5 Classic LinkedIn Blunders

Adrian Dayton

Everyone knows that the most famous of blunders is getting into a land war in Asia, the second is to go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line, but blunders aren’t just limited to the world of the Princess Bride.

LinkedIn, with its 660 million users, is filled with numerous opportunities for mistakes, mess-ups, and yes, even blunders. Some of these are easy fixes and some might take a bit more work, but all in all, if you can make these changes, you will become more successful on the platform.

4. Don’t Be Todd the Sales Guy

Let me tell you a quick story. There’s a salesman named Todd. When Todd first started, he was doing great, making calls, landing meetings. All-around having a grand ol’ time. But as time went on, he was landing less and less calls and more often than not, having a bad time.

So he sat in his office for hours upon hours, thinking of a solution to his dismay. How could he ever bring in more business and have that commission save the day? But then the light bulb clicked, the epiphany crashed, and Todd knew what he must do.

“I must connect with everyone I see on LinkedIn and let them know about this wonderful thing I am selling!”

Look, we all know a Todd. We’ve all connected with someone that we don’t know and immediately gotten a sales message from them. And let’s be real, when has that ever worked out?

I don’t want to be that guy who quotes Field of Dreams (which is definitely a Todd move), but I’m going to do it anyway: “If you build it, they will come.”

Instead of sending out desperate messages to randos on LinkedIn, try building an audience. Post relevant articles about your expertise, get involved in the conversation, and put forward your thoughts. 

If you do this, I promise you that you will have more success than Todd, and you’ll get to avoid lurking around in messages.

Nobody wants that.

5. Personalize Your LinkedIn Invitations

Getting the message “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” is one of the most disappointing messages a human can get, right behind “you have lice” and “the Patriots won the Super Bowl again.” This LinkedIn default is the written equivalent of a Nutella jar filled with butter. Not real butter, that I-can’t-believe-it’s not-butter fake butter.

Luckily, this is pretty easy to avoid. When you want to connect with someone, instead of going straight for the Connect button, tap ‘menu’ (the three little dots).

Go for ‘Personalized Invite,’ and voila, you’re set. Throw in a nicer little message, maybe why you’re wanting to connect with them (remember, don’t be a Todd), and boom, you’re off to the races.

All in all, these blunders are all pretty easy to avoid, and with a little extra work, you will be able to stand out from the crowd of 660 million that fills the LinkedIn world.

If you want to learn more about enhancing your LinkedIn profile, check out my FREE webinar, 10 Strategies of an Epic LinkedIn Profile, today, October 22nd at 12 pm EST. I’m going to be diving deep on advanced techniques to improve your profile. Hope to see you there!

See all 5 blunders and the complete Forbes article