Get Found On LinkedIn: 3 Ways To Level-up Your LinkedIn Profile
At some point, probably in the early days of the platform or the last time you looked for a job, you most likely created a profile on LinkedIn. When was the last time you updated it? Do you even remember the password? It’s okay, you have a lot of company.
LinkedIn gets a bit of a bad rap as far as social media platforms go. Most people consider it pretty boring and it is, if you’re not on there to look for work or connect with other businesses. If you are a service provider or a business-to-business organization, however, it is an incredibly useful tool! LinkedIn is THE professional social network. It has job postings, interesting articles and ways for you to connect with other businesses and professionals in your industry.
Scores of information for optimizing your profile on Instagram, Pinterest and other social media platforms can be found on the internet but LinkedIn can be a bit of a mystery. Even if you acknowledge the need for an up-to-date profile for marketing purposes, you may not know how to optimize your profile so that it stands out amongst all the others. Well this blog post is here to help you do just that!
1 - Your LinkedIn Headline should contain keywords
Your profile’s headline is the first place that the LinkedIn algorithm will try to find keywords so you should write this section with SEO front of mind. Put yourself in your ideal client’s shoes, if you were looking for a professional, what would you type in the search bar? Owner? Founder? Unlikely. You would most likely be typing in what you are looking for, a Social Media Manager for example.
Pro tip: Have a personal hashtag as the first item in your header. Use this hashtag in every piece of content that you post and encourage people to follow it.
After making sure that your headline highlights your skills and service offerings, add a little something personal. Finish your headline with something special and memorable so that potential clients can get a feel for your personality.
2 - Have a killer “About” section
This is not the time to be brief. The “about” section tells the reader all about who you are, what you offer and what the results will be if they choose to work with you. What makes you different from the millions of others on LinkedIn? How do you stand up against your competitors?
Pro tip: Your “about” section isn’t really about you, it’s about your ideal clients and what they will gain from working with you.
Be mindful as you layout your “about” section, use emojis to guide the eye and have a clear call to action, such as, “Book a call”. Remember that people need to like you before they will buy from you.
3 - Fill up your skills section
The next stop on the algorithm’s journey through your profile is the skills & endorsements section. You can add up to 50 skills here and you should do just that, add all 50 (remembering to be honest). This is the perfect place to showcase your varied talents and to add more keywords!
Pro tip: LinkedIn allows you to pin three skills to the top of this section. These three skills should be the ones that you want potential employers or clients to take notice of.
Want to learn more? Check out this episode of Showing Up Solo with guest expert Erin Andersen.
