Your online billboard on LinkedIn is your profile page, and this is your time to showcase and promote your unique brand. But, if you act appropriately, not improperly. Because self-promotion on LinkedIn is done by far too many individuals in error.
The most “professional” of all networks, LinkedIn, is where you want to present yourself at your absolute best and can appear professional. Stop damaging your reputation now by making the common LinkedIn mistakes mentioned below that make you appear unprofessional. So let’s get started and see what to avoid while using LinkedIn that is making you appear unprofessional and halting your growth:
No Background Image
On LinkedIn, your background image or graphic is a fantastic location to promote yourself. Leaving this form empty or using a backdrop that does not accurately reflect your professional background is one of the significant LinkedIn profile mistakes to avoid.
A background that reflects you as a professional and attracts potential consumers can make you stand out. Presenting a professionally taken headshot may significantly boost the confidence potential viewers feel in you. Are you aware that LinkedIn profiles with a business headshot receive 14 times as many views as those without? Remember that you just have a few seconds to leave a good impression.
Bad Profile Picture
Your initial impression is not good. If your LinkedIn audience finds you, they could go just as quickly. Because having a poor photo and having no photo both turn people, i.e., recruiters, away. Are you sluggish? Even so, are you a genuine person? When unable to look you in the eye, individuals will ask themselves these questions. You won’t be taken seriously by them.
Additionally, humans process visuals 1,000 times quicker than they do words. LinkedIn is unique, unlike Facebook, Instagram, or other social media sites. A hilarious locale, friend, family member, or pet as your profile photo might be amusing in these settings. Still, it is improper for a business network like LinkedIn.
Add a professional photo to your profile that shows you completely visible, appropriately attired, lighted, grinning, and facing the camera directly for the greatest first impression.
Boring Headline
You just have a few seconds to impress a visitor to your LinkedIn profile and pique their interest. The first things readers see are your title and the initial two lines of your description section. They will click away if you fail to capture their interest, and the chance will be wasted.
You get 120 characters in the title to briefly introduce yourself and your work. You can elaborate more on your summary section’s first two lines. Make sure to pique readers’ interest so they will click the “See more” link to discover more about you.
Keep your job title and employer the same. Text is valuable. Instead, elaborate on your strengths. Alternately, describe what the reader will gain from your actions. As a result, readers will scroll rather than stop and quit.
To put it another way, consider your title to be the introduction to your tale. Fewer than 120 characters. And stay away from sensational adjectives, clichéd phrases, unfounded assertions… everything dull and pointless.
Empty Summary Section
Leaving the summary field empty on a profile is one of the most frequent errors on Linkedin. Making a favorable initial impression on someone you might contact is ideal in the summary. If you leave this form empty, Linkedin users won’t be able to learn more about you, your experience, and your clients. Directly target prospective clients, employers, strategic partners, and any other group you wish to reach with LinkedIn while crafting a synopsis.
The summary section’s opening phrases are extremely important since they must pique your audience’s curiosity enough for them to click the See more link and continue reading. You can miss the chance to build a commercial connection with them if you don’t capture their attention. The actions you are currently taking in your present role or on behalf of your employer should be described in your most recent experience.
You are more than the sum of your professional experiences. As a result, don’t make your audience see your job experience portions as a cohesive narrative about you. That obligation is on you. Here are some things to think about for your succinct story:
- How, when, why, and who
- Core competencies (commit to the few instead of the many)
- Why do you act like you do?
- huge issues you resolve
- Display any number
Because this is a personal essay, use the first person. Writing in the third person comes out as haughty and impersonal. Obviously, speak like a human, not like a robot. Get rid of the jargon, clichés, and unfounded statements.
Lack of Recommendations
One of the worst mistakes a job seeker, solopreneur, or company owner can make is neglecting to use LinkedIn recommendations. Your chances of being recruited or passed over might depend on a reference from a reliable source.
The majority of individuals dislike talking about themselves. Not to mention bragging about how well they do their jobs or how much fun they are to work with. Feeling uneasy is normal, and it might result from your upbringing. However, failing to share what makes you great at your profession or your winning personality traits might lose you a little advantage in convincing a customer to collaborate with you or eliminate you from consideration for that new position.
People need and want to see social evidence when dealing with someone or bringing them onto a team. To support their choice to remain with that individual, they rely on the views and experiences of other people. Therefore, cease neglecting to request a previous coworker or management referral. Send a customized message to three to four people who will attest to your work and rave about their interactions with you.
What could possibly go wrong? They could ignore you or say “no”. Fine. Query a different person. In light of this, secure recommendations from real influencers, such as leaders in your field or former coworkers. Similar to how you wouldn’t use your father as an example, you shouldn’t have recommendations from close friends or members of your family on your LinkedIn page.
Random Posts
LinkedIn is a popular site for networking with companies and professionals, possibly leading to your next position’s discovery. Keep non-professional postings on other social media platforms. This is not where to share your most recent family photo or a stupid cat image with a hilarious joke. Additionally, LinkedIn is an improper venue and makes you appear highly unprofessional if you write articles or post adverts promoting your business. Similarly, act professionally while commenting on other people’s posts. Burning too many bridges in this situation is possible.
Given that just 1% of members make articles on the site, if you are doing so, classify yourself as an advanced user on LinkedIn. Consequently, there is less rivalry between your postings and other posts, increasing the likelihood that many people will see them. However, even experienced users might make the fatal error of inconsistent publishing.
While you don’t have to write every day, routinely writing 2-3 days per week can help you develop a following that lets you look forward to your weekly posts. Choose a publishing schedule that suits you the best. Decide on a publishing plan and target number of articles each week. Just be consistent every week; for efficient networking on LinkedIn.
Spamming Other LinkedIn Users
Sending pointless and obnoxious messages to your contacts is a relational no-no, regardless of how long you have been linked. Irrelevant messages are those mass emails that individuals send out that are neither tailored nor appropriate for that specific connection.
Sending a message informing a connection that you will have a booth at an upcoming doctor’s convention, for instance, would be completely pointless if the connection is not in the health profession and does not reside in your neighborhood.
Spam is what? Simply put, it’s anything that the recipient doesn’t consider valuable. Don’t send them anything sales-related, for instance, if you’ve just connected to them or they’ve accepted your connection request. They’ll view that as spam. Anything you send to your contacts should first be set up for their advantage, not yours.
Not Replying or Engaging
There is a very significant likelihood that someone will connect to you and then forget about you if they have a large number of contacts. That is until you speak with them again and establish a rapport. You may do this by sending them a unique note expressing your gratitude for their connection.
This is a terrific opportunity to get to know your new contact. Building genuine relationships vs. just expanding your network is largely determined by this phase. Irrespective of how many contacts you have, they won’t be of any use if you don’t put your time and effort into cultivating relationships with them.
Not Using Octopus CRM LinkedIn Automation Tool
Octopus CRM LinkedIn automation software helps you every step to becoming a well-known brand.
Octopus CRM helps you to send automated invitation requests, send bulk messages to the correct audience at the right time for maximizing your reach, and open doors to new clients. LinkedIn is a popular route for marketers, recruiters and business owners to reach a large audience of potential leads and convert them to customers. The nicest thing about the best LinkedIn automation tools is how much clever background work and mundane tasks they automate.
Conclusion
The above-mentioned LinkedIn mistakes might seem petty, but they surely leave a lasting and significant impact on your networking and growth on LinkedIn. Avoiding these simple mistakes can help you appear professional and assist in growing your network and reach with the people you want.