“But Troy, younger people aren’t using LinkedIn. It’s perceived as something for old people.”
This objection comes up almost every time the topic of LinkedIn strategy gets raised in sales meetings. It’s become the go-to excuse for salespeople who don’t want to invest time in building a LinkedIn presence. Here’s the problem: It’s completely false. And the salespeople clinging to this myth are missing out on connecting with the exact demographic they claim to be trying to reach.
The Numbers Don’t Lie – I Checked.
Current LinkedIn demographics paint a very different picture than what these skeptics believe. Worldwide, 50.6% of LinkedIn users are aged 25-34, with another 24.5% falling into the 18-24 age group. In the United States specifically, 47% of LinkedIn users are Millennials and 29% are Gen Z.
Do the math: roughly 75% of LinkedIn users are under 35. If LinkedIn is “for old people,” then apparently three-quarters of its users didn’t get the memo. (Maybe the memo wasn’t posted on LinkedIn.) These aren’t passive users either. Young professionals are actively networking, engaging with business content, sharing career updates, and building their professional brands. They’re commenting on industry discussions, following thought leaders, and researching potential vendors and partners.
In other words, they’re doing exactly what salespeople should want their prospects to be doing – being active and engaged on a professional platform where they can be reached. Think of LinkedIn as a networking room where nobody is sitting on the sidelines, people are having engaged, professional conversations, and are open to contact. Want to be in that networking room? Me, too.
Where This Myth Really Comes From
Here’s what’s telling about this “LinkedIn is for old people” objection: It never comes from people who actually use LinkedIn regularly. It comes from salespeople who aren’t on the platform and don’t want to learn something new. This isn’t really about demographics. This is about fear of change disguised as market analysis.
It’s about preferring “tried and true” methods that are now just tried. It’s about laziness masquerading as strategy. It’s about salespeople who would rather stick with cold calling and email blasts than adapt to where their buyers actually spend their professional time. I see this in many other areas of sales right now, not just LinkedIn. The irony is thick: salespeople complaining that they can’t reach younger buyers while simultaneously refusing to engage on the platform where younger buyers are most active professionally. On a certain level, I get it – change can be scary, and it can be time-consuming. But if you want to stay relevant, change is mandatory.
The Participation Problem
Even among salespeople who claim to be “on LinkedIn,” most are spectators, not participants. They have a profile – often outdated and poorly optimized – and they might scroll through their feed during coffee breaks. Some share the occasional company blog post or industry article. But posting original thoughts? Commenting meaningfully on prospects’ content? Engaging in industry discussions? Building relationships through consistent value-driven content? That’s rare.
Most salespeople treat LinkedIn like a business card directory instead of the dynamic relationship-building platform it actually is. They’re present but not participating. They’re watching the conversation instead of joining it. This passive approach explains why so many salespeople don’t see results from LinkedIn and conclude it “doesn’t work” for their industry or demographic. Like many other elements of selling, you get out of it what you put into it.
The Real Opportunity For You
While these skeptics debate demographics and make excuses, their competitors are building relationships with exactly the buyers they claim to be targeting. Young B2B decision makers are on LinkedIn researching solutions, following industry trends, and engaging with content that helps them do their jobs better. They’re also evaluating potential vendors based on their thought leadership, industry knowledge, and professional presence. Remember – the average age of a B2B buyer is 36. Slot that into the demographics above.
When they’re ready to buy, who do you think they’re more likely to engage with – the salesperson who’s been sharing valuable insights and engaging thoughtfully with their content, or the one who shows up out of nowhere with a cold email or phone call? Many times, I see buyers researching salespeople on LinkedIn before engaging. The generational disconnect isn’t about the platform. It’s about salespeople who refuse to adapt to where their buyers actually spend their professional time.
What Real LinkedIn Engagement Looks Like
Sales professionals who actually succeed on LinkedIn (and there are many of them) understand that success requires genuine participation, not just presence. They commit to spending at least 20 minutes daily on the platform – not just reading posts or sharing company material, but actually engaging as thought leaders and industry participants. This means:
Posting original thoughts about industry trends, customer challenges, or lessons learned. Not company press releases or recycled motivational quotes – actual insights that demonstrate expertise and perspective. Salespeople are the best collectors of success stories and best practices in the business world. And here’s a ready-made platform for using these stories and practices to make yourself a thought leader.
Commenting meaningfully on prospects’ posts, industry discussions, and relevant content. Adding value to conversations instead of just hitting the “like” button.
Reacting and engaging with content from their network in ways that keep them visible and top-of-mind with prospects and referral sources.
Starting conversations through direct messages that reference specific posts, shared connections, or genuine business interests – not generic sales pitches. But stay away from the generic “pitch slaps.” This level of engagement takes time and effort. It requires thinking about what to say and how to add value. It’s much easier to stick with the familiar routine of cold calls and email blasts. But easy doesn’t mean effective.
The Cost of Staying on the Sidelines
The sales world is changing rapidly. Buyers have more information, more options, and less patience for traditional sales approaches. They’re researching solutions independently, building vendor shortlists without sales input, and making decisions based on reputation and thought leadership as much as product features. In this environment, salespeople who aren’t building their professional brand and engaging with prospects where they spend their time are becoming increasingly irrelevant. They’re watching opportunities go to competitors who invested in building relationships through consistent, valuable engagement.
The “LinkedIn is for old people” myth isn’t just wrong – it’s costly. Every day spent clinging to outdated assumptions is another day competitors are building relationships with the prospects these skeptics claim don’t exist.
The Bottom Line
Your prospects are on LinkedIn. The younger decision makers you want to reach are actively engaging on the platform. The question isn’t whether they’re there – the question is whether you’re there in a meaningful way. If you’re not fully participating, you’re missing out. Stop making excuses about demographics. Stop treating LinkedIn like a passive business directory. Start engaging like the professional platform it is.
Twenty minutes a day. Original posts. Meaningful comments. Genuine engagement. Do that consistently, and you’ll discover what successful salespeople already know: LinkedIn isn’t just where younger buyers are – it’s where relationships are built and deals are won.
The choice is yours: adapt to where your buyers are, or keep making excuses while your competitors build the relationships that should have been yours.
