Marketing Matters: Stop Trying to Be a LinkedIn Influencer
Key Highlights
- David Morgan's ISC West 2026 experience tells the story: Prospects walked up to his booth already sold, referencing his LinkedIn posts and asking about his family, before he'd said a word about his program.
- Posting once a week puts you in the top 1% of creators.
- You don't need 10,000 strangers, you need 50 right people in a 25-mile radius who know and trust you before you shake their hand.
This article originally appeared in the May 2026 issue of Security Business magazine. Don’t forget to mention Security Business magazine on LinkedIn or our other social handles if you share it.
At ISC West 2026, something strange kept happening at my booth.
Strangers walked up and talked to me like we'd been friends for years. They referenced posts I'd written. They asked how my family was doing. By day three, two of them told me they were ready to move forward with our program, before they'd even heard how it worked.
I hadn't sold them anything. LinkedIn had.
Most integrators I talk to have written LinkedIn off. They lump it in with Facebook, assume it's for consultants and SaaS pros, and go back to what they're good at: networking events, referrals, handshakes, and showing up.
Here's the irony. LinkedIn is all those things done at scale, from the phone already in your pocket. The real problem isn't posting frequency, hashtags, or a polished profile. The real problem is absence. And in 2026, absence is the most expensive marketing decision a security company can make.
The Reframe That Changes Everything
Stop trying to be a LinkedIn influencer. Be a networker who happens to use LinkedIn.
I didn't close those deals at ISC West. I closed them 18 months earlier, three minutes at a time. The booth was just the pickup window.
Every guru out there is selling integrators the wrong game, algorithm hacks, viral hooks, and daily posting grinds. That game is built for people who need 10,000 strangers to notice them. You don't. You need 50 right people in a 25-mile radius who know you, like you, and trust you before you've ever shaken their hand.
One more stat to sit with: one post per week puts you in the top 1% of creators on the platform. One. Per. Week. The bar is on the floor. Step over it.
What Actually Happened at my Booth
I have 7,211 followers. Not because I went viral, but because I showed up. For 18 months, I posted raw selfie videos from my office answering real questions. I left genuine comments on other people's posts. I connected with people I met at chamber breakfasts and remembered them six months later.
I didn't close those deals at ISC West. I closed them 18 months earlier, three minutes at a time. The booth was just the pickup window.
Those prospects arrived pre-positioned to buy. That's the entire game.
The 3-Minute LinkedIn Workout
Before your coffee's cold on Monday morning:
Minute 1: Send one connection request to someone local, a customer, a prospect, a referral partner, or someone you met this week.
Minute 2: Leave one real comment on someone's post. Not "great post!", a question, a story, a thank-you.
Minute 3: One day a week, post something raw. A 30-second video answering a customer question. A before-and-after install. A lesson from the field. Other days, react to three posts and move on.
One-time prerequisite: fix your headline. Stop saying "Owner at XYZ Security." Tell prospects what you actually do for them.
Your Unfair Advantage
ADT doesn't have a guy on LinkedIn who lives in your town, answers DMs from a work truck, and shows up at the local chamber breakfast.
You do.
That's not a disadvantage. That's your moat. Start building it on Monday.
About the Author
David Morgan
David Morgan is Co-Founder at SD Marketing, a full-service marketing agency dedicated exclusively to the security industry. He has spent 14+ years helping security integrators and dealers grow through data-driven, innovative marketing strategies. Contact him at 626-806-6800, [email protected] or visit https://sd.marketing.