The 8 Ways You are Ignoring the Massive Potential LinkedIn Has For Your Business

To some people, LinkedIn is nothing more than a giant storage facility for digital resumes. The truth is that it is one of the most powerful ways to keep your career - and business - moving full speed ahead. If you are not getting results from your LinkedIn presence, see if you are making one of these 8 mistakes - and keep reading to find out how to download my brand new free ebook pictured above.

1. Your Profile is not Optimized

The more information that you put on your LinkedIn profile, the easier it will be for people to find it. Adding details will also naturally stock your profile full of keywords to make it more searchable and more easily discovered by new people. Instead of thinking about a LinkedIn profile as a digital resume, it is time to see it as the inbound marketing tool it is.

LinkedIn is not a resume of your past - it is an inbound marketing tool to help you create your future.

2. You Aren't Building Your Network

A complete, detailed, and searchable profile is a great start. However, the power of LinkedIn comes from the power of discovering hidden connections. When you connect with someone, your profile becomes available to all of that person's connections, and vice-versa. More importantly, though, when you have an objective and do an Advanced People Search, you discover hidden connections that can be invaluable to your business. I might be the best friends with a CEO of a company that you've been wanting to meet for years, and vice-versa. Only when we build up our network do we have the potential to tap into the power of discovering hidden connections.

Don't underestimate the power of discovering hidden connections on LinkedIn.

3. You Aren't Maintaining Relationships

Making a connection will get the conversation started, but real relationships are built upon meaningful conversations over time. LinkedIn is an excellent way to keep in touch with your professional contacts every day. One easy way is to check your Connections page for anyone who has recently started a new job, achieved a work anniversary, or is celebrating a birthday so you can send a quick note. You should also check your Home page for any important updates from your connections so you can stay in the loop.

LinkedIn connections have no value. Relationships with your connections are priceless.

4. You're Not Proactive About Recommendations

Social proof is the ultimate way of establishing legitimacy on the web, and recommendations are the best way to get social proof on LinkedIn. As potential employers, partners, clients, and other professionals see your profile, having plenty of recommendations will validate your skill set. Plus, potential customers just might recognize someone who has given you a recommendation and that will give it more weight. You can be proactive by giving out recommendations to your connections who have earned them, and reach out to your old managers, colleagues, and customers and ask for a recommendation.

LinkedIn Recommendations give your profile credibility and Social Proof.

5. You're Not Maximizing The Skills Section

Next to recommendations, adding skills to your profile that then get endorsed are a great way to lend credibility to your profile. Make sure your skill set is complete, and up-to-date so current and future connections can easily browse through them and choose which to endorse. Endorsements help you promote your professional brand and offer a quick and easy way to engage with your network because they are simpler and easier to get than a full recommendation.

Don't ignore the Skills section and Endorsements - embrace them.

6. You're Not Keeping Up with Pulse

The web is full of content and clutter, and it is often hard to cut through the noise to get what is truly relevant to your objectives. LinkedIn Pulse contains content that has already been filtered so the noise is turned down. It also gives you a place to engage with the content creators by commenting or giving it a thumbs up. Optimize your Pulse feed by adding plenty of content providers to your preferences and checking what has been recommended for you on a regular basis. Be in the know - and take advantage of the opportunity to engage with the thought leaders blogging on LinkedIn.

Don't just read LinkedIn Pulse: Engage with the content creators.

7. Your Profile is Stale

While you may occasionally add a skill or update your current employment information, there's not much that you can do to keep your LinkedIn profile fresh. To prevent your profile from becoming stale, post regular status updates to share new information with your connections. You can share interesting news and links, bring over something you found on Pulse, or ask questions to spark conversations. You can also let your professional voice be heard by publishing long-form content. Don't let your LinkedIn profile become a forgotten entity.

Your LinkedIn profile is a dynamic entity. Treat it that way and you will reap the rewards.

8. You're Skipping Groups

Think of LinkedIn Groups like virtual conferences and tradeshows where you can see and be seen by others in your industry while promoting your expertise at the same time. You can join groups of people with similar interests, or listen to industry experts to gain new skills. When you join new groups, be sure to spend a bit observing the atmosphere of the group so you can contribute to the group in a meaningful way. Most professionals are still not leveraging the potential here.

LinkedIn Groups are the largest discussion groups for professionals on the Internet.

Maximize Your Potential

Stop wasting your time on LinkedIn with watered-down profiles and half-hearted attempts to build and maintain a social network. I have written a brand new free ebook. Maximizing LinkedIn for Business, to help you maximize your LinkedIn presence the right way. Click on the link to download and read it today - and stop missing out on everything LinkedIn has to offer.