7 Effective Tips for Developing a Quality LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn is a valuable resource for people looking for a job or expanding their professional network. To position yourself to be in the right searches, you must utilize your LinkedIn profile. Otherwise, you won’t be taking full advantage of all that LinkedIn has to offer.

How do you make your profile more interesting for visitors? How can you show up in more relevant searches? How do you get people to take action and connect with you? All of this can be achieved by developing a quality LinkedIn profile that visitors can’t resist.

Here are seven tips for crafting a compelling LinkedIn profile that gets you more views.

1. Be specific about what you do.

Millions of people are on LinkedIn. To separate yourself from the competition, it’s best to use specific words and phrases that describe the work you provide. Otherwise, there’s a good chance that you’ll get lost in the mix. For example, if your company manages databases, be specific about the types of databases you have experience with or the industries you serve.

It’s true that fewer people perform searches on specific niches, but these people know what they want and are more likely to work with you. Do some digging by performing a few searches and seeing how competitive they are. Choose the searches that you want to show up in and optimize your profile for them.

2. Treat your LinkedIn page as your resume.

If you haven’t looked at your LinkedIn page for a while, it’s probably time to update your profile. You may have new skills and experiences to share with others.

Treat your LinkedIn profile as an online resume – professional, engaging and relevant. Decide who you are writing to and include the appropriate skills, talents and experiences. As exciting as it may have been to earn a certain award or develop a specific skill, people want to know what you can do for them.

One thing that your LinkedIn page needs to have that isn’t normally included in a resume is your sales pitch. What problem do you solve? What do you do better than everyone else?

3. Grab attention by telling a story.

Your list of qualifications may be impressive, but people who are looking for a specific product or service are going to come across a lot of these lists. What will separate you from others is your ability to tell a story.

Stories are captivating, relatable and thought-provoking. They provide an avenue for engaging people in a way that written lists won’t. If your story is powerful enough to elicit an emotional response, you’ve hooked people in a way they won’t forget.

4. Include a call to action to help users stay on track.

A call to action (CTA) tells visitors what you want them to do. Don’t give your visitors a bunch of information and then leave them hanging. Tell them what steps you want them to take next, whether it’s setting up a consultation, downloading an ebook or requesting a quote.

CTAs should be summed up in a few words or less, but you do need to be clear about what you want from the person and what they will get in return. There’s no need to stuff your profile with CTAs, but do make it easy for people to convert.

5. Add media to spice up your profile.

LinkedIn is a social site that is heavy on text, but there is still plenty of room to add in images and video clips. Use this space wisely, though, as you don’t want your profile to be stuffed with visual noise. Your images and videos should support your page and provide visitors with additional information.

Some of the best forms of media content on LinkedIn are images, introduction videos, presentation clips, slideshow presentations and infographics. The more formats you use, the wider the audience you can appeal to.

6. Optimize your profile with the right keywords.

Keywords are important, even on LinkedIn. When a person searches for products and services related to yours, you want your profile to show up in the searches.

The good news is that you shouldn’t have to do extensive research to find what keywords your audience is using. Think about your ideal customer and the words and phrases they would use to search for your products. Be sure to include variations of these words as well.

Also, be smart about where you place the keywords. They should be included in your headline, position titles, experience descriptions, certifications, publications, summary, etc. Don’t go overboard, though. People don’t like when they see a profile that is optimized solely for the purpose of getting found.

7. Be active on LinkedIn.

There is no substitute for healthy activity on LinkedIn. You may get more search visibility by having an optimized profile, but this doesn’t meant that it will yield results. To build relationships and engage in meaningful conversation, you must be active on LinkedIn. This way, you’ll improve visibility and make it easier for people to find you.

Luckily, you don’t need to dedicate that much time to being active on the professional network. A few minutes a day is enough to keep your profile alive. Share articles that are relevant to your field, update your network on what you’re doing and comment on other people’s posts.

Conclusion

Developing a quality LinkedIn profile is not something that is done overnight. Sure, there are changes you can make for a more optimized profile, but to stand out and build relationships, you need to update your profile and be active on LinkedIn. This will keep your brand front and center so that people learn to know and trust you.

WSI Net Advantage specializes in social media marketing. Contact us today at 510-687-9737 to learn more about our social media marketing solutions for LinkedIn and other social networks. You can also contact us by filling out our contact form and we’ll get back to you quickly.