Are you wondering why your LinkedIn profile isn’t getting more views or attracting new leads?
Whether or not you’re new to LinkedIn, you may not know the ins and outs of the platform yet. Just joining isn’t enough!
With nearly 95% of recruiters using LinkedIn, a little special attention up front will take you a long way if you’re looking for a change, networking, or searching for your next client. It’s a bit like car insurance. You need to make sure you have it before you actually need to use it.
What you may be doing wrong and you don’t even realize it. But, we’ve got you covered! Here are five tips to make sure you avoid silly mistakes so that you come across as an expert from the get-go.
1. Not using a photo or using an inappropriate one.
Your business contacts, much like your personal ones, want to see you face. In professional or job-related attire. Showing up as a generic, grey silhouette isn’t going to cut it. Nor is posting a picture of you from your wedding day 15 years ago with your spouse or with your children on vacation. A photo of holding a baby goat in a bonnet is one to avoid as well (please see photo) – unless you own a goat farm, then okay. But if you’re a business consultant or coach, you need to show yourself as a professional. Save the beach pics with frozen drinks for Facebook.
2. Calling yourself fluff titles like Ninja, Rock Star or Guru.
Unless you can do a running flip over a train, jam a six-minute guitar solo on a smoke-filled stage, or you are head of a spiritual center on a mountain top in Tibet, you will just sound arrogant, not clever. Add aspects to your job title that are viable and factual but also cover the aspects of all your activities you want to highlight. It will show you are serious about what you do – even if what you do is fun.
3. Not having your latest efforts under experience as a job.
After changing roles, losing a job, or being on leave, many people don’t think to update their profile right away. But LinkedIn doesn’t like outdated information. Well, not if you want the platform to help you connect with others. If you don’t have a current role or are in transition, it’s best to post a recent “job experience” that talks about your job search, what you’re up to, or what you’re looking to do.
PRO TIP: Make sure to check the “I currently work here” box. That bumps up your rating from “expert” to “all-star” and makes you appear more in important searches. After all, unless you’re in a witness protection program, you’re on LinkedIn because you want to be found.
4. Not making time to like and share what other people post.
Be a generous person who cares to invest in people. Take the time each week to like articles others have posted. Share good info you found helpful because it:
- helps others;
- makes you appear in people’s news feeds, bringing attention to you more frequently;
- shows what you’re interested in and following.
Sharing can even lead to people coming to you with questions.
Your activity in LinkedIn alerts your connections and can even help find you new opportunities. It builds up your validation as an active, participatory member and supporter of your network. And, as if all that wasn’t enough, you’ll be seen as an Influencer. Wow, you’re good! 😉
5. Commenting on a post but not tagging people by name.
When you do comment to something you enjoyed, be sure to type a thoughtful response as well as the person’s name in it. Then choose them from the drop-down that automatically appears. That will send them an alert that you’ve made a comment, and they can respond in turn. Your contact will feel encouraged by you, and the good will can flow freely. People like knowing you care.
PRO TIP: The reciprocity rule may come into play in the future when you need commenting on something you post. Pay it forward.
Make a weekly commitment
It’s great if you have a few hundred professional connections, but they are much more valuable when you make the time to interact on a fairly regular basis.
If you’ve had a busy week and couldn’t get away from back to back meetings or an insane project, that’s understandable. Having worked in e-commerce, I’ve worked all day, then all night, only to get two hours of sleep and be back up working again the next day. All I wanted to do was go back to bed. But it’s wise if you can take even 10 minutes a few times a week to invest in your business, career, and self.
PRO TIP: I find that investing in people along the way makes them more apt to think highly of you later on.
What’s next?
There’s a lot more you can do with LinkedIn to keep yourself active and fresh, but if you pay attention to these five suggestions to start, you’ll be headed in the right direction.
Numbers 4 and 5, I definitely need to improve. Loved these tips, especially the “pro tip” bits! 🙂
Add those two tasks to your calendar twice a week and do them for 15 min each of those days. You will probably be surprised at what a little time it takes to start building a bigger presence on LinkedIn, Natalie. I’m glad to share what I’ve learned. Hope it helps!
Hi Karen 🙂
Wow, awesome tips for better marketing on LinkedIN! It is actually pretty simple to avoid these 5 mistakes 🙂 Thanks for the great share!
Yes, Joan, it is pretty easy to use these tips to give yourself a nice edge. I only wish other things in life were this simple. *sigh* 🙂
Aww, geez. Don’t even get me started! I’ve talked to women who refuse to post profile photos of themselves because of their age (a whole different issue I won’t explore here) or because they believe they are actively unattractive or are women of color who don’t want to be stereotyped. If they are “hiding,” what the heck are they doing on a professional networking site? Save your time and effort, my darlings! Re “fluff” titles: Those folks don’t understand that no one is searching for gurus or rock stars…and then they don’t understand why they’re not being found. I TOLD you not to get me started! 😉 Great post…thanks for letting me vent!
Sooner or later, we’re going to have to be known for who we are. And if certain prejudices come with it, best to get that over with up front. I just want to be the best me I can be. And you do too, Jackie! People want authentic. Those who don’t, you don’t need. Thanks for sharing and for keeping it real!
I absolutely need to sort my LinkedIn out! Will be re-reading this next week for sure.
It won’t take you nearly as long as you think. The first three are done in one shot, with minimal updates, and the other two you can even just do for 15 minutes a couple times a week. Go forth and conquer, Sonya!
Thanks Karen, this is so so insightful and helpful.
Very good suggestions to be more effective on LinkedIn. I’ll be going back to my site and see if I’m meeting everything that you recommend. Great post and great visual.
I even have to remind myself of good practices, because it’s easy to focus on other sites and endeavors that are more interactive. But I plan to give LinkedIn a little TLC each week and it’s building my audience. While they aren’t as participatory as Facebook, yet, it’s still worthwhile to get the exposure.
Great tips – all easy to work into our schedules, too! It’s amazing how many people have photos that seem inappropriate or go for that funky title that’s outdated in a few months. Maintaining a consistent presence is my biggest challenge. Thanks for the nudge.
Yeah, the photos seem to be a big problem, Deb. There were many more I didn’t want to post because they may have been people connected to people I know! A little time each week can go a long way. Not that it’s your most used platform, but it could give you some new opportunities.
Great tips. I have a LinkedIn profile and need to figure how to make connections with my ideal clients and get more engaged with conversations on this platform.
I looked at your latest post, Latasha, and looks like you do personal branding. You SO have an audience on LinkedIn. You should start following female entrepreneurs and small business owners. Share their posts. Comment. Once you start engaging with them, you may get more traffic to your site. And post your article there as well.
I really enjoyed your blog. Thanks for all the tips on getting the most out of LinkedIn. Good to know that we need to tag people when we respond to their posts. Thanks!
Nice of you to say, Brenda. Since over 414 million people are on it, may as well use it to discover an additional audience. If you start interacting more and dedicating even just a little time twice a week to LinkedIn sharing and commenting, I bet you start discovering new ideas on stretching your reach. Some of that 414 million will be your future prospects.
I’d love to use LinkedIn. After all, Professional working women generally care about their appearance and we make great one-of-a-kind jewelry. At least, everyone says they are beautiful pieces.
But, I can’t figure out who to connect with & how to engage. You cant really say all women love jewelry. So I don’t do much on the platform, BUT I THINK I SHOULD.
I’m 100% with you, Roslyn. Professional women care about how they dress at work because it reflects how they want to present themselves. I always dressed well, jewelry included, when I went into the office and people always commented on that. You may want to consider following any company that is female-focused. I saw an add on LinkedIn for a firm that is looking for women who have been on hiatus for a long time and want to come back and use their skills. If you start following companies like that, and you post an article on why dressing professionally matters, I think you may be able to tap into that audience. Give it a try!
Really enjoyed this post and found the tips very helpful! I do mostly all the suggestions, although, I am not as active on the LinkedIn as I might be wise to be. I do share blog posts there and always respond to people and do reciprocate when people endorse me. Of course, what is a profile without a picture! I thought that was a given. Heading to LinkedIn now to share this post, as it just might help some other people spruce up their profiles there.
It’s so great that you already have a habit of making reciprocity a priority, Beverley. Support in the business community goes a long way to making solid professional relationships. And it’s really all about that connection before sales can even be the goal. I’ve learned that what I think is basic sometimes is new to others. So, that’s why we blog and share.
Love these tips! Linkedin is the place to connect with other professionals. It is almost like going to live event when you find your perfect group to connect with. I should get myself more active as far as sharing and commenting with tags. Great tip Karen ❤️
So nice to hear, Sonja! Get yourself out there more on LinkedIn, even just a couple times a week, and start following people who influence you. You’ll find it to be a great resource for information and sparking ideas. And yep, share the professionally appropriate love.
I think too many people undervalue LinkedIn. It is a great resource for connecting on a professional level. These are truly great tips to be a good community member.
Yes, Christy. I think it’s a good space if you know how to use it. Community can be found on all platforms. We just have to participate.
Great tips, Karen. I’m SO remiss on LinkedIn. I know I need to do more. But I have a hard time figuring out how to truly connect there. Any ideas?
I’d start by making sure you’re following the right people. That will give you insight into what’s trending and topics you can refer to in your posts. Also, share or comment on the posts of people you admire and tag them. I recently shared one of Susan Cain’s posts and tagged her and she responded with a thanks! That post was then liked by about 175 of her followers and more people checked out my profile than ever before. It’s all about the reach. There is a place for all businesses, even goat farmers, on LinkedIn. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get many likes or comments, Susan. Doesn’t mean you don’t have many loyal fans. People have a ways to go to learn how to really use LinkedIn to interact and show interest publicly.
Great tips for Linkedin! Your infographic is wonderful. I have been only sharing business-related content on the social media site. No personal photos of family or friends or what I am doing this weekend if it’s not business-related. I also stopped sharing my weekly recipe. It’s just not appropriate for the site. By the way, I tried the Rockstar phrase as a test in the title and it really didn’t do anything to increase traffic on any platform. I don’t think I will be using them anymore. Thanks for sharing.
You make a great point, Sabrina. You really have to suit the needs of the platform you’re on and the audience you have there. Which means, you can use similar information you may post somewhere else, but not identical. Those were smart moves you made. You are always a Rock Star in your own business, even if you don’t get to use the title. So, rock on!
Nice write up Karen. This is crisp and precise to what a linked profile and its action item should refer to.
I like it.
Thanks, Manu. I’ll be checking your profile to see if you’ve done them all!
Please do visit and share your views !!
Great guest post.. and I think I have all of these squared away, but find I may not do #4 as often as I should. I have made a point to reciprocate when folks share my posts and then same when others give me endorsements… I make a point to reciprocate… but really need to work on engaging with other businesses.. just need to make the time.
I’m huge on reciprocity, Kristen. We can’t do it all the time for everyone, but I make a special effort for the top people I admire and want to support. I just build it into my to do list for the week. Spreading good will does wonders for everyone.
Loved the tips and the infographic. I haven’t really tapped into the LinkedIn platform yet but will keep these in mind when I do.
Definitely do, Tamuria. All avenues are worth exploring. You may be surprised with the results.
Great info about LinkedIn – seems to be the site I know the least about or engage with – but have had a profile there for quite some time. Your pointers give me some areas to look at – thank you for this.
Teresa, I’ve spent a lot of time on LinkedIn in recent months and really have gotten a great understanding of simple things I can do to present myself the way I want to be seen on this platform. I’ve also seen where people are failing. A few, simple considerations can pack in a lot of value. I’m glad you got some ideas.
These are such great tips. It’s important to be consistent and to stay up-to-date on your profile. A good headshot is critical. No pet pictures! I love your new site!
Thanks, Beth! Sometimes I have to just go back to the basics and get organized. A few small steps can make a big difference. And you’re right on about consistency. It matters. I told Meghan I like her new site too! It’s such a reflection of her fun personality and great products. Total winner!
I will admit that I pretty much ignore Linked In. It seems to be geared to either college students or professionals. Not sure how I can use it to my advantage for my health coaching business.
LinkedIn can help anyone connect with their audience, no matter what your business is about. You should try it, Karen! Health coaching is something many professionals need, so taking a little time each week to post your content in this space and link it back to your website for more detailed info just may offer you some new clients you never expected. I just did a search and see several health coaches on LinkedIn, so go check them out!