Last week we went through some of the most heinous mistakes Page owners are making on Facebook. This week we’re diving into the number one professional social networking site, LinkedIn.
LinkedIn recently hit the 200 million user milestone, and is a serious way to pad your sales pipeline – especially for those seeking B2B leads. However, just like any other social platform, there are some glaring mistakes plaguing more than a few mousy marketers.
Personal Foul!
- You have a private LinkedIn profile. REALLY?! I don’t think I need to go into any explanation as to why this is considered a social no-no.
- If you’re still sporting the little blue guy that LinkedIn provides you rather than your own professional looking photo, you need to get uploading. Some researchers have even said that not having a photo means you’re really ugly.
- If your title is a boring, one word description of what you do, you need to be benched. Not only should your title paint a vivid picture of what you do, your title and profile should be keyword optimized (but not stuffed!) to better help you get found.
- Another easy way to get fouled out of the game is by not claiming your personal URL on LinkedIn. If you’re a savvy social user, you’re not going to settle for being user 347562RTGS56.
Illegal Formation!
- Accepting Endorsements for things you know you’re NOT skilled it is a nasty habit that many LinkedIn users have fallen prey to. If someone credits you for being HootSuite savvy, but you’ve never used HootSuite or are not HootSuite certified, you need to remove the puffed up praise immediately.
- Sending out blanket requests to connect – rather than a personalized invitation – is “SO NOT SOCIAL!” as we at the Social Solutions Collective say. Take the extra 10 seconds to show you care about making connections and starting conversations on LinkedIn and write a short note on why you’re interested in getting to know someone.
Unsportsmanlike Conduct!
- If you have a Company Profile on LinkedIn, GREAT! However, setting up the profile and then doing nothing with it defeats the purpose of having one. Updating your status often with curated or created content relevant to your brand is critical to your LinkedIn success.
- Following on the last foul, updating your status with only sales and marketing messages about your company is a HUGE social fail. Social media is about the “we” not about the “me.”
- Mass emailing your contacts on LinkedIn about your Holiday promotions, or 50% off discount campaign is equivalent to spam. This is especially cringe worthy if your brick and mortar business is 1600 miles away from the recipient. Don’t use LinkedIn to spam, and learn to segment/target your marketing efforts!
- To the same effect, spamming your LinkedIn Groups with links to your blog, your business or even just answering threads with “our business can help you” too often is a yucky tactic. Gain credibility first and you’ll earn the right to sell yourself or your business in due time.
These are some of the most common fouls we’ve seen on LinkedIn by social rookies. What flagrant fouls would you add to our list? Let us know in the comments below!
See you in the social sphere!
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Brooke B. Sellas is an award-winning Customer Marketing Strategist and the CEO & Founder of B Squared Media. Her book, Conversations That Connect has been recognized nationally and is required reading for a Customer Experience class at NSU.
Brooke's influence in digital marketing is not just about her accomplishments but also about her unwavering commitment to elevating the industry standard of digital customer experience and customer marketing.
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