1 0 Ways to Update your Linkedin Profile
LinkedIn has grown into a powerful social selling and personal branding platform. Having a professional and search-friendly profile is critical to getting found and building relationships online. Here are 10 easy ways to update your profile to stand out on LinkedIn.
1. ADD A PROFESSIONAL PHOTO Make sure you look professional to convey the right image. Photos are important to help people remember how they met you when you ask to connect.
2. USE YOUR HEADLINE FOR A BENEFIT STATEMENT Instead of just listing your job title, tell people the value you offer. Which is more compelling? “Project Manager” or “Help guide clients to successful project completion on-time and on-budget.” Tell people the value you offer. Optimize your headline with one or two keywords to stand out in search.
3. LINK IT UP You get 3 links from your personal profile. Use them to drive traffic to your web site, blog, or LinkedIn business page. Give people a reason to click. Be creative.
4. VANITY URL When you set up your profile LinkedIn assigns a URL to your profile that is just a string of letters and numbers. You should change this URL to be your name. It makes it easier for people to find you when they search. LinkedIn Help has good instructions on how to customize your public profile URL. Just search for it.
5. SUMMARIZE YOUR STORY You have so much space (2,000 characters) to tell your personal brand story in the Summary Section and it’s the first thing people read on your profile, so make it good. Be customer or employer centric here! They don’t care about you, they care about what you can DO FOR THEM. Clearly articulate who you work with and how you can solve their problem. If they are intrigued, they will keep reading.
6. ADD RICH MEDIA TO STAND OUT LinkedIn let’s you “bedazzle” your profile with rich media – photos, slideshows, videos, white papers. Have a great presentation? Upload a pared down version of your slides. Upload a photo of you speaking. Upload a video of you speaking at a conference or even explaining how to do something your clients would find helpful. Add photos of you supporting a cause that matters to you. Written a book or paper? Upload the cover photo. Visual content makes you look so much more professional and it makes your profile more interesting to read.
7. SHARE YOUR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Most people treat this section like a resume. It’s dry and boring. Don’t be boring! Don’t tell us what you did, tell us the results of what you did. Use this space to talk about a project you worked on. Share a case story. Use keywords to highlight any special skills or services that you offer or that truly differentiate you.
8. PROJECTS & PUBLICATIONS In Projects, if it is not proprietary, share the details of a project you are working on. Keep updating it as the project moves forward. In Publications, you can add blog posts, articles, white papers, or speeches that you have written.
9. SKILLS & ENDORSEMENTS A lot of my clients ask if Skills & Endorsements matter. The answer is yes and no. Someone checking a box that says yes, you are good at customer service, sales or underwriting means very little. However, 100 people checking a box that says you are very good at those skills means a lot. A lot of people endorsing you for a particular skill will assure readers that you are legitimate. You can add up to 50 skills to your profile but my suggestion is to pick no more than 7-10 that you want to be known for. You want people to endorse you for these skills, so focus them in on the few that you really
10. RECOMMENDATIONS You need them. Go get them. Recommendations from other people on LinkedIn carry a lot of weight in establishing your credibility. We are all swayed by other people’s opinions and reviews. If you can get 5 really good recommendations on your profile, you’ll be well on your way to having a LinkedIn profile that truly stands out. How do you get them? Ask. Or, write a recommendation for someone else and see if they reciprocate.
Spend some time this weekend and invest in yourself by updating your LinkedIn profile. Want more ideas? Sign up for my newsletter at www.brandstrongmarketing.com for tips and ideas on branding, blogging, and social media marketing.