What You’re Doing Wrong with LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a great source of leads and professional contacts, if it is used properly. Given that LinkedIn sends four times as many leads directly to your homepage than both Facebook and Twitter combined, it’s time to take this platform seriously.

But all of that makes no difference if you’re making any of these 7 mistakes. Take a look and see where you can make some improvements and have LinkedIn work well for you and your business.

7 Ways you can really mess it up with LinkedIn

1. A lousy picture – You get one chance at this. Make your photo on LinkedIn one that speaks to your professional demeanor and will get you connections. The photos from your last big party are probably not what we’re going to use here.
2. Use your headline well – You’ve got a mere 120 characters to tell the world what you’re about, so give it some thought and don’t settle for vanilla. Give an accurate headline, truthful and yet appealing, all at the same time.
3. Not making the most of the Summary Section – Here you have 2000 characters to make a statement about you and your skills. Use as much as is necessary to sell the world on you. Think of it as an elevator pitch if you will, and do your best to craft one that will draw interest.
4. An incomplete profile – Do this and you’re telling the world that you really don’t care about the way people view you, which is usually enough reason for them to move on.
5. Not posting links – LinkedIn offers you an excellent opportunity to link to your website and social media channels. Take advantage of this. If someone is interested enough in you to want to visit your site, don’t make them head over to Google to find you. Drop a link!
6. Don’t spam the community – Many have tried and all have failed. LinkedIn users can smell spam at a distance, so don’t even think about it. It’s just too valuable to do it legitimately.
7. Not being present – Not updating your account for months at a time is a sure sign of a person unclear on the concept. Update often, make connections, and use the platform the way it was intended to be used. It will pay off for you!