Originally I wrote this article in May 2013! Since then a lot of new features have been added to LinkedIn and this number one professional network has grown to another 100 million users during this time. So to keep my audience up-to date with the latest on LinkedIn, here’s the updated version on how you can raise your profile to an all-star status.
Many of us still think that all we need to do is provide LinkedIn with the content required and ensure we tick all the required boxes. It’s a good start, but [bctt tweet=”There’s more to becoming a STAR on LinkedIn than what meets the eye.” via=”no”]
To help you on the path to becoming a LinkedIn star, I’ve created a profile and diagnosed what the shortcomings are. I’m sure my Pain, Prescription and Pills approach will help revamp your LinkedIn profile so you’re a real STAR on LinkedIn!
This series of articles has been titled, PPP, or my “Pain, Prescription and Pills”, using the analogy as a medical doctor to cure the pain of your LinkedIn challenges to work for whatever the goals you want to achieve in your professional life.
The Pain of setting up your LinkedIn profile, correctly!
Just like the spinal cord is key to your posture, [bctt tweet=”Your LinkedIn profile is critical to positioning yourself as a star on LinkedIn.” via=”no”]
Get this wrong and your profile will get lost in the multitude of constantly multiplying profiles. The result…your attempts at engagement with your network will lack potency and you will not achieve your desired outcome.
Out of 300M+ (and rapidly growing) members on LinkedIn, I would say, 75% of the profiles are not setup correctly to maximise one’s profile exposure, which is one of the main reasons for using this platform in the first place (i.e. to enhance your personal brand or be an “influencer” in your industry and/or create social selling leads, and/or grab that next big career break).
pWhen setting up your profile,
My Prescription to get that elusive ALL STAR status:
1. Create your profile headlines to reflect your professional abilities, not just your job title – Use keywords relating to the work you do because this is how you are going to draw the people you want to attract when they search for your expertise.
If you are using a Premium Account (paid), ensure to post supporting background image to highlight your profile
2. Write your professional summary to explain who you are in the professional sphere and what specialities you bring to the table. It’s best to use a conversational tone than referring yourself as a 3rd party!
If you are using a Premium Account (paid), ensure you display your public document that supports your business goals.
3. In your work summary, use keywords that support the profile headline and always expand your job title. Keywords should also relate to your specialities and be linked to the company page (I have come across many incorrect company links and it is a weakness on LinkedIn that hopefully will be fixed in the near future).
Often, someone researching your profile will make a judgement of your present and past experiences to evaluate you as a potential business contact. Creating the correct first impression is essential. If you are interested in a career opportunity, ensure all your past work experiences are covered.
4. Skills and Expertise – This is a key area which gives a snap shot of your career. Start with the most important areas of expertise first. Once again, keywords relating to your areas of expertise are vital. Select the most popular keywords from the skills and expertise list provided by LinkedIn whenever you can, to be part of the common search. However, if you happen to have unique skills feel free to create these. Once this is done, it allows your network connection to endorse you as they see fit from your list. Naturally, your most important strength should get more endorsements than your least!
5. Additional Info – Interests – I’ve noticed lots of members ignore this. Your “interests” create a hyperlink, which mean, instantly you can link to like-minded members on LinkedIn. Also, add your birthday and marital status as well. Finally, what is your advice to viewers of your profile to connecting with you?
6. More Additional Info–Projects, Publications and Languages
7. Even More Additional Info – Education, Honours, Awards and Courses – This is important as it gives avenues for your alumni to find you. I have heard many stories on how lost university and school mates connected, paving way for business opportunities that might have otherwise slipped by unnoticed.
Also add volunteer work and causes you care about, since it uplifts your personal brand and improves chances of employment.
The Pills that I prescribe:
1.Write down the strategies to achieve your personal goal for the next 3-6 months (what is it that you want to achieve from your LinkedIn profile)?
Examples:
a) Sales – To find a new prospect/LEAD for your company;
b) Marketing – For Personal and/or Company Branding; or even
c) Recruitment – Looking for a new job or attracting the right candidates
d) Influencer – to brand yourself as an authority in your field of expertise.
2. [bctt tweet=”Prepare your keywords. Unless you get this right, your LinkedIn profile is not going get much exposure.” via=”no”]
3. Complete your summary and work experiences. Note: If your writing skills are limited then hire a professional copy writer to get the job done. There are few available on LinkedIn as well.
4. Ensure other information sections are filled fully. If you decided to go for the premium profile, add rich media and vital supporting documentations as discussed earlier.
[bctt tweet=”Achieve the ALL-STAR status and you are ready to transform your LinkedIn profile to achieve your professional GOALs.” via=”no”]Assuming you have all your goals identified your strategies in place; it will take approximately 3-4 hours to complete your profile.
Health Check (Measurement):
To ensure your profile works for you, also make sure you are utilising LinkedIn “who’s viewed your profile” feature! Take a look at the number of members who viewed your profile before and after you’ve made the changes. You’ll be amazed at how the numbers have improved thanks to your new, updated profile. If this does not happen, revisit the keywords in your profile and adjust it accordingly.
There you have it, my diagnosis and recommendations to uplift your LinkedIn presence. With LinkedIn’s recent roll out of its Social Selling Index, you can now also measure the extent to which you have been successful with your social selling efforts on a daily basis.
Give my suggestions a shot and let me know how it worked out for you. I’d love to hear from your success story too!
Don’t forget to check out the Part 2 of this Social Selling L.E.A.D.S series – Engaging via LinkedIn where we dig deeper into how we can build and nurture meaningful relationships using this awesome networking tool.
Would you like a shortcut to success on LinkedIn? My FREE live LinkedIn Webinar is arranged to take you step-by-step on your journey to becoming a LinkedIn superstar! From setting up your profile to an all-star status to generating meaningful online leads, this webinar will reveal many quick tactics you can implement to get instant results.
Register for my FREE Webinar here.