Top 10 LinkedIn Mistakes to Avoid and what to do instead…

We all make mistakes when we start doing something new.

If you learn from them and don’t repeat the process then a mistake actually turns into a huge opportunity.

I’ve made loads of mistakes over the years on LinkedIn – it’s how I learned how to get the most out of the platform and how I tested what works and what doesn’t work.

I’m also a big reader and love looking at what others do, how they do it, and what works for them.

LinkedIn is your gateway to growing your business. Once you nail it, you will reap the rewards. You will also find that over time you will actually start serving your customers better and providing a better experience for them.

Why? Because you will learn exactly what they really want.

Your customers and prospects like talking about their challenges and frustrations.

They look for solutions and recommendations on how to solve their problems and LinkedIn is a great place to get answers.

You just need to know how to be there when they ask and be in a position to respond in a way that gets you noticed and sets you apart from others.

So today I thought I’d share with you the top 10 mistakes people make on LinkedIn and how you can avoid doing them yourself!

(this is a bit of a lengthy email but it’s worth your time to read if you’re serious about using LinkedIn to grow your business)

Top 10 LinkedIn Mistakes people make

LinkedIn Mistakes #1 – Your LinkedIn profile looks like your CV – This is the number one mistake people make and it’s so easy to fix. Your LinkedIn profile should be your online billboard – It is a place where you can tell your audience how you can help them and the benefits they will receive if they work with you or buy your products.

LinkedIn Mistakes #2 – You use a profile photo that has no resemblance to how you look now – Make sure your profile photo looks like you. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to recognize you when searching for you or even when meeting you in person for the first time.

LinkedIn Mistakes #3 – You use your job title as your profile headline – second to your profile photograph, this is the next thing someone will see – don’t make it generic – let everyone know who you serve and how you help them. You have one sentence to summarise what you do and tempt people to head to your profile to read more. Don’t waste this opportunity.

LinkedIn Mistakes #4 – You connect with everyone and anyone to grow your network – some LinkedIn experts will tell you that this is the way you should grow your audience and a great way to get your content in front of more people and generate more leads. I’m here to tell you not to listen to them. Your LinkedIn network should only contain people that you want to communicate with – your target market, influencers, advocates, and fans. That is… if you want to use LinkedIn to grow your business.

LinkedIn Mistakes #5 – The content you post is all about you – The harsh reality is that no one really cares about you – they just care about what you can do for them. When you write a post make sure you put it through the ‘What’s in it for me’ test and imagine yourself as your customer.

LinkedIn Mistakes #6 – You write negative posts about others – If you have something bad to say about someone or frustration to vent – talk directly to the person that has frustrated you – don’t use LinkedIn as a forum to criticize someone or openly humiliate them.

LinkedIn Mistakes #7 – The first message you send to a new connection is a sales pitch – LinkedIn is a networking tool and a place for you to build relationships and gain trust. If you meet someone for the first time is the first thing you say to them ‘please buy from me – I’m amazing’ – I’m guessing not – try to find out more about your new connection and build the relationship first.

LinkedIn Mistakes #8 – You don’t give back – Networking is all about giving and taking. Don’t be afraid to comment and tag someone you know when someone posts about looking for a recommendation. Share your advice and expertise and always add value to others.

LinkedIn Mistakes #9 – You connect but don’t communicate – If someone connects with you or you with them – send them a message and start your relationship. Learn more about your new connection – don’t just add them to your network and the number of connections you have. Connecting with someone is the start of your LinkedIn relationship – even if you know this person before or not.

LinkedIn Mistakes #10 – You spend time on LinkedIn without a goal in mind – As with all social networks, LinkedIn is a place where you can spend a lot of time and get no results. Use your time wisely and with your end goal in mind. Every action you take should contribute to this goal in some way.

How many of the above apply to how you use LinkedIn today?

What changes are you going to make when you next log in to LinkedIn?

Another question I get asked a lot is:

Should I outsource my LinkedIn activity or use automation on my LinkedIn account?

My response to both of these questions is NO! Your LinkedIn Profile is YOUR personal profile and all activity done through it should be done by you. Don’t try and cheat the system and buy-in relationships – it might work in the short term but is a risky long-term strategy.

Your posts and articles should be written in your voice. They should be your opinions, your value, and should use the language you speak in and have your personality. After all, you are using LinkedIn to gain more visibility and to get people to know, like, and trust you – you’re not going to get enquiries from people that don’t like or trust you and you don’t want them to get to know you for the wrong reasons.

This being said, I do recommend getting a trusted person to support you manage your inbox and diary as this can get quite stressful when you get lots of enquiries and start booking lots of calls and meetings. In my experience and opinion this works better when you use your PA or a TRUSTED Virtual Assistant.

Using external software to run automation on your profile and to mass connect with new people and send them messages is RISKY! Trust me, I’ve tried it because I wanted to see how it worked. It is also against LinkedIn’s Ts&Cs and they will shut you down eventually. The search algorithms aren’t advanced enough either and you WILL end up sending spammy messages to people that you’re not even trying to target.

I could ramble on about this topic for hours but I won’t for now – If you do have questions about this and have or are thinking about outsourcing your LinkedIn activity – please give me a call or send me a message and let’s discuss.