The Top 5 Mistakes on LinkedIn
I often write about things you should do on LinkedIn to maximize your effectiveness. Today we’re going to look at the other side of the equation…the mistakes. The five mistakes listed here are related to your ability to eventually monetize LinkedIn.
1. Not Having a Purpose or Not Understanding Why You Are On LinkedIn
Quite simply if you don’t know the answer to this question then how do you know what actions you should be taking on LinkedIn? There are numerous reasons to be on LinkedIn and you may have several. The actions you take should be done to support your purpose.
My ultimate goal is to grow my business (make money) so I focus on growing my networks and communicating my message as often as possible. Because I know my purpose, have determined what actions support this purpose, and implement my strategy on an ongoing basis, I have been successful in developing new business clients.
Action Steps:
a. Write down the top 3 reasons why you are on LinkedIn
b. Determine what actions will support each reason
2. Failure to Participate
There are 50 million people on LinkedIn and a large majority do not interact with others on a consistent basis. This is a direct result of mistake number one. Without understanding your purpose you can’t know which actions to take that will produce a positive outcome.
There are only so many hours in a day and people tend to repeat what works. Social media marketing rarely provides quick results. Most often success is built over time only after people get to know you, like you, and trust you. You have to have the patience to continue participating when you’re not seeing the results.
There are no guarantees that your efforts will produce results, but if you do not participate consistently, I guarantee that you will not find success.
I spent almost a year providing value and interacting before I started seeing results. Now I can count on several inquiries each week from potential clients looking to engage my services.
Action Steps
a. Commit to taking action on a weekly basis
b. Schedule these activities
c. Post them next to your computer or in your electronic calendar
3. Presenting an Incomplete Picture
On LinkedIn people get to know you through being connected, belonging to common groups, the information your share, and your profile. People want to look at your profile and have a clear understanding of who you are and how you might be of service to them.
If you don’t provide enough information for them to know those two pieces they are unlikely to go looking for the information. You need to make sure you have a detailed profile. You need to include a professional photo. You need to have links to your websites, blogs, etc.
If you’ve been fortunate enough to get them to view your profile, you’ve accomplished the hardest part. It would seem a shame to lose them for simply failing to provide enough information.
Action Steps
a. Look at 20 profiles to see how others are presenting themselves
b. Spend an hour each month working on your profile
c. Personalize your profile–add keywords, personalize your public URL, and Change your Web URL’s to the name (go to edit and choose “Other”)
d. Look at the LinkedIn application to see which make sense to add
4. Not Sharing Information or Providing Value
Mistake number three is about people getting to know you. Number four is all about getting people to like you. It’s a simple fact: If you provide value to others without asking for something in return people will start to like you.
The quickest way to generate goodwill on LinkedIn is to provide value to others. Directly this might be responding to a connection or introduction request. You can also build goodwill by providing thoughtful responses to questions in Answers and in group discussion posts. Another great way to provide value to others is through writing recommendations for those who have provided great service or assistance to you.
Everything you do on LinkedIn either adds to or subtracts from your online brand so make sure you put some thought into what you say. Participate consistently and you’ll notice that your profile visits increase and people will start interacting with you.
Action steps
a. Find at least two connections to introduce each week.
b. Answer at least three questions each week
c. Identify connections that deserve a recommendation and write it. Try to find at least 15 people to recommend. Make sure these are 15 people that deserve it. If you can’t find 15 now, build this up over time
5. Failure to Build Credibility
By addressing the previous four mistakes you will have reached a point where people know and like you. You may have even started to build some credibility. There are six ways that I document to build your credibility. These include:
A. Your Profile: first impressions count.
B. Answers: In number four we addresses answers from the perspective of providing value. This is also a great way to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise. Whenever you answer a question it is available for anyone on LinkedIn to view. Your Direct connections are also notified that you answered a question on their Home page.
C. Recommendations: Nothing beats having another sing your praises. I have found that my client recommendations have been a huge part of building my online brand.
D. Your connections: Who you are connected to can have an impact. When I seek to connect to others I will often reference a common connection in the invitation.
E. Your Groups: With groups you have something in common with fellow members. I reference common groups in invitation requests as well.
F. Providing Value: This will help others grow to like you but it also is very helpful in building your credibility.
Action Steps
a. Answer at least three questions each week in your field of expertise
b. Try to get 10 recommendations. You can request recommendations but only do so from people you know that you have provided great service or help to. If you don’t have 10, keep providing great service and you’ll get there. When you do, join The “Top Recommended People” group on LinkedIn.
c. Grow your connections based on your connection strategy
d. If you don’t belong to 50 groups find 50 that are relevant and join.
e. Seek out every opportunity to help others.
Wrap Up
There are many other LinkedIn mistakes I could mention including avoiding typos, having multiple accounts, etc. These 5 though are fundamental mistakes that will impact your ability to monetize LinkedIn.
I’m a firm believer that the true value in LinkedIn is as a vehicle to add to your bottom line. You may have joined to network, to find a job, or to advance your career…all are great reasons… and all that at the end of the day are about monetization.
It’s OK to be on LinkedIn to make more money. It’s what will keep you coming back and participating, which in the end helps every other person on LinkedIn.
SONARconnects is a full service advertising and marketing agency. We help our client’s by showing them how to develop strategies and tactics to build communities of people, communicate their message, and monetize their social networking/media presence. Our client’s include Lenny’s Sub Shop, Copeland’s New Orleans Style Restaurant (ATL), Action Business Coaching (ATL), Aussie Pet Mobile (ATL), The Frederick Group, and MyCustomDay.
If you’re struggling to understand how to use social networking/media to build brand awareness and drive new business call us for a Free consultation at (404) 663-3997 or visit our site: http://www.sonarconnects.com.
Tags: how to use linkedin, Linked In, LinkedIn, LinkedIn Mistakes, sean nelson, Social Media
June 15th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
[...] more here: The Top 5 Mistakes on LinkedIn Tags: about-things, answer, customer, effectiveness, look-at-the, purpose-or-not, question, [...]
June 15th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Great advice and very valuable info too. I read the blog daily and get something of value out of most of them. Keep them coming!
June 15th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Sean,
I also read your blog every day and get valuable LinkedIn info from it.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with all of us.
June 15th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
David and John,
Thanks for reading. Don’t keep the blog a secret. Share it with friends and tweets on Twitter are much appreciated as well.
Sean
June 15th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
I love how you simplified this for anyone to be able to replicate. This is one of my must have resources now. I’m looking forward to implementing all this information this week. I’ll be sure to share this post with my Twitter followers.
June 15th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Hi Sean
I have been a Linked in for about 3 years and only began reading your posts a few weeks ago. Your practical and useful ideas and strategies have already contributed to my business results. Thank you!
June 15th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Jeff,
Thanks for the comments and the retweet. I’m fortunate that I tend to write simple and straight forward. All those years of reading Readers Digest.
Sean
June 15th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Barry,
I’ll try to keep them coming. Thanks for the comments.
Sean
June 17th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
You thoughts are always link-ed-in and meaningfull.
Keep writing and sharing.
June 17th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Mahesh,
Thanks for the kind words.
Sean
June 18th, 2009 at 5:18 am
One can improve by reading this valuable stuff. Thanks….
June 18th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Anjali,
Thanks for the comments.
Sean
June 19th, 2009 at 3:37 am
Nicely done. Great reminder to keep updating. One of the things that I often overlook is the “What are you working on…” A couple days will go by and I’ll see it and think “update update update!”
Great tips!
June 19th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Thanks for info especially since I am new to this. I will print out and look over weekly until it becomes second nature.
June 19th, 2009 at 10:05 am
Sean, great work! Kudos to you. I hope you noted in one of your writing (tricks of having a good linkedin profile) that you made it up just before going for a camp. It made an excellent reading. I would say this one is better than that. I am sure you wrote this before going for a camp, huh?…I have read a number of your articles and i would say all of them are so knowledge sharing and linked-in. Thanks for your open minded views.
June 19th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
I would love to add another comment. A critical mistake is when people just send out the “generic” invitation. You know the one “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn”. I get very angry when people send me one of those. Very inconsiderate and I think it shows laziness or that you really don’t care about me.
If you want to invite me to join your LI network, tell me who you are and why you are inviting me. What is your relationship to me. Do we belong to the same LI group. You live in the Toronto area and want to network with me? Tell me how I can help you and how you in turn can help me. In essence, all this is just like any relationship. Remember when you were dating your spouse? They were the most important person in your life, and you wanted them to know that. Same thing when sending out a LinkedIn invitation. Tell the other people how much you care about them. Why you matter to them. “Sell” them on the benefits of accepting your invitation. You will increase your LinkedIn credibility immeasurably if you do this.
Greg Brown – Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
June 19th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Greg,
The mistakes I detailed were more fundamental to being able to monetize LinkedIn. The invitation mistake you mention, and its a big one, is more of a tactical mistake. I agree that 99.9% of the time you are making a mistake by not personalizing the invitation.
Thanks for the comment.
Sean
June 19th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
I love the steps that you put into this article. This shows the value you have to linkedin. Great insight to what to do, how to do it and how often. Thanks so much and keep them coming.
June 19th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Excellent step-by-step advice to making the most of LinkedIn. It does take time to build up value and credibility, but it’s well worth the effort. I don’t know about others, but I tend to listen more closely and react more quickly when I see a request for help on LinkedIn then I would on forums where I don’t feel I know the people, or share the same interests.
June 19th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Thank you Sean.
I’m now a proud member of the Top Recommended & LinkedPros
Wouldn’t have known about it without you.
Greatly appreciated.
June 19th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Theresa,
Thanks for the comments.
Sean
June 19th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Clare,
Great points. It takes time and requires patience. and people are willing to help. I fact, helping others is one of the top ways to build goodwill.
Sean
June 19th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
[...] Guest Post by Sean Nelson — Linked Intuition [...]
June 19th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Sean,
I stumbled upon this blog through one of the LinkedIn groups I belong to and have enjoyed reading it and have found it helpful.
Thanks,
Paul
June 19th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Paul,
I’m gald it is providing value. I’ll try to keep the posts coming.
Sean
June 19th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this valuable information. It looks like I have some work to do. I appreciate your detailed and articulate plan of action and look forward to implementing it.
June 19th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Elizabeth,
The work never stops. As soon as you have these down LinkedIn will add something or you’ll find something else to make better. Keeps it interesting.
Sean
June 19th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Sean,
Great topic and masterful handling. I especially appreciate the detailed action steps.
I have subscribed to your blog and plan on sharing it with others.
Well done!
Norman
June 20th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
I appreciate this information.
June 21st, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Hi! Sean
An excellent note. Something very fundamental to networking and also just common sense (which is not very common!). Article like your helps bringing the focus.
As Greg mentioned earlier, lazy requests just puts you off big time.
One of the challenges I face with groups on LinkedIn is that there are many with the same interest and it become a difficult decision to opt. What do you recommend?
Cheers!
Deepak Garg
June 21st, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Deepak,
A lot depends upon your perspective. If you want to use LinkedIn to make money you have to interact with prospects. You should be joining the groups where they hang out. It’s OK to join some for pleasure or interest, but from a monetary perspective be sure that there is a business related reason for joining a group.
Duplicate groups re OK if they have enough members.
Sean
June 21st, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Good advice.
I am carving out a niche as a cutting-edge communications consultant, specializing in Twitter. If you have been following public relations and marketing, the professions have been energized by the unexpected popularity of Twitter and the growing influence of social media in our daily lives. Longtime professionals are declaring this new territory. But, Twitter and social media seem old and familiar to me.
One-on-one communication, which seems to be central to your argument, is not something you can giving passing attention. It requires planning and, you learn soon enough, comfort with fluid environments. Twitter today, for instance, is not the Twitter of tomorrow, which assuredly will be different.
A good communication plan should have good execution and that means investment of time and effort.
I joined Twitter six months ago as @NextwaveRay, a science micro-blog that recently ranked No. 28 on the 100 Best Science Twitterers. This Twitter account is becoming a new breed of publisher/journalist. Essentially, a news aggregator, @NextwaveRay posts links on subjects that are distant and cold: space, nanotechnology and sustainable energy. The plan was to make discussion of these subjects approachable. When Twitter is monetized, the strategy will make more sense. By the way, I’m not a scientist. I am writing a book on Twitter.
@NextwaveRay is small in terms of numbers, but is growing in influence as recognition arrives. The followers of @NextwaveRay are people, many of them business owners, who have invested time and effort into their own accounts, and these are the people whom I find valuable resources as well as attentive audiences. Some are prospective clients.
A relationship is after all the point of performing all this work. Simply posting articles is insufficient to bring about a relationship. It is only a start. I discovered early on that people want a shared experience. And, they are further impressed that they can communicate readily with someone who is knowledgeable and will sometimes find articles of shared interest. I should note that I studied nanotechnology for years, collecting bookmarks and articles before joining Twitter. I have been a lifelong fan of astronomy. And, I have a desire to work with emerging technology businesses.
I have other projects on Twitter, and I am becoming more active in LinkedIn. I have plans to expand into additional social media. As friend and author Brian Schwartz notes: It doesn’t happen overnight. You master one area and then concentrate on the next.
So, for my two cents, I believe you should participate and get the feel of social media. Make a decision to cut out some time for new relationships you establish and then methodically set out to become more proficient, expanding your social media tool kit. There are ample web and software offerings.
Thanks for your article.
Best,
Raymond
June 21st, 2009 at 7:55 pm
As we are all traversing the social sphere I think that you should make strategic decisions before implementing any social marketing plan. The holy Grail of social marketing is “how to monetize the social sphere.”
As our customers have more power than ever before we must realize that it is the engagement that matters. We can forget about push marketing techniques and think about how to pull traffic.
Your post is most informative because it encompasses more than Linkedin these practises should govern your actions on all the social platforms. And yes being on as many as possible is a good idea.
June 22nd, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Without interaction and putting in the time,it is very hard to succeed in business.These strategies have been very effective for me. Any executive with a sales background should know that networking is the ultimate profit maker.
June 22nd, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Greetings Sean!
I am a newbie to LinkedIn and I am learning the value of being involved in the LinkedIn community. I joined before I really understood and now I am grateful for the opportunity to interact and learn from others.
I found your post informative and clear. I will be implementing what I have learned to the best of my ability. I will be reading The Top 5 Tactical Mistakes on LinkedIn next. With much gratitude!
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:34 am
Bob,
Thanks for the comments. For business to occur two people have to interact and each provide value. Same with networking as you stated.
Thanks,
Sean
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:36 am
Vanecia,
The fastest way to learn is to just dive in and start “doing it”. Read the different LinkedIn blogs and tap into the knowledge of others.
good Luck,
Sean
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:49 pm
What an eye opener to become more active and outgoing on this valuable network. Thanks for the great post!
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Joerg,
Thanks for the comment.
Sean
June 24th, 2009 at 2:12 am
Very useful article and easy to implement. However what is easy to do is easy NOT to do. Your Action steps motivates me to use Linkedin more effectively. Thanks
Lalitha
Want to explore the Entrepreneur in YOU? For tips go to http://www.elbeeservicesllc.com
June 24th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Sean,
I too stumbled across this by accident. I realize that I need to utilize LinkedIn more effectively, and that for any job, not just sales, it’s all about cultivating relationships…and it takes time. We tend to forget that the job hunt is really about marketing yourself and having a unique brand…confidence in the search results from how effectively the tools are applied. So I know that I have more work to do.. improve, refine, research, upgrade, etc. Keep the momentum going!
June 24th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Randi,
Stumble back some more. I added three new posts this week with valuable info.
Sean
June 25th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Hey, thanks for sharing this very valuable information. I am brand new to linkedin and still overwhelmed by the vastness and possibilities of it. Yet, as a very busy person, I want to cut right to the chase and see how it can help me and allow me to help others. I see I need to get a strategy in place asap and stay focused. I’ll keep reading! Thanks!
June 26th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Great suggestions! Thank you. This has given me some fresh ideas and ways to approach my LinkedIn life.
June 26th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Hey, I feel like i have been shown the path to effectively use the Linkedin as i have been on Linkedin for almost 3 years now without knowing how i can benefit by using Linkedin but now iam confident and all credit goes to you, it was informative. Thanks.
June 27th, 2009 at 12:51 am
Lorraine, Michelle, and Hardeep,
Thanks for the comments and for reading. There are 18 months of posts so feel free to browse around.
Sean
June 29th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Thanks so much for the info! A great reminder and excellent points to be aware of! I have received valuable business connections through LI and its been a great way to stay in touch with people I have worked with in the past (clients and candidates). I think my favorite “mistake” was about Purpose! I have a very good friend/mentor who has said, if you don’t know a purpose of a thing, you will abuse it”! I will be going over the points and making sure I am staying on top of my profile in order to put out the right message! Thanks!
June 29th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Great article, I think we take it for granted that you only get from something what you put into it.
June 30th, 2009 at 3:35 am
Stacee,
Purpose is my favorite. I will likely be writing more about this as I am currently fixated on the question “Why are you on LinkedIn”.
Sean
June 30th, 2009 at 3:36 am
Art,
I agree. The hard part is it usually takes that investment of giving more than you receive to eventually benefit. And the time to return is a big unknown.
Sean
June 30th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Great list of action points. I’ll not only take these on board to do myself but will add to the advise I already give my clients about maximising their online presence. I also particularly like that its ok to be on LinkedIn to make money. Incidently I am also committed to helping business owners succeed and to love the work they’ve created – not much point otherwise!
June 30th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Jonnie,
Own it, accept it, and thrive with it. Thanks for the comments and for reading the blog.
Sean
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:15 am
Sean, I appreciate your List of Five. In the hands of a different author, the comments might have across as a list of whins. However, your insights and “actions steps” makes the information interactive and immediate. You have accomplished the difficult task of influencing behavior and moving people into action. Thanks for sharing.
Mitch Byers, author of InterviewRX and SalaryNegotiationsRX
July 2nd, 2009 at 3:09 am
Mitch,
Thanks for the comments. Not sure if whins is Whines or Wins. Either way thanks for participating.
Sean
July 4th, 2009 at 8:54 am
I’m so glad I came across this blog post. I can’t agree with you more, and appreciate all the info. Please forgive me if this seems too naive, but I am puzzled by one point in the action step you mentioned (see below)
Personalize your profile–add keywords, personalize your public URL, and Change your Web URL’s to the name (go to edit and choose “Other”) Can you explain a little further or give me an example? I’m missing the point here I think.
Much appreciated again… Janice
July 5th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Janice,
You can list up to 3 website links in your profile. When most people create these links they simply choose My Website or My Blog as the type of Link. Then on the profile it lists these as the weblink. If instead you choose the Other option you can then create a custom name…thus My Website can instead be LinkedIntuition.
Also in your profile you have a LinkedIn URL. In profile edit mode you can customize this so that it includes your name, a tag line, etc.
These and 100’s of other tips are included in the LinkedIn MBA which is available for a another week or so at $1.97. You can vie3w information on the book by going to http://www.linkedintuition.com/book.html.
Sean
July 6th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Excellent blog and great advice too..
Although perhaps only relevant to geographically zoned groups, I would also say it’s a mistake not participating in “live” (i.e., non-virtual!) meetings.
One of the groups I signed up too (SME East Anglia Small Business Forum) has held several meetings which turned out to be extremely beneficial!
Stuart
July 6th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Stuart,
Thanks for the comments.
Sean
July 6th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Just found this article today. Very helpful. I can see I need to be spending more time thinking about and visiting LinkedIn. Thanks!
July 7th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
I too am new to LinkedIn. This is great training material. I have already forwarded it to another one of my groups and to all my contacts.
Thank you.
July 7th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Kathi,
Be sure to look around the blog for other articles that will be helpful.
Sean
July 7th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Mark,
Thanks for passing the blog on.
Sean
July 8th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I joined Linkedin when I got laid off in May. Had no idea what to do with the information posted, but joined because that’s what everyone recommended. I have been somewhat dorment the past couple of months and decided to finally use this site to my advantage. There are so many positives that this site has to offer no matter what each individuals reasoning is. Thank you so much for this blog. I have asked myself these same questions. What great advice. Keep them coming.
Debi
July 8th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Debi,
Glad to be of service.
Sean
July 9th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
I’ve had your site bookmarked for a while now and was browsing through for blog material. It’s apropos I came across this now.
I have a friend who just got laid off and he asked for help. I told him I couldn’t think of anything and then proceeded to give him a quick tutorial on how to use LinkedIn groups/forums!
I think my next blog will be about LinkedIn since so many folks are getting laid off right now or struggling to find partners, customers etc.
Thanks for the virtual nudge! I will be linking this or some other related article of yours to my blog post.
Jenn
http://webhead20.com
July 9th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Jenn,
Thanks for the comments. The one area I don’t write much about is the job search aspect of LinkedIn. That’s primarily because I have not used LinkedIn to find a job, being self employed.
Sean
July 14th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Hi Sean, thanks for this information, it is really helpful as I’m trying to improve traffic to my jewellery website.
Best regards,
Geraldine
Saba Jewellery Ireland
July 15th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Great stuff here – enriching. Thanks
July 16th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
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July 18th, 2009 at 8:30 am
[...] Social Media Sonar » Blog Archive » The Top 5 Mistakes on LinkedIn [...]
July 19th, 2009 at 5:06 am
Great advice and thanks for providing steps to making this work.
July 20th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Belkis,
Thanks for the comments.
Sean
September 11th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
[...] Excerpt from: Social Media Sonar » Blog Archive » The Top 5 Mistakes on LinkedIn [...]
October 29th, 2009 at 6:45 am
I have joined this group a few minutes ago, and yours was the first post I read. It is very valuable. It also gave me a very good impression of the group.I’ll start with editing my profile.
October 29th, 2009 at 7:50 am
Lale,
Thanks for the comments. You can learn a lot in this group.
Sean
November 6th, 2009 at 10:08 am
I wanted to post an article on linked in related to the economy does anyone know how I can do that and link it to my profile?
November 6th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Hello Sean,
Absolutely right. While I have my profile also in the LI – will put to use what you have stated. And yes, your point about helping others is extremely well stated. Thanks for a great article.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Jennifer,
You can’t directly post a news article to LinkedIn. It has to be posted as an article on the internet and then you link to it to create your news article.
Sean
November 6th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Natarjan,
Thanks for the comments.
Sean
November 8th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Hitting the nail on the head. One of the best articles on the purpose of social and professional networking websites. Good Job!!
November 8th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Pavan,
thanks for the kind words. Lots more articles like these on the blog.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Hi Sean I just wanted to say that was a great post about the five failures of using linkedin and how you can correct them by making a few changes and being consistent using linkedin. Great information thanks for sharing this.
November 11th, 2009 at 12:08 am
Michele,
thanks for the comments. Be sure to check out the rest of the blog for similar articles.
Sean
November 11th, 2009 at 1:18 am
Seon, Great advice how to avoid committing mistakes in Linked-In. I’ll also start encorporating these step-by-step methodologies in spreading my business. Thankx once again. Please keep sharing your valuable thoughts with us.
November 11th, 2009 at 11:25 am
One of the most viral topics in marketing nowadays, and great that you differentiated it with steps to follow to avoid mistakes. Gr8 cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 12th, 2009 at 12:53 am
Thanks so much for this article. I just joined LinkedIn and I’m still trying to get to know my way around. This is very helpful.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Manish,
Thanks for the comments glad you liked the article.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Dj, thanks. Be sure to read some of the other 200 plus articles.
Sean
November 18th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Wow..provocative article that draws 88+ comments! I’ve been a casual LI user for many years, and most people I’ve compared notes with are just like me–never made a dime or opened a new opportunity on LinkedIn.
Thanks and a question: does LI provide users any metrics/analytics other than number of connections that can be useful in understanding how well the tool is working for you?
Best, Martin
November 20th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Several have commented on the Invitation to Connect issue. You mention it’s an act of goodwill to accept. One of my best practices is to connect ONLY to people I know and trust. Why? Because I don’t want to jeopardize the relationships I value by some aggressive connection reaching out to my friends w/o an introduction from me. I really care about and trust the people in my network.
November 20th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Denise,
Thanks for the comments. I think the line you’re talking about is “this might be responding to a connection or introduction request.” The reason this is prefaced with “might” is because its not an absolute. I’m not saying do it or else, simply identifying a way to share value.
I will make a comment on a point in your comments that I disagree with… “I don’t want to jeopardize the relationships I value by some aggressive connection reaching out to my friends w/o an introduction from me”.
If you connect to someone you don’t know then they are your connections second degree connection. As such they cannot contact your connections directly, although they can send a connection request. Its still up to your 1st degree connections as to whether or not they want to accept the connection. Otherwise they can simply archive the connection and move on.
I see my role on LinkedIn to be a hub in connecting people whether I know them or not. I’ll pass on an introduction, taking time to explain how I know them or that I do not personally know them. Then I leave it up to the recipient to determine if they want to accept. I don’t get in the way of unexpected opportunity.
I have 4,000 + direct connections and maybe I get an introduction request or two per month, so I’m not seeing the aggressive connection attempts.
The beauty of LinkedIn is that each person gets to decide what is best for them. So while I disagree I respect that its your network and assume you are doing what you feel is the best strategy. If it works for you that’s fantastic.
Thanks again for taking the time to comment. Whether you agree or disagree with my post, your comments help drive the conversation forward.
Sean
November 22nd, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Nice piece. A great reminder of how to interact on Linkedin. It is easy to get distracted and not contribute like you intend. Thanks for the nudge. Will go to my calendar now and schedule time to follow through.
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:12 am
Donna,
Glad the article spurred some action. Thanks for the comments.
Sean
November 23rd, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Thanks for sharing linkedin tips. Great read.
November 24th, 2009 at 3:37 am
Nice post and good points. There is a more fundamental issue of understanding or at least trying to use social networks in a reasonable way. This means thinking about the system and the people using it. Initially Linked-In was heavily used by recruiters looking for people to work with. Now it seems that networkers looking to build their connections are also gathering long lists of connections. With these “pro-networkers” there are also “novices” (casual users) which use the network differently. I think that more tutorials and resources for casual and intermediate users will help everyone, specially the “pro” / “expert” class users.
November 24th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Siddique,
Thanks for the comment.
Sean
November 24th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Thanks Ami. Every user started as a novice, its just where they choose to go. I learned a lot from others so I try to pass it forward with the blog. Share value and your results will eventually reflect that.
Sean
November 25th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Thank’s a lot Sean!
November 25th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Nocoletta you’re welcome. Be sure to check out the rest of the blog for more article like this one.
Sean
November 26th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Very informative! Thank you!
November 27th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Thanks,
Be sure to check out the rest of the blog for more articles like this one.
Sean
November 29th, 2009 at 6:24 am
That’s just what every new Linkedin member needs! Although I have had the sense to figure out most of these steps on my own, but it helps to have them all laid out as a simple checklist, especially since I always tend to get distracted with building my website and researching the net for helpful articles.
Phrasing your goal clearly is the sure way to achieve it!
I’m retweeting this for sure.
Thanks for sharing.
November 30th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Manal,
Thanks for the comments. Glad I could help keep you on track.
Sean
December 9th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Right. Or I can quit that colossal waste of time right now and not be annoyed by updates from people I neither care about or don’t remember.
December 9th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Martin,
Not sure where your comments are directed. Need a little context, but from your post I’m not sure Social Networking is going to be your best use of time. For myself it’s proven to be a great source of contacts and new business.
Sean