LinkedIn has become an integral part of many professionals’ lives. It’s a great place to connect with potential employers, clients and industry peers. It’s also the perfect platform to share your industry expertise and content about your company and it’s value proposition.
Your LinkedIn profile is your opportunity to make a good first impression (or to make a poor impression). Here’s mine – what do you think?
It’s like dating
Imagine finding yourself in a crowded bar. You glance over at the other patrons and see a potentially attractive person (at first glance, a woman with long blond hair) at the counter, waiting to order a drink. Your interest is piqued. Next, the person turns and looks in your direction – and her face is covered by a scarf. You simply can’t determine if she’s attractive or not, so you move on.
Your LinkedIn profile is the same. Your job title or headline may give an inkling into your professional persona, but if there are no more details, no profile photo, no posts or articles demonstrating your expertise, the chances you’ll be asked to connect are slim.
The opposite is true! Craft your profile with enough information, enticing prospects to connect with you.
In the below example, who would you rather connect to?
Need help?
If you’re a zero (don’t worry, you need to start somewhere) here are 5 things you need to do right away.
- Make sure you have a profile photo which portrays you in a professional way, and a relevant, inviting banner image
- Write a compelling headline. Some call this a “pick-up line” – entice prospects to engage with you. Make it relevant and to the point. “Sales ninja” may not be as effective as “Expert in next-generation office automation solutions”
- Populate your current and past work experience to give potential connections a sense of your experience and expertise
- Start writing posts and articles (you don’t have to get fancy) about your company and industry topics that interest you. Do this regularly to build a history and track record of thought leadership demonstrating your expertise
- Once your profile is at least aesthetically sorted, start reaching out to relevant people – potential clients, colleagues and industry leaders – to grow your professional network
If you’re leading a team and believe in the concepts I’ve described, and would like to arm your team with this knowledge, please feel free to pass this on.
Author
Subscribe to the newsletter and get at least 1 actionable LinkedIn tip you can use to grow your business or advance your career, every couple of weeks.