Imagine you go grocery shopping and are looking around. Which one would grab your attention right away; a bag of sweets in a transparent, bland, plastic bag or a beautifully wrapped, colourful one? Think about it for a moment. I am 99% sure that you will move towards the wrapped one and analyse it closer.
It works the same with your social media profiles. Especially the ones where you should be both professional and attractive, like LinkedIn. As LinkedIn frames it, its purpose is to “connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful“.
And for its users to meet this mission, there are specific LinkedIn Management tips to follow. So keep on reading, and turn your profile into colourful sweets!
But before, let me tell you that according to 2021 statistics, LinkedIn has 774+ million users using 24 languages in 200 countries. Thus, you can imagine the volume of exposure professionals get through this platform.
So why not pursue the same path and do it effectively?
Getting down to the nitty-gritty of LinkedIn Management
I mentioned grabbing attention from first sight and keeping a professional tone at the same time. You should know that on LinkedIn, you are being followed. No, it is not some mysterious Big Brother. Those are HRs, company directors and many other professionals who are constantly looking for a suitable candidate!
Ever noticed a notification on LinkedIn showing that you appeared in searches or someone checked your profile?
Next time they visit your profile, make them stay, make them start following you.
How?
Be organised! Don’t let your LinkedIn profile look without purpose and be chaotic. For instance, start by adapting your URL.
Your LinkedIn profile has a unique URL. Usually, it includes your name and is followed by a combination of digits and letters. Those numbers are just for identification purposes. Therefore, it is better to customise the URL and keep what is relevant.
Steps to follow? Here they are:
- Go to the “Edit public profile & URL” tab in the upper right corner of your profile.
- Then again, look at the upper right corner, and you will see an editable URL line.
- Lucky you if your name is unique. Otherwise, try adding middle initials, educational or professional designations.
You might be wondering, is this all? No way, let me give you some more examples!
LinkedIn elements that matter the most
Now, let’s jump right into the cornerstones of your LinkedIn account.
Firstly, it is your profile picture or “Headshot”. This tiny photo increases your profile visits 14 times. A headshot should:
- Be of high quality and tailored to your profession
- Show your face in 80% of the image
- Look straight or at your content (left)
- Not be selfies or cutouts from group photos
Apply the same quality logic to your background image. For example, share the general theme of your brand, contact details, or a link to your website. If you have none, use a neutral image.
Next on the line are two sections – the “Summary” and the “Headline“.
“Headline” is placed below your photo and is there to communicate your brand. Headshot and Headline are visible to everyone on LinkedIn.
It has a capacity of 120 characters. Here you can describe in short what you do, specialisation, and add indicators of your trustworthiness (ex: your client base, satisfaction rate, etc.). Moreover, you can describe what you offer and place a CTA (ex: ask me how).
While editing the structure of your profile, remember to include your location. It will also appear under your name!
In “Summary“, tell your story in 2000 characters! And here is all you have to do to make it compelling!
- Write in the first person to set up an inviting and friendly tone
- 7/10 professional and 3/10 personal info
- Write your achievements, values and passions
- Don’t forget relevant keywords
Experience. Use your CV to fill this section. Create entries (maximum 1500 characters each) to demonstrate your work parkour!
- Include what will help you appear in searches!
- Use relevant and popular keywords. Repeat them multiple times!
- Don’t be afraid to create several entries under one job title to describe different things you were doing.
Stand out as an eternal student.
Now let’s dig deeper into the skills, endorsement and education!
Being humble is good, but LinkedIn is a platform where you need to show off your knowledge!
LinkedIn has separate sections to list your skills and education. Just keep in mind to repeat the keywords for which you want to be known. So, for example, while listing your schools and certificates, you can also say a few words about your specialisation, studied topics and use the keywords.
Don’t forget to list your skills, and more is better, but beware that the maximum is 50. Those play the same role as keywords; in fact, you can start by adding the keyword into your skillset. Then, others can endorse you for your skills.
But wait, there is more!
I advise you to check out Linkedin Learning to enhance your skills and advance your career check continuously. But, more importantly, do certainly showcase gained certificates among LinkedIn circles!
Switching into Creator mode
At the beginning of 2021, LinkedIn introduced the “Creator mode” to help members who regularly share creative and thought-provoking content to highlight their experience, start a discussion, build networks.
Creator Mode will help you:
- Increase your audience as you will switch from “Connect” to “Follow”
- Let others notice you by highlighting your original posts
- Get easily discovered
“Hey, but I cannot find this Creator Mode!!!”
Calm down; it’s under your Dashboard. Just click on it and follow the steps. Don’t forget to add at least five hashtags that describe your content!
Opening up to possibilities
LinkedIn Management is a never-ending well of possibilities. If you are looking for work, let everyone know about it. Follow this step-by-step video to learn how!
Do not be afraid to connect to as many people as you can, as each connection introduces you approximately to 400 new people. Moreover, the same way as any other social platform, LinkedIn offers Ad function to promote your activity. So, why not benefit from it?
Summing up, let me tell you that online professional networking became an indispensable tool of our daily life, primarily due to COVID-19. LinkedIn is a platform where four people are hired every minute, so use it wisely! And in case you need help with LinkedIn management, reach out to 50 Pound Social.
