I love this topic because every single day I see people – including my clients at The Repositioning Expert – wasting LinkedIn. When you consider the history, LinkedIn was invented around 2000, really came into being in 2002, and didn’t hit 10 million users until 2007. During my years at Pepsi, Pizza Hut, and Frito-Lay, we didn’t have LinkedIn. Everything relied on old-fashioned phone calls, cold calls, and door knocking – suppliers could never break through. I was in one of the sexiest marketing roles where everyone wanted to sell to me, yet there was no LinkedIn to find information or connect. Now we have this incredible resource available, but business owners either aren’t using it or they’re using it wrong. I’ve been guilty too – hiring companies and third-party sales reps to use it incorrectly, getting training that taught the wrong approach. Let me show you where you’re wasting LinkedIn.

Your Headline and About Section Are Dead Space

First, your job title headline is wasted if you only list your position and function. Remember, 70% of humans purchase based on pain. When someone views your profile and sees nothing relating to them, it’s forgettable. Instead of “CEO at The Repositioning Expert,” try: “I help overwhelmed B2B manufacturers eliminate production delays costing $2 billion annually.” See the difference? You’re showing who you help, what you do, and the pain you solve. Your About section’s first three lines are critical – that’s what’s visible before “see more.” After stating who you help and what pain you solve (mine says: “I’m a marketing strategist who helps B2B service providers connect quicker with corporate decision makers by repositioning their message”), add credibility: years in business, awards, TV appearances, degrees, special methodologies, technologies. End with quirky personal details – I mention Logan (my adorable 16-year-old), my gym obsession, podcast addiction, and Kindle habit. These make you human and memorable.

Keywords, Photos, and the Free Billboard You’re Ignoring

If you’re not keyword-stuffing the 5-10 words your buyers use to search for you, you’re invisible. I have clients ask decision-makers directly: “What keywords do you search for solutions to [specific problem]?” Then stuff those words everywhere – headlines, sections, experience descriptions, newsletter titles, articles, even testimonial requests. For me, my keywords are: B2B marketing strategist, corporate sales development, industry positioning. Also please please please, avoid overused generic terms like “strategic,” “innovative,” and “results-driven.” For your profile photo, there’s just no more excuses with AI – I literally take selfies and use Gemini (Google’s free ChatGPT) to create professional headshots, asking it not to alter my face too much. Lastly, do not neglect your banner. It’s a is free billboard space – mine says “Helping B2B service providers get and keep a decision maker’s attention.” When 82% of buyers check you out before meetings, that generic blue background kills opportunities.

The Content Creation Gap

Here’s the shocking reality: 1.1 billion people are on LinkedIn, but only about 10% create content. Ninety percent just watch – and those eyeballs include your buyers. Posting weekly versus monthly gives you 5.6 times more followers and seven times faster growth. But post strategically using pain sound bites from your target client’s industry, client success stories with numeric KPIs (with permission or descriptive details without names), shared niche expertise with your commentary, and your two cents in any format – written, voice, video, carousels. Carousels get 1.9 times more engagement, and live videos (like the one where this article was taken from) get 24 times more interaction than pre-recorded content. I started these Tuesday Tea Time lives during the pandemic with coach Kelly Roach – I was uncomfortable going unscripted without PowerPoint, and you still hear me fumbling. Yet clients binge this content before hiring me because they understand my personality, knowledge depth, and what they’re investing in.

Your Morning Coffee LinkedIn Strategy

Spend 15 minutes each morning while drinking coffee: comment genuinely (not generically) on five posts from targeted people in your stream, respond to comments within 24 hours, and send two personalized connection requests based on their industry pain. Remove non-targeted people from your stream – family and friends are great, but this is for building business. Weekly, create one video or post for your newsletter (I stream through Streamyard to multiple platforms, scrape the YouTube script, feed it to Claude AI, and create multiple content pieces for the week). Build what I call a “pain calendar” – your client’s industry pain and how you solve it. Use AI, client conversations, and your expertise to plan topics so you’re never wondering “what do I write about today?” If you implement these suggestions, your 2026 will look dramatically different.

Want to reposition your messaging to grow your leads? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, watch my Podcast onYouTube or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk.