25 Mar Stop Abusing LinkedIn

For years, I’ve been writing about how to use LinkedIn properly, but we’ve reached a new low. More people are abusing LinkedIn, and it’s getting out of control.

It’s so bad that even LinkedIn is now asking people to knock it off.

Stop sharing dog photos – and other personal content

You know it’s bad when LinkedIn itself begins a post by saying:

You’re in the right place, this pug isn’t. Because LinkedIn is where you come to do business.

Apparently, some LinkedIn users are trying to turn the business-first social media platform into another Facebook or Instagram. People are sharing personal updates, memes, jokes and other content that is completely un-related to their business.

I’m only gonna say this once: stop it.

Officer McPuggins is adorable, but he doesn’t belong on LinkedIn unless you are in the business of creating custom outfits for company mascots.

Yes, it’s OK to post light-hearted and funny content on LinkedIn. My friend Ab does this all the time. But here’s the thing: everything he shares is business-related.

Before you post something, always ask yourself: Is this relevant to my business and my network?

Stop cold pitching

Marketing is about listening for a need before opening your mouth. It’s also about building relationships. And cold-pitching breaks both of those rules.

Don’t reach out to someone with a lovely note about why you want to connect and, once connected, pitch them. This happens to me all the time and it makes me want to scream.

Instead, handle this new relationship with respect. Comment on their posts. Ask questions. Listen. And make sure you are sharing relevant content that they’ll see.

Keep nurturing that relationship. When the time is right, they’ll reach out. You’re just gonna have to trust that it will happen.

Stop connecting with others for no reason

Though you might think having more connections is better, it isn’t. Quality trumps quantity.

What’s the point of having 1,000 connections if only 50 of them are in your target market?

I have a lot of connections on LinkedIn, and I’ve started cleaning through them. Keepers are in my target market or industry, refer business to me and/or are people I know and like.

But here’s another reason to be choosy about who you connect with: visibility.

If 950 of your connections aren’t interested in what you’re talking about, they are not going to engage with your content. And that means your content will not be viewed as relevant by the platform’s algorithm, which means that … your posts will not show up in people’s newsfeeds.

How else are people abusing LinkedIn?

How do you see people abusing LinkedIn? Shoot me a note with your pet peeves, and I’ll write a follow-up post.

Image by Alexander Shatov via Unsplash 

Related posts:

How to Kick Ass With LinkedIn Marketing Master LinkedIn Marketing with These 10 Tips LinkedIn Marketing: How to Do It Without Spamming People This Is What You’re Missing if You’re Not Using LinkedIn