LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that is perfect for making business connections and promoting your company brand. You need to treat this social media channel as you would a meeting with high-level executives from your largest client. You must present your professional self in all dealings and interactions you have. Just like with Facebook and Twitter, there is a certain protocol that must be followed on LinkedIn in order to gain followers and respect.
Here are seven of the finer points of LinkedIn etiquette you should follow:
1) Be honest and accurate. With so many ways to check references and connections and more, exaggerations or outright dishonesty is easy to find. Don't let a small exaggeration become a reason for a LinkedIn connection to distrust you or what you say.
2) Do not overshare. Keep all communications to the point and on target. Sharing every article you read from your morning RSS feed will annoy people who are connected to you on LinkedIn. That will lower their regard for you and make them less likely to want to do business with you.
3) Do not send out mass requests for endorsements. Asking everyone to endorse your skills will backfire. Many do not endorse someone until they have some level of interaction. A mass request will make people less likely to endorse you even if they think positively of you and your skills.
4) Make each communication personal. Your request for an endorsement should be to one person at a time, each with a personal message. That goes for any communication you make on LinkedIn.
5) Keep your personal life separate. Mentioning that you will be on vacation next week is fine. Mentioning that you and your college frat brothers are going on a spring break drunk fest is not fine. Keep your politics, religion, and highly personal details out of your LinkedIn communications and profile.
6) Don't bash your competition or your co-workers. You are there to represent yourself and your company. The people on LinkedIn want to know what you or your company have to offer. They don't want to know your opinion of your competitor's latest product or your co-worker's eating habits.
7) Introduce yourself first. When you want to make the acquaintance of someone, make a personal introduction. Don't just send a blind connection request. By introducing yourself first, you are starting off the connection with a positive, professional note.
LinkedIn etiquette is all about being professional and keeping that professionalism at the forefront of all communications and interactions. This professional social networking site is booming, and with its fairly recent announcement about its own publishing platform, it is just going to be more popular and beneficial.
Questions and Final Thoughts?
Have you made any LinkedIn faux pas?
