Your LinkedIn profile serves as your digital storefront, personal brand statement, and virtual handshake all rolled into one. LinkedIn has become the undisputed heavyweight champion of professional networking platforms with over 930 million members worldwide and 58 million registered companies as of 2023.
The first tip is to focus on your personal profile as opposed to your business profile, posts from people are promoted far more and have much greater reach than company profiles. So it’s important your team (and especially senior management) get up to date.
So let’s jump straight in:
1. Choose the Right Profile Picture
Your profile picture is your digital first impression – make it count! Opt for a recent, high-quality headshot where your face occupies about 60% of the frame. Smile with your eyes (yes, that's a thing), wear appropriate work attire, and ensure the background isn't distracting.
Remember, this isn't Instagram – keep it professional, approachable, and authentic to who you are in the workplace.
2. Add a Compelling Background Image
Think of your background photo as the banner ad for your personal brand. Use this space strategically to showcase your industry, highlight your achievements, or give a visual representation of your work.
For instance, a software developer might use a clean code snippet, while a marketing professional could display a sleek infographic of campaign results. Get creative, but ensure it aligns with your professional image.
3. Craft an Engaging Headline
Your headline is prime real estate – don't waste it on just your job title. Use those 120 characters to create a mini elevator pitch that showcases your expertise, value proposition, and what makes you unique.
For example, instead of "Marketing Manager at TechCorp," try "Driving 200% ROI through data-driven digital marketing strategies | Helping B2B SaaS companies scale."
4. Tell Your Story in the Summary
Your summary is your chance to shine – don't let it go to waste! Craft a compelling narrative that brings your professional journey to life. Start with a hook, highlight your key achievements, showcase your passion, and clearly articulate the value you bring to the table.
Use short paragraphs and bullet points for readability. Remember, this is your most personal piece of content marketing – make it count!
5. Avoid Buzzwords
Ditch overused terms like "innovative," "strategic," or "passionate." These words are so common they've become almost meaningless. Instead, demonstrate these qualities through concrete examples and achievements.
Don't just say you're innovative – describe how you developed a new process that increased efficiency by 35%.
6. Grow Your Network Strategically
Quality trumps quantity when it comes to your LinkedIn network. Sync your profile with your email address book to uncover relevant connections. Make it a habit to follow up meetings and conversations with personalised connection requests. Remember, your network is your net worth – cultivate it wisely.
Use AI tools like Apollo to find people you would like to connect with, and then tools like Dripify to automate connecting to these people.
7. List Relevant Skills
Your skills section is like your professional toolbox – make sure it's well-stocked and organised. Regularly review and update your skills to ensure they align with your current expertise and career goals.
Focus on quality over quantity – it's better to have 20 highly relevant skills than 50 that don't quite fit.
8. Give and Receive Meaningful Endorsements
Endorsements add credibility to your profile, but they're most powerful when they're authentic. Start by endorsing others in your network for skills you can genuinely vouch for. Then, don't be shy about reaching out to colleagues and clients to request endorsements for your key skills.
Remember, relevance matters – 10 endorsements from industry peers carry more weight than 100 from random connections.
9. Manage Endorsements Proactively
Take control of your skills narrative by managing your endorsements. Use the edit features in the Skills section to highlight the endorsements that best reflect your current focus and expertise.
Hide outdated or less relevant endorsements to keep your profile sharp and focused.
10. Request Personalised Recommendations
While endorsements are the quick nods to your skills, recommendations are the meaty testimonials that really showcase your impact. Reach out to colleagues, supervisors, and clients who can speak to your specific contributions and results.
Provide them with some context or key points to mention, making it easier for them to craft a compelling recommendation.
11. Share Media and Marketing Collateral
Bring your work to life by uploading relevant media to your profile. Case studies, white papers, project portfolios, or even short video clips can provide tangible evidence of your expertise and accomplishments.
This not only makes your profile more engaging but also gives potential employers or clients a clearer picture of your capabilities.
12. Engage with Your Feed
Don't be a passive observer on LinkedIn – be an active participant! Regularly share relevant content from your feed, adding your own insights or questions to spark discussions.
Aim for a mix of industry news, thought leadership pieces, and content that reflects your professional interests and values.
13. Add Thoughtful Comments
Sharing is just the start – it's your comments that really showcase your expertise. When you share content, add your own perspective or insights. Ask thought-provoking questions, share relevant experiences, or connect the content to broader industry trends. Well-crafted comments can position you as a thought leader and draw others into meaningful professional discussions.
Top Tip - Comment on other team members posts too as this ads more weight than just interacting with it.
14. Follow Industry Influencers
Curate your feed by following key influencers in your industry. This keeps you informed about the latest trends and provides a steady stream of high-quality content to engage with.
Don't just follow the big names – look for up-and-coming thought leaders who align with your professional interests.
15. Activate Creator Mode
This is BIG if you can commit to posting at least once a week. If you're ready to amplify your voice on LinkedIn, turn on Creator Mode.
This feature helps you grow your reach and influence by providing additional tools for content creation. It also changes the "Connect" button on your profile to "Follow," making it easier for people to stay updated with your content without sending a connection request.
16. Spotlight Your Services
For consultants, freelancers, or small business owners, the LinkedIn Service Page is a game-changer. This feature allows you to create a dedicated page showcasing your services, making it easier for potential clients to find and engage with you.
Use this space to clearly outline your offerings, highlight your unique value proposition, and make it easy for prospects to reach out.
17. Don't be afraid to share personal stories
Yes LinkedIn is a business-first platform, however it’s still a social interaction platform. People like hearing stories about real life things they can connect with. If all you do is post ‘business, business, business’ people may not connect with you past that.
Try mix up your posts which can bring more engagement (good for the algorithm) and business combined to build connections.
18. Optimise for Voice Search
With the rise of voice-activated devices, optimising your profile for voice search is becoming increasingly important. Adding your name pronunciation not only helps others address you correctly but can also improve your searchability.
Use keywords naturally throughout your profile, especially in your headline and summary, to increase your chances of appearing in voice search results.
In a world where more and more AI will mean people will want to become more and more human, now is the time to invest in boosting your personal profile. LinkedIn is definitely the place to do it.
If you’d like any tips on any of the below please do reach out to us here:
- Producing good content for LinkedIn using AI
- Automating connections using AI
- Using AI to find the right audiences to connect with
- Ads on Linkedin
- Using LinkedIn for event sign ups
Thanks for reading
