6 tips to make your LinkedIn profile stand out
Increase sales, make connections, and succeed on LinkedIn
You know LinkedIn is an important platform for you, but how do you utilize it to grow your network? What can you do to make your profile stand out? We’re diving into the social media platform and sharing our top tips so you can increase sales, make connections, and succeed online.
LinkedIn has over 500 million members. The platform crossed the half-billion user mark in 2017. Since they were founded in 2002, they’ve continued to grow year after year. And it’s arguable that it’s the most important social media network when it comes to business. Here are our top tips to make your profile shine:
1. Add a professional headshot.
A well-taken photo lets your potential and current connections know you take your career seriously. Forgo the selfies and upload an image that shows your full potential. Ask yourself the following questions when deciding on which image to upload:
- Does it look like the real you? The best you, of course.
- Does it convey a message about what you bring to the table? Hint: Make sure you look professional.
- Does it focus all of the attention on you? We love to look at pictures of the beach, too, but this is a time to shine the light on just you.
- Does your photo make people want to message you?
2. Spend time on your headline.
Your headline is the tl;dr (too long; didn’t read) of your LinkedIn profile. If you only have a minute to make a good impression, this is where you do it. By default, LinkedIn creates your headline based on your current job title and company.
For example: “Sales Director, ABC Computer Sellers.” With 120 characters to work with, defaulting to LinkedIn’s provided headline is a wasted opportunity. There is a way to enhance the “Vice President, Computer Sellers.” Think:
“Sales Director at ABC Computer Sellers | Strategy | Marketing| HP Computers”
Now, when people search for keywords like HP computers, strategy, or marketing, you will appear in their search results.
If you want your LinkedIn account to be a way that people discover you…place an emphasis on keywords. — LinkedIn Help Center
3. Craft a compelling summary.
If your headline is what draws people to your profile, your summary is what keeps them there. Compared to other social networks, LinkedIn carries an expectation of professionalism. The profile summary section is your best opportunity to infuse personality into your profile. In your summary, you can let prospective customers or employers know who you are.
By default, LinkedIn shows only the first three lines of your profile summary before readers have to click to see more. That works out to approximately 300 characters. So start your summary with a hook that propels readers to click “See More”.
Here are some questions to consider when writing your summary:
- What sets you apart from everyone else?
- What are some of your recent accolades?
- What skills help you achieve results?
- Why do you love your job?
4. Make connections.
Think of LinkedIn like a cocktail party. You don’t just want to be the person standing in the corner waiting for people to approach you. You want to be social and start meaningful conversations with other party goers. The same goes for LinkedIn. You want to make sure your profile is optimized so that potential connections can find you, but you also want to send connection requests yourself.
Connecting with people you already know is a great way to start. This is an easy step. Chances are that most people you know are already using LinkedIn.
HP’s Vincent Brissot has a great testament about the power of LinkedIn connections. About 2 years, ago, he contacted Daniel Newman on LinkedIn. What began as a simple InMail message in search of a speaker for an omnichannel conversation, led to working together on a social profile. Daniel was instrumental in putting Vincent on the right path, jumpstarting him, and helping him define his strategy.
5. Share your experience.
You’ve worked hard to gain experience in your career, here’s your chance to show it off! Share details about each of your relative roles (don’t worry about mentioning that babysitting job you had at 16).
When adding experience, be sure to include details about your specialty and achievements. Did you increase direct sales by 15%? Did you bring on three new accounts? People like to see your actionable results.
Pro tip: Get detailed instruction on how to add, edit, and remove your experience here.
6. Ask for recommendations.
Your LinkedIn recommendations can be a powerful part of your profile. Nothing makes you look better than praise from a client, a past boss, or a colleague.
You can request a recommendation from any current connection. When sending a recommendation request, include a personal message to your connect on what you’re hoping to achieve, any details you would like them to include, and an offer to write them as well.
Now with your profile polished, it’s time to post updates, articles, images, and videos to the LinkedIn news feed. Engage your connections to build long-lasting relationships.
How have you experienced success on LinkedIn? Share your tips with us below. 👇
