Their Twitter profile looked legitimate. It had a professional looking picture, a well written bio and a customized banner.

So you followed them back. It always feels good when a professional finds your page and follows you first. It kind of feels like your social media content is catapulting your personal brand forward at great speed. And then blunt force trauma. An automated tweet or automated direct message from that professional looking profile smashes into your communication stream. You are jolted by the fact that this person is immediately requesting that you should “Like” their Facebook page, check their website, and schedule 30 minutes for a “quick chat.

“Back in the day” is a phrase that is often used to refer to a blissful time in the past when life was simpler. For example, back in the day, you could get away with a LinkedIn message as follows:

 

Wait a minute Alan; I’m still using that approach today! Well, first of all, if that approach is getting meetings for you, keep using it.