The LinkedIn Strategy That's Actually Getting Clients in 2026

In this episode of The Tarryn Reeves Show, I’m joined by LinkedIn Business Coach Mary Adanegbe, and she’s here to call time on the biggest LinkedIn lie: that it’s “just for resumes and job seekers.”

Mary shares how being laid off in 2018 became the catalyst that pushed her to show up audaciously on LinkedIn, build real authority, and grow a thriving online coaching business from Nigeria with clients around the world. We dive into what’s changed on LinkedIn (and what most entrepreneurs still get wrong), plus the exact strategy Mary teaches to attract sophisticated buyers organically, without dancing for attention on crowded platforms.

You’ll learn Mary’s MSC Framework (Messaging → Sales Funnel → Content), what kind of LinkedIn content actually converts (and what to stop posting immediately), how hashtags really work on LinkedIn, and the confidence-building identity shift that happens when you commit to taking up space online, especially as a woman in business.

If you’re a service-based entrepreneur, coach, consultant, or expert who wants to generate qualified leads on LinkedIn, grow your personal brand, and turn content into conversations that convert… this one’s for you.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why LinkedIn is no longer “just for corporate suits” (and what it’s actually for now)
  
  
• Mary’s story: from corporate layoff to building a global coaching business
  
  
• The MSC Framework for organic LinkedIn lead generation
  
  
• The three content types that warm up leads and drive enquiries
  
  
• How to stop posting generic “tips” and start posting with real perspective
  
  
• Hashtags on LinkedIn: doQ: do they matter, how many to use, and why
  
  
• The biggest LinkedIn myth keeping entrepreneurs stuck
  
  
• A powerful message for women showing up online: chase the failure
  
  
• Mary’s Book Drop: The 12 Week Year and how it changed her productivity
  
  

Connect with Mary:
Find Mary on LinkedIn and follow her for practical, no-fluff guidance on building authority and booking leads organically.

• Website
• LinkedIn

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Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with a business owner who needs to start taking up space on LinkedIn.

Connect with Tarryn

Transcript

0:01

Alrighty, welcome to another episode of the Tarryn Reeves Show. Today, I've got my friend Mary Adanegbe a LinkedIn business coach on a mission to help audacious business owners amplify their message and book qualified leads organically through LinkedIn. Over the past five years, Mary has worked with industry experts to help them build authority, expand their impact and attract high value clients, all by showing up strategically on LinkedIn. Now, Mary runs a thriving online coaching business from her home in Nigeria, attracting an audience and clients from around the world. Her bold message is that more business owners need to take up space on LinkedIn, share their stories and grow their businesses audaciously. Mary, welcome to the Tarryn Reeves Show. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. So awesome to be here. It's an absolute pleasure. Now let's kick off where any good thing starts and that's with a story. You have spoken out about showing up audaciously on LinkedIn and how that kind of transformed your life. What did that journey look like for you? Yeah, I love that question. uh My journey on LinkedIn with the whole LinkedIn thing that I'm doing right now, it actually all started in 2018 when I got laid off from my corporate job. And when that happened, it made me grind to a halt. And it's made me, it was this bold realization that I could never be truly safe in a nine to five job. And to understand me, I might need to take you a bit further. So growing up, I didn't grow up with lots of privileges or lots of money. So I always knew that I would have to like work real hard for things. And I did do that. I worked hard. was the student. was always the best student when I was in high school. I worked hard. I did all of the things I needed to do. And I just kept on that journey. And besides that, then I started exploring or just thinking. about the idea of owning my own business, being my own business owner. It was sort of like wishful thinking. It was not something I was ever going to do, but it was always there. But I kept on the corporate path, the nine to five ladder, because that's what I always knew. So when I finished up from school, started working, then I kept going from one job to the other and climbing up the ladder. I was a digital marketer and a social media manager. And until 2018, when I got laid off from my job and I realized it was not something that was planned. I was not expecting it. It's actually triggered that sense of insecurity. not like I felt safe being in a nine to five job. And since I already had that idea of building my own business someday, you know, it was always there, but I went on, kept on looking for another job, right? I went on LinkedIn. I was searching for jobs like we do on LinkedIn. And when I went there, I met something there or something better. I started seeing people who were sharing their stories, right? People who had left their nine to five job, but were using LinkedIn to build their personal brand and build their businesses. And it was intriguing. Like they were reflecting to me the life I always dreamed of. And it felt interesting. Like I wanted to try it. And I made that audacious move. and started sharing content on LinkedIn. I was already a digital marketer, so I was just sharing my expertise, sharing five tips for this, five hacks for that. And the more I did it, the more interest I grew in my personal brand. People were reaching out to me, asking me about LinkedIn, asking me about how to share their content. And somehow, somehow, I discovered that I realized that I could actually become a coach, because I was seeing other people coaching, doing the thing. With these expertise I have, there are so many different ways I could go, but I decided that I wanted to be a coach because I like, I love the, I love to work with people one-on-one to really help them get deep transformation. And I believe that coaching does that more than anything else. So I decided to become a coach and I was doing that. And while I sharing my content on LinkedIn and building all of this expertise, building all of this authority on a platform, I did also get a job as a LinkedIn specialist in a top IT firm, which I... worked there for a couple of years until I left in 2022 because the corporate culture there was extremely toxic. I left in 2022 and decided to go all in with my coaching business. It was a scary decision, but it was one I knew I had to make. So I went into my coaching business and I've been doing that since 2022 full time. And I won't trade what I have now for what I have then. Of course being in business has its ups and downs. Like, I mean, Whose idea was it for us to build a business do something all on our own, right? But then again, it's something beautiful that I will not trade for what I had in a corporate job. So in summary, LinkedIn gave me my dream life, you know, taking action on the platform, going bold, you know, doing the scary things. I'm an introvert. So putting out content is not easy for me. I was telling my friend the other day that I'm an introvert and she was like, it doesn't show. I'm like, I'm an introvert. Before I have calls, I find myself, I get nervous before any call, before any, but I still do what I have to do, you make that bold move, that audacious decision, and I show up and doing that on LinkedIn over time, helps me build my brand, helps me build authority, helps me have conversations with people I never thought I would have conversations with. Now I'm on podcasts, I'm on a podcast with an amazing person like you. If I never actually took that bold step, I never would be here. So LinkedIn helped me do that. It helped me build my brand. It helped me build my business. And I really enjoyed the life that I've been able to build so far. Amazing, Now let's talk about what LinkedIn used to be and what it's commonly mistaken still to be. So a lot of people think that LinkedIn is only for people looking for jobs and for corporate suits, corporate businesses, and you and I both know that that's not true. But what are these people getting wrong? They're getting so many things wrong. I believe maybe, maybe I think lots of people who have that kind of mindset, they are usually on Facebook or they are on Instagram or on TikTok. And they have no idea about the power of LinkedIn because LinkedIn is a wonderful place. LinkedIn is a place where you can actually have deep conversations with people. Like I was speaking to a client the other day and I was telling her that, but she used to use, she uses, m Instagram and Facebook a lot and she's like, she wants to like just focus entirely on LinkedIn now. And I that's a really good decision because on LinkedIn you can actually have like quality conversations with like top decision makers, people who are discerning in the industry, you know. So that's that's the thing that they are missing. LinkedIn actually hands you the mic and puts you in the right rooms. I always say that LinkedIn hands you the mic and puts you in the right room. So why are you on crowded platforms, you know, seeking and dancing for attention. You know, you can be on LinkedIn, you can share your authority, share your quality content, and people will actually get it. People will actually pause to read it, to engage with it. So there are people who actually think LinkedIn, I don't know, I find myself wondering, do people still think that? But then again, I came across a post the other day where somebody was saying that she went to update her a particular job description finally on her LinkedIn. I'm like, people still think LinkedIn is a place. just for your resume, I don't know because I use the platform a lot and I help people use it, I see people use it. I find myself not really being able to really comprehend why people won't see that LinkedIn is way beyond just a place where you post your resume. It's a place where you can build your brand, attract opportunities from all over the world. Like, you're not trying to say, like I don't get how people still don't see it, but then again, I get people like that. you have that kind of a process, LinkedIn is. LinkedIn has transcended past just a place for resume. Just sharing content three times a week alone can do so much for your brand. And even if you are putting out content, even if you are on LinkedIn to find a job, sharing content is still a necessity because it shows employers that you know your stuff. At least even if you want to be there as a resume sharer at, you know, the worst case scenario is people will come to your content pieces, come to your LinkedIn profile and see that, this person is actually. The person actually knows their stuff. If you can actually articulate your expertise, it tells a lot about you. Yeah, definitely. Now you teach a three-part strategy or a formula as you call it to use LinkedIn to organically attract buyers, sophisticated buyers to your business or your brand. Can you walk us through what that looks like? okay. Yeah. I guess you're talking about my MSC framework and it's uh messaging, sales funnel, content in that order. start off, anything you want to do on LinkedIn as a business owner, someone being a personal brand, you want to make sure you are starting off with clear messaging. You need to take the time to really sit back and understand yourself, understand your stories, understand your, you know, the emotional parts of your, of your, of your brand, your expertise, understand your business or understand yourself and then understand your ideal client, understand your ideal audience, your ideal client. So you want to, so the first thing want to do is work on your messaging. And then the next thing you want to do on LinkedIn is work on your, work on your sales funnel. You need to understand how your audience buys. You need to understand how well they even know what you are selling. But it depends on what you are selling on LinkedIn. And I think it's caught across different platforms. So it was specifically on LinkedIn, you can't go on the platform, for instance, it's the first time you are getting there. Or maybe you don't really have an audience on a platform and you are trying to lead people into a 5K program. It's most likely will not do well. You need to take people through a funnel. Now there are funnels you have to put in the front end. People are seeing it clearly. or the LinkedIn platform, you're sharing content about it is on your profile. And then there are things that will be at the back end that people are going through without people actually know your audience on LinkedIn. aren't really seeing it. But once they take that first step, they are led into that funnel behind the scenes. people are at different stages of their buying journey. People know you at different stages. the person is like someone like you, for instance, you and me, we've known each other for you know, quite some time, depending on, there are some things I would sell to you that you would buy. There are some things I would sell to you that you won't buy. So, you know, there are different, you know, different levels of awareness. You need to understand that about your audience. You need to understand who are people in your audience. And you need to be filling up your audience first of all with people. And that's the beauty of LinkedIn also. You can actually directly connect with people. And you can also, you can also, you obviously can't... correct these people and have conversations with them. And you need to know what exactly you are selling to people at different stages of the buyer journey. And then lastly, you want to make sure you are putting out content on your LinkedIn, like it's a non-negotiable. Every week you need to make sure you are putting out content. You need to communicate your personality. You need to communicate your expertise. I wish people would know how amazing you are without you having to tell them. but they wouldn't. You actually have to tell them and tell them over and over and over and over and over again. And sometimes it can be, it can be tiring. It can be frustrating, but it's just the way it is right now. Like you have to tell people, you know, over and over and over and over and over again, because as lots of coaches are putting this right now, we are in a trust recession. People are taking their time to make buying decisions. They're not just swiping their cards and buying whatever comes in front of them. You need to put yourself out there over and over and over and over and over consistently. So that's the MSC framework, your messaging, your sales, your sales funnel process, and then your content. When you go through these three stages and you go through them consistently, consistently, consistently, you definitely be able to efficiently use the platform. to your benefits, especially if you are a business owner, not just a content creator, you're a business owner, you own a business, you are using LinkedIn as a tool for your business. Beautiful. Let's talk content then because not all content is created equal. What kind of content actually does convert on LinkedIn or does warm up leads on LinkedIn and what should we stop doing? Okay. So I teach my clients uh five different types of content. But uh if you can actually master just these three, are good to start. So authority content pieces is very important. uh Secondly, need to put out social proof content. And then lastly, you need to put out uh storytelling content pieces. Now for the authority content pieces, You don't just want to give people uh five steps of doing something, uh five hacks of doing something, five tips of doing something, particularly on LinkedIn, right? You want to show your perspective. You want to show your perspective. Like that's polarizing thoughts that you think you should keep within you. That's polarizing thoughts you think will shake the internet that nobody will agree with. Maybe that's what people need to actually hear, you know, that's a thing growing deep within you that you feel everybody needs to know. do, I've got the way I was talking about, that's the way you saw the way I was so passionate when I was like, I don't get how somebody would be like, LinkedIn is just for resumes. You know, that passionate thing that you really want people to hear, that's what you should be putting out there. So your authority piece goes beyond just teaching people, teaching them this, teaching them that. They could go on Chat GPT to go and ask five tips for whatever. And Chat GPT we, you know, we regurgitate a ton of tips. But the thing that sets you apart is your perspective, your unique perspective, your unique experiences. Not two people have the same experiences. Like if you put two people, twins or triplets, go through, like let's say one high school, they would come out. at the end of it and give you three different stories. So no two people, know, we are all unique. We have our unique experiences, our unique stories, and you want to make sure that is reflected in your content, but that's what sets you apart. That's what attracts, you know, your own person. So that's the kind of content that you should actually put the content unique to you, content that showcases your expertise, that showcases your unique perspective, content that showcases your... your unique experiences, like how did you do something? People want to see how you did something. They can't see that on Chat GPT If I'm teaching uh on LinkedIn about how I attracted five coaching clients into my business in a month using LinkedIn, that's not something Chat GPT can ever give anybody. If you go to Chat GPT and ask, I want to attract five coaching clients to tell you all of the things you need to do, but it won't tell you the things I did. So actually I tried those clients in a month. So that's what's, that's the thing that sets you apart on LinkedIn. So that kind of content is really good. And then the kind of what you should not be doing is putting out content that is not backed by all of this. I mean, I already talked about what you should do. You know, the opposite is what you should not do. You know, just putting out content like a throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something will stick. You should be strategic with your content, strategic with your presence on LinkedIn so you can get the best results. Now let's talk about the best results then on LinkedIn. Talk to me about hashtags, Mary, because hashtags originally started on Instagram, I believe. I could be wrong, I'm no social media expert, but for me it's always been an Instagram thing. And then they kind of moved over to LinkedIn. Is our hashtags supposed to be used on LinkedIn? If so, how strategically do you use them? How many do you use? Where do you find the right ones? Talk to me about Okay, can be used on LinkedIn. You can use hashtags on LinkedIn, but uh the algorithm doesn't really separate hashtags, content. It doesn't give favoritism if you use hashtags. You can use hashtags to drive home your points. You can use hashtags to drive home your points. You can use hashtags to build your personal brand. Like I have some hashtags I use for lots of my content. do it afraid, I have take up space. Those are like my taglines, are you seeing most of my content spaces. it's, it helps you, it's you, can use it to like set yourself apart from the crowd. So if, so you can use that, you know, that's what's one way you can use hashtags. But generally the LinkedIn algorithm, the algorithm does not really like show favoritism for hashtags. And if I thought you're gonna be using hashtags, please don't use 15, 10. seven, eight hashtags, keep it under five, between one and five. It's enough hashtags to use in one single post. Well, thank you for clearing that up because it's been a bugbear for me for a while. I've been like, am I supposed to use hashtags? Am I not supposed to use hashtags? Are they searchable? But what I'm hearing is that they're not actually searchable. It's just kind of like a branding thing. Interesting. it as a branding thing exactly. Yeah, interesting. Now let's talk about where you are. You are in Nigeria. I am from Zimbabwe originally, both African ladies. You've built a global business from your home in Nigeria. Tell us what a day looks like in your life now compared to when you worked for corporate. uh I am not one for routines. I'm terrible at routines. I'm not one for routines, but these days, what a day in my life has been looking like is I wake up in the morning quite early. I freshen up, then I go to the gym. I spend about an hour, an hour, 30 minutes at the gym. I get back, freshen up, and I have breakfast. And after having breakfast, I... get down to work and then work and take rest in between. And then after that, I have dinner and put myself to sleep and repeat the cycle the next day. But when I was in the corporate space, I would wake up in the morning, very early, freshen up and commute down to work. And then when I get to work, I would get down. When I get to work, I usually start work. I don't take breakfast. walk to lunch hour and then I eat lunch and then I work and work and work We are done with work and I commute back home and know, repeat the cycle again the next day. that's how that's, you know, it's quite simple and straightforward, right? So that's how my day in the life looks like when I was in the nine to five and now I'm doing my own thing. Beautiful. Now you spoke about being an introvert before and you seem very confident and I'm assuming that building your brand online has had a lot to do with that. So how has that online brand building, your entrepreneurial journey impacted your confidence both personally and professionally? I love this question. Like it's so, it's so ah personal. Like it's so deep for me because yeah, I am an introvert and I actually had to do a lot of work on myself. Like when I was working in my nine to five, right? I was just, you know, going through the motions, doing the things I was supposed to do. And at the end of the month, I received my salary. oh And, but now, but since being my own business, I had to start working on myself. Like I realized, started discovering, I think that's one thing about being in business. Like if for nothing else, being in a business will, it will edge you. It will make you grow. It will make you grow so fast. It will make you grow so fast. It will help you discard lots of unnecessary things and only hold on to the things that are important. Like it has, it forced me to do like a lot of deep dive into like my past, the reasons why I was holding back, know, traumas I was dealing with, like it's a journey and I so, love it. It's one of the things I love the most about building my business because I had to sit back and really dive deep into why am I acting this way? Why this? Cause I was going on sales calls, right? I would go on sales calls and I'll be fumbling, I'll be finding my words, I'll be people pleasing, I'll basically be begging for the sale and it will not come. And I had to actually sit back and really ask myself deep question. I still do that still now, like with working with clients, like you have to do that deep work and find out, oh, okay. I know I'm an introvert, right? But You know, and of course you keep listening to other people, you keep listening to other podcasts, you see other people who, you, who may not really know as much as you do and they are so vocal and they're so confident and they're saying what they, what they are saying. And you know, the journey just helps you, just makes you decide to actually, you know, work on yourself and you have to, because you have to eat, right? So you have to do that deep work. You have to actually sit back and really reflect, reflect on your trauma, do a lot of healing. do a lot of soul searching, do a lot of deep conversations with yourself, fall in love with yourself. Finally, yeah yourself think and love your own voice. Look yourself in the mirror and fall in love with yourself. You have to do that deep work because if you don't accept yourself, you don't own yourself, own your message, own you, you can't put it out there. Nobody will love you if you don't love yourself. Nobody will take whatever you are saying if you don't accept yourself. You have to do that deep work. I don't know if I'm explaining this right, but it's just so passionate and it was just coming and I just know that beginning my business, I did different things. I've not really like, I've not really like, you know, other dating. No, I did this first, I did this second, I did this third. It just kept coming and I kept, you know, rolling with the punches, learning how to master it. And as time went on, I used my confidence in the first podcast I did. I don't even know. I don't even remember what I said anymore. It was just, I was just all over the place. I was, trying to do this, trying to please and all of those things. And now I'm coming on a podcast and I'm just having a conversation and you know, yeah, so it's all different. You know, it's all different from where I was before and where I am now. And I'm so, so, so grateful for it. Yeah, it's an amazing journey and there are many punches along the way, that is for sure. Now what's one myth about LinkedIn that you wish people would stop believing? Hmm, one myth I wish people would stop believing is, yeah, one. Thinking that if they keep putting out content, then, you know, all of the clients will come. Like a client of mine was telling me about a friend, not really a friend, an acquaintance she met through a common group who was telling her that she was on LinkedIn for a year and she was sharing content almost every day. and she did not get one single client. And I'm like, okay, exactly. I expected that, I expected that results because you can't be on LinkedIn and just sharing content alone and think that that's all you need to do. It goes way deeper than that. And that's one thing I've seen lots of people actually believe, I've seen those people believing in like, just show up, know, just show up, just show up. was the first thing you need to do is show up, you know. get the ball rolling, know, just like when you are, when you're exercising, right? The first thing is to warm up. That's just getting started, but you still have to do the deep work that actually, you know, creates the transformation. So that's what the myth I wish people would stop believing. Like just show up and share content and you'll be fine. It goes beyond that. You need a strategy behind this. You need to work on your messaging. You need to have a sales funnel process because people, need to inspire people to take action and tell them specifically. what action you need them to take. So that's what I wish more people would actually get to understand that it goes beyond just putting out content on LinkedIn. If you want to do it, obviously start it. I like the idea of get started, but then when you get started, add that strategy. It's extremely necessary. Yep, yep, I couldn't agree more. And let's talk about being a woman in business very briefly. What's one message that you want more business owners, especially women, to hear when it comes to showing up online? Chase the failure. Chase the failure. This one is very personal for me, because I hate failing. I talked about how I was the best student all through high school. I was the best student in all subjects, in all classes. So I was not used to failing. So one of the reasons why I actually held back from going into my business was actually that reason. I hate failing I fear failing But now I've come to realize that it's important to chase the failure. I wish I knew this much sooner. But then again, maybe I wouldn't have taken action anyway, but because it is essential to chase the failure. It might sound uh off, but it's important for you to get used to failing One of the reasons why we hold back is because we are scared of failing But you need to fail so you can work those Muscles and so you can actually become strong enough to win So that's what I'll say like I'll say Yeah, it's how you lose the only way you let most of the post here on the sidelines for years They don't take action because they are scared of failing like you need to decide fast like make decisions fast take action fast fail fast heal fast and Get back to it get back to taking action like it's necessary for you to be successful in business. And I think that anything actually, for you to successful, by the time you keep winning, like you are always winning, always winning, always winning, add some intensity. Add some intensity so you can train your muscle, you know, so you can train those failed muscles, win muscles. And I think that's, mean, if you don't have that thing in front of you that you are scared of, I think life will not be fun. That's one thing I realized sometime ago, like we need to have this thing in front of us that we are. Like fear is actually a good thing. It keeps you grounded. It keeps you going. It keeps you something to live for. It gives you something to wake up in the morning to like, okay, I want to wake up this morning and actually tackle this thing. But if you're just, you know, you're always just going. That's why think that's why people who, multi-millionaires who have lots of money, they chase adventure. They want to go see the Titanic. They want to go to Mars, you know, add more intensity to their life because they've done it all. And now they just want more intensity. So that's what I think, know, cheers to failure. Yeah, I love that. Now, let's have some fun. I heard on the grapevine that you are into K-drama, is that right? Ahaha, it's true. What's your ultimate go-to K-drama when you're winding down after a big day on LinkedIn? Ah, I don't have a specific one. I'm not that person who has a favorite movie or favorite series. have a couple. Sometimes it depends on what's airing at the moment and I'm enjoying it. Sometimes it's ah something I've seen before that I might just feel that thing. I just feel it like I want to go back to, but mostly. Mostly, if it's going to be anything, has to be romance. I love romance. I'm a stickler for love. I love romance. So if it's going to be anything, thought I'm going Most times I watch only romance K drama. So maybe not a specific one, but if I'm going to go back to anything, it's going to be romance related. It just, you know, helps me losing up. It takes my mind off. me... It gives my heart fluttering. I'm giggling. I'm smiling. So I love romantic K-dramas. I don't know the specific one, but if I'm going to go back to anything, because I've seen lots of K-dramas and I keep going back to some and they are always the ones that are romance related. that. I love that. Now Mary, we have a tradition on this podcast called The Book Drop and we want to know what book has impacted you either personally or professionally and why. Hmm, professionally the book that's impacted me a lot is the 12 week year by uh Brian Moran and Michael Lennington. The 12 week year, it's taught me the importance of uh breaking the year into 12 weeks. Like rather than waiting till the end of the year, like six, three months to the end of the year to start chasing all of your goals, instead treat your Yeah, the whole year as four years, yeah, like three, yeah, 12 weeks, one year, 12 weeks, one year, 12 weeks, one year, so four years. So the same intensity you would use for the last three months of the year, use that intensity for the first three months, the second three months, the third three months, the last three months. So you will actually get more done like that compared to... you know, thinking about it, thinking about it, thinking about it. And all of a sudden it's October and you're like, wow, what do I do now? You start running hard, start chasing, you start signing up for the gym, you start doing all of the, you know, the things and all kinds of magic happens. So that book actually helps me realize the importance of breaking my year and actually taking action at, you know, intense action at every, you know, at every point. Beautiful. I actually haven't heard of that one before, so I'm going to add that to my list. So thank you so much for sharing. Yeah, I haven't. I haven't, but I'm going to add it. Thank you so much for sharing your book recommendation, as well as all your LinkedIn expertise, because I have to admit that LinkedIn was never my favorite platform. I was very much an Instagram girl because I liked the visuals, and LinkedIn just felt a bit... stale like that. ah But I'm a fan now, like I have pivoted quite a lot on that platform and I have overcome that mistake of thinking that it was only for job seekers. So thank you for the work that you do and for showing up and being your beautiful, audacious self. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. It's always a pleasure.