Personality Makes Perfect on LinkedIn

2 min read
Jul 29, 2015 3:02:24 PM

Business always benefits from a personal touch, and it’s no different on LinkedIn. Whether you’re just networking or looking to generate and nurture leads, it’s always best to keep your LinkedIn profile looking like it belongs to a human, not a robot. But, LinkedIn isn’t the same as Facebook – you have to find the balance between personal and professional to use LinkedIn to its full potential. Here are 5 tips that’ll help you humanize your LinkedIn presence without erring too far on the casual side: 


1. Post Your Own Content
Staying active on LinkedIn by posting articles is great, but it’s even better if you wrote those articles yourself. Not only does it show your personality – after all, somebody’s writing reveals a lot about them – it also demonstrates your knowledge of your industry! But, if you don’t write articles, at least add a comment when you post to prove you’re not a robot. 

2. Connect With Personal Messages
When connecting on LinkedIn, you’re offered a standard message to send with your invitation: “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.” Don’t use it. You can easily write a professional LinkedIn invitation that still has personality – explain how you know the person or why you want to connect with them – and you won’t seem nearly as stiff or boring. 

3. Make Use of InMail
A common mistake that people make on LinkedIn is trying to connect with people they don’t know personally. Avoid this. (It can get you banned.) If you have a premium account, you can use InMail to reach out to potential leads and clients without getting yourself kicked off the site. 

4. Engage in Groups
We’ve talked before about LinkedIn groups for marketers, but there’s a group for everybody on LinkedIn, no matter what industry you’re in. And, groups are great places to showcase your knowledge and your personality, as well as network with people who might be valuable connections. 

5. Engage with Individuals 
If you want to show your connections your personality, the best way is by actually starting conversations. Comment on the things they post, or tag them in other posts that you think they would like (as long as you’re sure they won’t mind, and you don’t do it too regularly). Reaching out makes your connection with them truly personal.
 

Nobody wants to do business with a robot. So, follow these 5 tips to humanize your business and see how personality makes perfect on LinkedIn!

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