note. Fortunately the next morning, I awoke to discover that I only had 2 birthdays, 3 new roles and 1 work anniversary as the key milestones amongst my network and so, I set about sending each a voice note,
I must admit, that the first couple I was a little nervous and had to re-record a couple of times but once I got going there was no stopping me. Soon, I was in my flow. Coffee in hand, walking around my flat, I began firing out voice notes to everyone…and you know what? They made quite the difference!
Suddenly the response rate went up from 3 in 10 to almost 6 in 10. Not just that, but my connections were genuinely touched and a much more personable response was received, often kicking off a good old chat. My connections commented how nice it was to receive such a cheery message, how nice it was to hear my voice and how it gave them a nice, small reason to re-connect.
I’ve been so emboldened that there’s no going back. I’ve started doing more voice notes for other social media and have been receiving more in exchange. For sure, the novelty will wear off at some point but equally you will never lose the personal touch so it’s all upside as far as I’m concerned*.
If you haven’t tried it, give it a go. Hopefully you won’t be disappointed
Faris
*ok, there may be a few small downsides. The biggest for me is that a voice note means you can’t quickly re-read what you wrote but if that’s the worst thing about it then that’s fine by me :)
Faris is the CEO and Founder of Shiageto Consulting, an innovative consultancy that helps firms and individuals sharpen their effectiveness.
Success = IQ x EQ x FQ
