In B2B sales, social media is not a broadcast channel
It’s a conversation starter
Yet too many people still judge success by views and impressions, as if LinkedIn were a digital billboard
Big numbers look good on a dashboard, but they rarely move a deal forward
Views are often nothing more than vanity metrics, comforting, but commercially empty
If your goal is revenue, not applause, then lower-volume, high-intent engagement should be the aim
Here’s why
1. Identity Beats Demographics Every Time
The biggest flaw with views is simple: they’re anonymous
A LinkedIn “view” can mean as little as one pixel loading for a fraction of a second
It doesn’t tell you whether someone read your post, understood it, or even noticed it
At best, you might see aggregated data like “CRO, London.” Helpful for ego
Useless for sales
A “like,” on the other hand, has a name attached to it
You know exactly who engaged
You can click through, review their role, their company, their career path, and quickly decide whether they fit your ideal customer profile
A metric has suddenly become a person and people buy, not impressions
2. Content’s Real Job: Building a Bridge to Conversation
In B2B, content isn’t the destination
Conversation is
Twenty likes is not a failure
It’s a gift
That’s twenty identifiable individuals you can realistically engage with
This is where the real value shows up
“Hi Dave, thanks for liking yesterday’s post. We’ve not spoken for ages, fancy a catch-up?”
That message works because it’s contextual
It’s human
And it’s based on something they did, not a cold outreach script
Your content becomes a digital bridge between public insight and private dialogue
That’s social selling in practice
3. The Viral Myth in B2B
Everyone wants to “go viral.”
Very few people stop to ask whether it actually helps
If a post gets 1,000 likes, or 40,000, it becomes impossible to follow up properly
You can’t research every profile
You can’t personalise every message
The opportunity collapses under its own weight
Worse still, viral reach doesn’t equal buying intent
I’ve seen a client generate 6.5 million views and 40,000 likes… and not receive a single inbound enquiry
Because in B2B, nobody buys a complex, career-risking solution because they saw a popular post
They buy because that post eventually led to a conversation with someone they trust
4. B2B Is Not B2C (And Never Will Be)
Views can matter, depending on what you sell
If you’re selling a £29 gadget, high visibility might trigger impulse purchases
But in B2B, the buying question isn’t “what have I got to lose?”
It’s “what happens to my job if this goes wrong?”
High-value, high-risk decisions are made through dialogue, credibility, and trust
Not likes
Not reach
And certainly not virality
Conclusion: Stop Chasing Applause. Start Building Relationships
In B2B sales, 25 likes from the right people are worth more than 1,000 anonymous views
Those likes represent 25 real opportunities to start a relationship, ask a question, and open a door
Success on social media doesn’t come from shouting louder, it comes from recognising who leaned in and having the confidence to continue the conversation privately
Because in the end, deals don’t close in the feed
They close in the conversation that follows
unknownx500
