7 Must-Know LinkedIn Do's and Don'ts
Making the most of LinkedIn depends on understanding exactly what you should be doing and what you definitely should NOT be doing to grow your business, scale your impact and attract more of the right people.
Cultivating a bit of confidence on LinkedIn goes a long way towards achieving your next milestone, whether you're trying to build a strategic network, get more conversations or deepen your professional relationships.
LinkedIn is NOT as complicated as some other social channels. In a nutshell: you just need to act like a human, not a bot.
In this Mondays with Mindi episode, we talk about some of my favorite "do's" on LinkedIn along with some of the major "don'ts" to avoid if you want to build credibility faster and land your next opportunity.
Playing the LinkedIn Game by the Rules
One of our Mondays with Mindi listeners, actually wrote in to ask me to do a show on the topic of LinkedIn etiquette.
Also last week, I taught the latest cohort of The LinkedIn Accelerator, which was an engaging group with a LOT of excellent questions. One of the themes that came up got me thinking about today’s topic.
Many of them are in the process of either finding a new job or wanting to maximize their use of LinkedIn to promote their coaching, programs or services. So they have a renewed focus on their target market from a LinkedIn perspective. Questions centered around how to use their LinkedIn profile to “do the heavy lifting” when it came to attracting the right people.
Thing is that no matter HOW GOOD your outbound prospecting may be on LinkedIn, if your LinkedIn profile is not in alignment or optimized, EVERYTHING you do will fall short of its potential.
Every activity on LinkedIn is somehow linked to your personal profile. It makes absolutely no sense to invest a lot of time in publishing content, writing posts, building your network, and trying to get into conversations with your prospects until your profile is as good as it can be!
If it’s been a while since you’ve really taken a HARD look at your LinkedIn profile, you may not realize the importance of keeping this up-to-date and compelling.
Maybe you’ve tried to figure out how to update it and model after someone else you admire or follow online, but you’re not sure if you’ve done it right?
Or, you’re trying to figure out how LinkedIn fits into the big picture of your entire personal brand and online presence.
Many experts I know who come to me for help on their profile, their presence, or their personal brand, and they are a bit embarrassed when they say they feel like they are “the industry’s best kept secret.”
It’s not uncommon for them to have spent far too much time on creating landing pages, their website redesign, putting out a lot of content on other social media channels. Then realizing that it doesn’t actually translate into real clients or new business.
If you’re feeling less than confident on LinkedIn, you’re missing out on a HUGE opportunity to reach your customers.
So let’s chat through some of my favorite LinkedIn tips today - someone suggested I call them Mindi’s Magnificent Seven - maybe I should rework the title for today!
What You Must Know About LinkedIn
One mistake that people make when it comes to using LinkedIn is that they think they need to be an EXPERT copywriter or a social media maven (or maestro for the fellas) to actually make LinkedIn work for them.
This was a concept that I talked about inside the Accelerator last week, and you could feel a palpable sigh of relief in the Zoom room.
You do not have to post all the time on LinkedIn to actually grow your business here! It’s very much unlike the Instagram or TikTok where you feel like you’re on a constant hamster wheel of content creation.
And I’ve come across a lot of social media gurus who teach how to keep up that level of content creation, but it’s still unmanageable for most of us no matter how strict we get with timeboxing.
If you’re like many of the experts, consultants and business leaders I work with, churning out entertaining reel after Instagram live after “behind the scenes” of our business in Stories is not at all what we signed up for!
The wonderful thing about LinkedIn is that it’s a quality over quantity game. If you post all the time on LinkedIn (for example more than once per weekday), it doesn’t help you be seen as more of an expert.
In a lot of cases, you’ll annoy the heck out of people!
There are some nuances to the LinkedIn platform that you can easily misunderstand if you’re new to using LinkedIn on the daily or simply want to revisit what you’re doing now to get actual business results.
Feeling just a little bit curious about what you should be doing and what you should avoid doing?
LinkedIn Is For Professionals
The one concept you need to understand is that the intention for using LinkedIn is different than all the others. Nobody logs onto LinkedIn hoping that you’re going to entertain them!
The pressure is off! Don’t like dancing around or remixing reels? No problem here.
When LinkedIn user logs onto LinkedIn, they are usually not “bored” looking for a way to fill their time.
They are getting onto LinkedIn with the anticipation of something that will inspire them or invite them to grow as a professional, a new person to do business with, a partnership to explore, an industry event that they want to attend, an insightful post that will change their perspective.
We’re looking for something deeper on LinkedIn, and it needs to be tied to the work that we’re doing as experts.
When you realize this one subtle shift, it changes how you show up on LinkedIn.
For example, when I log onto LinkedIn, I feel much more relaxed than any other place online. True that I’ve had more than a decade of experience on the platform, but it’s more than that.
I actually experience a level of low-level stress when I go into Instagram because I feel like there’s often very little substance and much more “noise” to get through.
Unless I want to watch cool surf videos or feel the need to post on Instagram because it’s been a few days (confession time!) I just don’t get the nutrient density here as I do on LinkedIn.
And let’s not even talk about TikTok where I feel visually assaulted (quite literally) just by logging in because videos of people I never followed (or even those I do follow!) start blasting me.
LinkedIn is a safe space. It’s the one place where we get to be professionals and share ideas related to meaningful work and keep up with our network in a professional context.
And that’s valuable. With so many of us working from different time zones, places around the world, on our own schedules -- flexible work is pervasive, yet we can still feel like we’re keeping in touch with our colleagues and peers no matter where we are or what time it is.
LinkedIn makes it possible. It’s not trendy. It’s not sensational. It’s not where most 20-somethings hang out. It’s where we have deeper conversations around our work and spark change.
Now that you understand the power of LinkedIn for you as an expert trying to change your community, shift perspectives and build better relationships, let’s jump into some of my favorite do’s and don’ts!
7 LinkedIn Do’s and Don’ts for Experts
Just like we learn the basics of any sport before we give it a go, it’s critical that we understand what to do and what not to do on LinkedIn.
I’ll use a surfing metaphor here, as many of you mention how much you like to hear about how this applies to surfing. When you take a surf lesson, you actually spend the first 20 minutes of your 60-minute session on the beach.
The instructor explains the break, shows where the current is, where you should paddle, what to avoid, safety measures, and a number of other things that you struggle to remember because it’s all brand new. Then she plops a big foam-topped surfboard in the sand and shows you how to paddle and the easiest way to get to your feet. You practice a number of times before she allows you to paddle out.
Once you learn the basics, it’s time to put them into practice. So let’s have some “beach side time” right now, and then you get to go paddle out!
#1 - DO Update Your LinkedIn Headshot
It’s critical that this headshot is a reflection of you and who you are now - NOT a glamour shot of you looking your absolute best dressed up for typical company headshots.
As long as the image is crystal clear, close-up and professional - you’re good to go.
Make sure it feels like people understand what to expect when they show up to a Zoom call with you… there needs to be a match here.
#2 - DON’T Send Connection Invitations Immediately
This may feel counterintuitive, but you don’t actually want to start growing your network until you have an optimized-enough LinkedIn profile because it will actually hurt you.
First impressions matter a LOT on LinkedIn, so you’ll want to at least update your LinkedIn opening section (that part at the top) before you ask anyone to join your network.
Too often we get antsy to grow our networks and get into conversations, and we wonder why nobody is accepting! Quite often it’s not the message you’re sending but your LinkedIn profile.
#3 - DO Craft a Compelling LinkedIn Headline
If you’ve followed any of my videos or content, you’ve likely heard me talk about the headline as your first impression.
You may not get it right the first time, but you can always change this down the road.
Focus on the formula of - Who You Are + Whom You Help + How You Help + Results You Generate. You can see more about this formula here.
#4 - DON’T Schedule Posts to LinkedIn
Most social channels allow you to use a third-party tool to schedule your posts to publish at the “best time” for your audience. Don’t do that on LinkedIn.
You’ll actually miss out on some of the best features of LinkedIn posting, which is tagging people and companies, along with controlling the format/look of your posts.
Always post natively to LinkedIn, especially if you’re planning to tag anyone or want to be sure your post renders well on LinkedIn.
Better to post a good-looking post at the wrong time than a timely post that looks like it went through Buffer or Hootsuite!
#5 - DO Engage in the Comments & Messages
The magic of LinkedIn is in the two-way communication that happens here! It’s not just about broadcasting and hoping a post goes viral. It won’t.
To get your post seen (and also to support your network’s posts!) you’ll want to be very active in the comments. Respond to every comment. React to every comment. Tag people when appropriate.
The more that you engage in the comments, the more your post will be seen in other people’s newsfeeds and also the more positive goodwill you’ll build with your network and those outside your network.
#6 - DON’T Tag People You Don’t Know
One of the big no-no’s on LinkedIn is overtagging people to try to game the LinkedIn algorithm in order to get the attention of people with larger networks, who you hope will react or comment on your post to get it more traction on LinkedIn.
Very bad idea if you don’t know the person or if you tag too often or if you tag too many people at once.
Limit the number of people you tag to one per post (if you want the person you tagged to provide a thoughtful response) or list a number of people if it makes sense to share gratitude to a group who all know each other.
Be thoughtful here! Use common sense. If you get known for overtagging, you’ll alienate a number of people in your network and be seen as inauthentic.
#7 - DO Optimize Your Full LinkedIn Profile
Many of you know that I teach profiles and that I believe it’s the foundation for everything else you do on LinkedIn. When a profile is crafted with intention, it does the heavy lifting for you.
Building a network on LinkedIn or growing your business is at least 2-3x easier if you have an excellent profile that is up-to-date and accurately reflects what you’re doing now.
The upfront work pays off in the long run because you only need to do a minor refresh when you make a job change, career pivot or shift your service/program offerings.
Those are only seven of my favorite LinkedIn do’s and don’ts, and there are definitely others that we can talk about in future episodes. Maybe I’ll get more specific and talk through do’s and don’ts of LinkedIn networks, LinkedIn content, social selling on LinkedIn, and others… what do you think? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments!
If you’re just starting on LinkedIn, pick ONE thing from today to consider as you get going. I’m always here if you have follow-up questions.
If you’re looking for that extra edge to get you started on the right path, get on the waitlist for the next cohort of The LinkedIn Accelerator kicking off in July, which is tailored to take you through ALL of these seven sections I covered today (and the rest of them!) in just five days flat - - one week, and you’re off to the LinkedIn races. If you’re interested, here’s the link to get on the waitlist and find out a few more details.
