12 Costly LinkedIn Mistakes Every Business Should Avoid

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, Digital Marketing Business Toolkit (118-slide PowerPoint presentation). Introducing the Ultimate Digital Marketing Business Toolkit: Propel Your Online Success Today! Are you ready to unlock the secrets of digital marketing and supercharge your business's online presence? Look no further! Our comprehensive Digital Marketing Business Toolkit is here to revolutionize [read more]

Also, if you are interested in becoming an expert on Digital Transformation, take a look at Flevy's Digital Transformation Frameworks offering here. This is a curated collection of best practice frameworks based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. By learning and applying these concepts, you can you stay ahead of the curve. Full details here.

* * * *

Whether you’re starting a business or embarking on a professional journey, LinkedIn is a social media you certainly want to be a part of. Considering LinkedIn has more than 740 million members, this platform can be highly beneficial for your organization. From building valuable industry connections to winning over new clients, underestimating the potential of LinkedIn is something, your business cannot afford.

Have you created a profile but not seeing any of the promised benefits? Most likely you haven’t implemented the right strategies or dedicated enough time to grow your LinkedIn presence. In this post, we’re summarizing some common LinkedIn mistakes costing your business coveted growth opportunities. Take a look.

1. Incomplete Profile

Ideally, you should make a personal profile as well as a company page on LinkedIn. Filling out all the sections may seem tedious, but it is something you must do. An incomplete profile or poorly curated profile isn’t going to create the desired impression on the target audience. From carefully filling out all the relevant details to choosing a professional profile photo, make sure your profile is 100% complete.

2. Typos & Grammatical Errors

These days, before doing business with you, your prospects are likely to go through your LinkedIn profile. Having typos or grammatical errors on your profile is going to create a negative first impression. After filling out all the sections, make sure you ask someone from your team to proofread everything.

3. Not Doing Basic SEO

It’s crucial to optimize your page to ensure visitors are immediately able to find what they are looking for. Make sure you do basic SEO by including relevant keywords to ensure a seamless user experience.

4. Overlooking LinkedIn SSI Score

Your LinkedIn SSI score is calculated based on various factors including, your professional brand, ability to find the right people, and engagement with insights. The higher the score is, the more successful your company is at reaching sales goals. Make sure you’re taking all the necessary steps to boost your LinkedIn SSI Score.

5. Lack of Activity

Making your company page and forgetting about it is not helpful. If you want to make the most of what LinkedIn has to offer, you must be active on the platform. You should check your page every day, respond to messages, send and accept requests, and share content. Being persistent is the only way to build your credibility.

6. Sporadic Posting Schedule

If you’re posting a ton of content in a small space of time and then going radio silent for weeks, it’s time to improve your posting schedule. There are certain times of the day and week when people are likely to read and engage with your content. Come up with a proper posting schedule and stick to it.

7. Sending Generic Connection Request

Industry leaders and other significant professionals receive several connection requests every day. Sending a connection request with a generic message isn’t going to work in your favor. Get to know your prospect and personalize your message to stand apart from the crowd.

8. Focusing on Self-Promotion

It’s no secret that your ultimate business goal is to sell your product or services. But don’t let that overshadow your LinkedIn marketing strategy. Rather than focusing on self-promotion, you should invest time and resources in creating content that your audience finds useful. Overpromoting is not a useful long-term strategy.

9. Not Participating in Groups

On LinkedIn, you can become a member of a limited number of groups. You should interact with posts and other members regularly. Moreover, make sure you’re following all the rules set by the group. Even if you disagree with someone’s opinion, always interact in a respectful and professional manner. Also, refrain from sharing irrelevant content.

10. Not Utilizing Endorsements

If you’re trying to boost your credibility in the industry, then work on getting endorsements for your skills. Furthermore, you can also verify your accomplishments by getting a written recommendation from a supervisor. LinkedIn endorsements and recommendations can help your profile stand out.

11. Falling to Boost Your Content

Just like you, there are thousands of other companies regularly sharing content on LinkedIn. That’s why just creating valuable content is not enough to increase your reach and engagement. You should consider sponsored content that can help you reach your target audience.

12. Ignoring Feedback

Are you receiving any negative reviews or feedback on your company page? Don’t make the mistake of ignoring customer feedback, which can further impact your reputation. It would be best to address such reviews professionally and make necessary changes.

The Bottom Line

LinkedIn is a powerful social media channel that can significantly boost your online presence as well as grow your network. Adopting successful LinkedIn strategies is necessary to increase your visibility and build your credibility in the industry. Make sure you’re not committing the above-mentioned blunders that can cost your business time and money.

Want to Achieve Excellence in Digital Transformation?

Gain the knowledge and develop the expertise to become an expert in Digital Transformation. Our frameworks are based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. Click here for full details.

Digital Transformation is being embraced by organizations of all sizes across most industries. In the Digital Age today, technology creates new opportunities and fundamentally transforms businesses in all aspects—operations, business models, strategies. It not only enables the business, but also drives its growth and can be a source of Competitive Advantage.

For many industries, COVID-19 has accelerated the timeline for Digital Transformation Programs by multiple years. Digital Transformation has become a necessity. Now, to survive in the Low Touch Economy—characterized by social distancing and a minimization of in-person activities—organizations must go digital. This includes offering digital solutions for both employees (e.g. Remote Work, Virtual Teams, Enterprise Cloud, etc.) and customers (e.g. E-commerce, Social Media, Mobile Apps, etc.).

Learn about our Digital Transformation Best Practice Frameworks here.