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LinkedIn is constantly growing as a social media platform and now has over 600 million people registered. LinkedIn can be an effective tool for digital marketing, but it is also great for building communities and gaining relationships with people in similar industries. I have been using LinkedIn for a number of years now (and gained expert training), which is allowing me to share my knowledge with you. The following are five things to consider when creating your LinkedIn profile:
Add a branded header and a professional image
When another individual or company visits your profile, the first thing they’ll see is your header and image. It’s important to ensure these are clear, professional and on-brand. My cover photo is branded to the company I work for, however, if you are an individual who’s looking for a job, or working for yourself, then you could use a simple, quality headshot or something that interests you. LinkedIn is different to other social media platforms and I would recommend using single headshots as opposed to group photos. If you don’t have something you feel represents you and who you are, you could leave your cover photo blank.
Create a sharp ‘headline’
Your headline should be around one line of text maximum and is extremely important to get right. Not only is it always visible on your profile under your name, but it also appears when you comment on other posts as well as when you request to connect to people. Your headline should be sharp and to the point – it could be something about you or your role. I would suggest avoiding just listing your job role here as it doesn’t define what sector you’re in and is way to robotic. You only have 120 characters for your headline, so make them count!
Writing an interesting summary
A LinkedIn summary gives you the ability to write a little more information about yourself and allows your fellow connections to learn about who you are and what you do. The summary should be split into three seperate paragraphs. The first paragraph is specific to you and your current role. The second paragraph is about your business, explaining what it is and what you do. Finally, the last paragraph is more personal, talk about your hobbies and interests, or perhaps something you’re really passionate about. In the summary, you have a 2000 character limit, so you have the opportunity for other connections to really understand you and your business here.
Link your profile to your company page
Your company page will show up on the right hand side of your name on your LinkedIn Profile. It’s important to make sure this is up-to-date and your current business. This is your chance to advertise the business you work for, or perhaps your own business. A connection can click on the name of the business and it will link straight to that businesses LinkedIn page. To link a company page, you need to update your ‘experience’ on your LinkedIn page and choose your business under ‘Company’.
Get connected!
Connecting with others on LinkedIn is a two-way process. You will need to send an invitation to connect and then wait for your contact to accept or ignore your invitation. Once connected, you will gain access to one another’s profile and can also message them directly. When you connect with someone, it is important that you don’t just click ‘Send now’ but you ‘Add a note’ and write a personalised message, stating why you want to connect. It may be as simple as, ‘I’ve seen your posts on my feed before and I love your content’- but that’s a lot more appealing than just a blank invite.
