9,452 LinkedIn Users Have This CRINGY Personal Branding Error – Do You?

Ah, LinkedIn. A great platform to get ahead and network, find prospects, and make money. It’s a goldmine of professionals and one of the best tools you have in your arsenal. However, going through my entire list of LinkedIn connections recently, I couldn’t help but notice that just about ALL of them were making the same mistake, over and over and over again.

I’ll be honest: I cringed every time. How are all these otherwise smart and successful people getting it so very wrong? You’re probably wondering exactly what it is I’m talking about, so let me cut right to the chase.

It’s just one line in your profile, but it makes so much difference. If you’re saying that you’re one of the following you need to sit down and have a long, hard think about what you’re doing with your life: master, guru, ninja, genius, rockstar, sensei, maven.

Yes, it’s that line where you’re meant to succinctly tell people what you do and why you’re great at it, all in just 120 characters. Yes, it’s tempting to jazz it up with a word like the above… but no, it’s not going to help you.

You’re not being clever, and you’re not being cute, and nobody really thinks that you’re a sensei ninja rockstar – quite the opposite. They see a wild and unsubstantiated claim with no authority to back it up.

In other words, your profile’s going in the trash can before they’ve even looked at what you have to offer. That’s the big cringe right there. People are so judgmental, and one thing you mustn’t do is give them the opportunity to judge away!

Instead, what you want to do is create a fabulous first impression. A professional headshot, with a clear description of who you are and why that’s important, before a well written profile is the only way to go. Leave the cute crap at home, because LinkedIn is for professionals. While that doesn’t mean you can’t show your personality, it does mean you need to show that professionalism by showing, not telling.

It’s worth remembering that although you care a lot about what you can do and how you can help others, the vast majority of clients and customers on LinkedIn scanning your profile don’t. What they do care about is what you can do for them.

What that means is showing them why you’re a good hire – and how you can give them what they want. Whatever it is that they want.

And in your first line, describing yourself as a master sensei business guru is going to have 0 positive impact. Instead, showcasing what service you have and using the keywords that make you accessible, with a small benefit goes a lot further. Let’s say you’re a life coach for executives. Here’s an example:

Life Coach – Effective Life Coaching for Business Executives and Small Business Owners

Not only is this jacked up with keywords, it lets your audience know what you do with no cute nonsense. Instead, you’re getting your message across to your clients at the speed of light, helping people to understand quickly and easily what you offer and why they should care.

I get how easy it is to be seduced by having a cute and exciting quick bio on LinkedIn, but you won’t stand out from the crowd. So quit the cringe – it’s time to get serious!