The new updates made to the LinkedIn web site are making it one of the most valuable tools you can use in B2B marketing and to push your career forward. To make sure you are doing all you can to get your LinkedIn account to work for you, it is important to make your page eye catching while maintaining a professional demeanor.
Make Your Account Stand Out
When creating a LinkedIn account, many people make the mistake of making their pages look too much like a resume. While this method will work to get the point across, it does nothing to make your profile stand out from the many others that are online.
Add a great photo: To add a great photo do this, start by using a professional looking shot that is at least 200x200 pixels. A photo that is smaller than this will appear blurry once it is uploaded.
Customize your URL: Next customize your URL to make your profile easy to find. You can do this by including your name in the URL. If your name is common, add something that is easy to remember to it to differentiate it.
You can do this by clicking on the Me icon at the top of your home page and then selecting View Profile. Once you are on your profile page, click Edit Public Profile and URL on the right. Under Edit URL, click the Edit icon next to your public profile URL. Enter your name without spaces and click save.
Optimize your headline: Optimizing your headline really work to attract attention to your web site. The headline appears directly under your name and is highly visible and searchable.
It is limited to 120 characters and it’s important to make those characters count. Be sure to include valuable keywords.
To edit your headline, click on the Me icon and go to View Profile. Once you are on your profile page, click the Edit icon and an Edit Intro dialog box will appear. This is where you can enter new content for your introduction including an updated headline. When you’re done, click Save.
Customize your contact info: Filling out your contact info and personal information will get your more visibility on LinkedIn. For maximum optimization, change default labels like ‘Personal Website’ or ‘Company Blog” adding words that you feel will appeal to your target audience.
To customize contact info, you will once again have to go to the Me icon and View Profile. Then click the Edit icon next to Contact and Personal Info.
The Edit Contact Info dialog box will appear. Here you can click Add Website and copy and paste your website address into that filed. Then choose Other from the drop down list and enter the description you would like viewers to see. Click Save when you’re done.
Introduce Yourself with a Video: On a site full of text, a video will always stand out. It is a great medium for introducing yourself, telling stories, sharing client testimonials and educating your followers about your products and services.
Unfortunately, at this point, LinkedIn’s upload feature does not allow you to upload video to your profile, so you need to upload your video to a host site and then share the video link to LinkedIn. This can be done through sites like SlideShare, YouTube, Vimeo, Ustream, Brightcove and Facebook.
Once you video is uploaded to one of these websites, you can add it to your LinkedIn profile by, once again, clicking the Me icon and selecting View Profile. Then click the Edit icon beside your profile picture and scroll down until you see the Media section. Click the link and paste it to your video, then click Add.
Once this is done, an Edit Media dialog box will appear. Enter a title and description for you video. Then click Apply and Save.
Get Endorsements and Recommendations: This will be built in the Skills & Endorsements area of your profile which is a great place for strategic keywords.
Make this section as attractive as possible while thinking about all your skills and then using the ones you feel will entice the bulk of your clientele. Make sure to include high volume search phrases to make your profile visible.
To add skills, you will once again want to go to the Me icon and select View Profile. Scroll to the Skills & Endorsements section and click Add New Skill. Type the name of the skill in the text box and click Add. To reorder your skills hover over the three line icon on your right. Doing this will cause the cursor to change to a Move icon which will allow you to click and drag to reorder.
Recommendations can also be valuable in getting your profile noticed. You can ask for these from clients you have worked for in the past.
To request recommendations, click the Ask to Be Recommended link at the top right of the recommendations section. Follow the on-screen prompts to fill out and send your request.
When writing content, remember to do all you can to be personable, keeping things light and using humor when possible, while still maintaining a professional tone.
Grow Your Network: Now that you have created a LinkedIn profile that is sure to show you in the best light, it’s time to start growing your network. Start by trying to connect with people you know including friends, family, teachers and anyone you may have had a professional relationship within the past.
Then search LinkedIn for more possibilities. The more connections you make, the more recommendations you will be provided with and the more you will be able to expand.
Linked in is a great resource for B2B marketing. Do all you can to make this site work for you by optimizing your profile to make yourself accessible and attractive to your peers. Here’s hoping LinkedIn does all it can in growing your business to its maximum potential.
