First impressions are the most important if you want to build valuable business relationships on Linkedin. That is why it is so important that you avoid the popular Linkedin mistakes that most users make. We have prepared for you a list of the 10 most popular mistakes made on Linkedin. Check if you are not committing them.
Remember that you have to put a lot more effort into changing someone else’s opinion of you than making sure you are not making one of these mistakes. Take into account that you only have 7 seconds to make a first impression – good or bad.
In this article, you’ll learn about the 10 most common mistakes on LinkedIn that can make a bad impression on prospects, contacts, or future industry associates, and how to avoid them.
10 LinkedIn mistakes that will make a bad impression on potential contacts
1. Boring or missing headline
One of the most serious mistakes you can make on LinkedIn is creating a boring headline or skipping this part of your profile altogether. The LinkedIn headline is one of the most important elements of your profile because, along with your name and profile photo, it’s the first thing any potential contact will see when they find you in search results or otherwise appear on your profile.
Your header will determine whether a potential contact decides to invite you to the contact network or send you a direct message.
The headline should also contain the keywords after which you would like to be found by potential clients or recruiters. This could be your current position, the services you offer or the industry in which you work.
Not sure if your headline makes a good first impression? Do you want to avoid making mistakes on Linkedin? Check out our article to help you improve it.
How to create a good headline on Linkedin
2. More than the first name in the First Name and Last Name field
To make a great first impression on LinkedIn, only enter your full name in the name field. DO NOT add personal information such as e-mail addresses or phone numbers in these places and avoid using symbols, numbers or special characters.
This is required by the LinkedIn Terms of Use to which you agree by creating an account on Linkedin. Failure to do so may result in your account being restricted or your account being blocked. This will make you harder for other users to find you, it will look unprofessional and reduce your credibility as a professional.
The exceptions to the rule are professional and academic abbreviations, such as PhD, and previous names, maiden names and aliases, as they can make it easier for people to find you.
3. Unprofessional profile picture
LinkedIn is different from Facebook, Instagram or other social platforms. In these places, a profile picture of funny locations or friends, family or pets can be fun, such a profile picture is inappropriate on a professional platform such as LinkedIn.
To make the best first impression, add a professional profile picture to your profile where you are fully visible, professionally dressed, well lit, smiling and looking directly at the camera against a neutral background.
4. No background photo or graphic
Your background photo or graphic is a great place to advertise yourself on LinkedIn. It is a mistake to leave this field blank or use a background that does not represent you professionally.
Grab the attention of potential customers with a background that is both professional and represents you as a professional.
5. Empty summary or no current experience
One of the common mistakes made on Linkedin is leaving a blank summary on the profile. Summary is the perfect place to make a good first impression on a potential contact. Leaving this field blank will deprive you of the opportunity to tell Linkedin users about yourself, your experience and your clients. When writing a summary, address directly potential clients, recruiters, strategic partners or any other group you want to reach with Linkedin.
The first sentences in the summary section are crucial as they need to capture your audience’s interest enough to make them click the See more link and read the rest of the section.
If you don’t get their attention, you may lose the opportunity to establish a business relationship with them.
Your current experience should describe what you are doing now in your current position or what your company is doing.
A well-designed section on current work experience should include:
• description of the company you work for (or which you own),
• the most interesting information about the company (such as USP, mission or vision),
• description of the offered products or services,
• Do you want to improve your profile on Linkedin and avoid popular mistakes on Linkedin? Read our Linkedin profile tips article.
Improve your Linkedin profile in 15 steps
6. Lack of skills and recommendations
A big mistake on Linkedin is not posting evidence of your knowledge and experience on your profile. On Linkedin, you have the opportunity to fill in your skills, and other users and your contacts can confirm them or give you a recommendation.
When users decide who to do business with, they are often guided by the decisions and experiences of other people. Therefore, the more recommendations you have, the better the impression you will make. Positive recommendations from current or past clients, colleagues and industry colleagues who have taken the time to detail how your knowledge helped them are very effective in enhancing your reputation.
Try to get at least five recommendations from your contacts. Preferably those that can really stand up for you and your skills.
7. Not using a custom URL
Linkedin will automatically create a default URL for you. The URL will contain your first name, period, last name, a slash, a string of numbers with a hyphen, and another string of numbers.
Using this random url instead of creating a shortened url with your name is a big mistake on Linkedin. A custom LinkedIn URL with your full name will make it easier for other contacts to find you on Linkedin and it looks a lot more professional.
Do this as soon as possible to secure your name before someone else does!
8. Your profile is written like a CV
If you are not looking for a job on Linkedin, your profile should not be written like a CV. Introducing yourself in this way can discourage potential customers, partners, or other people you want to connect with.
9. You do not reply to messages and you are not active on Linkedin
One of the biggest mistakes on Linkedin is not responding or replying to messages for too long, invitations to contact networks and other forms of contact.
This behavior can ruin your chance to build a relationship with potential contacts.
You can easily prevent this error on LinkedIn by sending the user a short message letting them know that you will be contacting them soon.
10. No personalization on the profile
It is not enough to reply to a message in a timely manner. You also need to take the time to personalize each interaction on LinkedIn. Whether you’re sending a request to join the LinkedIn network or replying to a message, make sure you choose your form of communication well.
Taking a few extra minutes to get to know a person from their profile – and then using that information to tailor your communication – greatly increases your chances of making a good impression on that user and further developing that relationship.
Keep in mind that sending generic and template messages, as many LinkedIn users do, won’t help you stand out. Worse, it can make a bad impression on a new potential customer.
Avoid mistakes on LinkedIn
Everyone makes mistakes, but some mistakes on Linkedin can cost you potential business opportunities and even damage your credibility in the business community.
LinkedIn is a professional network that can be much less forgiving than Facebook or Twitter. Familiarize yourself with and follow the LinkedIn etiquette, especially if you use (or are about to use) LinkedIn for business purposes.