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We understand that it can sometimes feel selfish and out of your comfort zone to promote yourself – but by not working on your own personal branding, you’re not only neglecting yourself but also your company as employee advocacy is more important than ever on social media.
Your LinkedIn profile page is the foundation for your personal branding. It doesn’t matter how the visitors will come across your page, the most important thing is that your LinkedIn profile capture their and keep their attention.
Do I need to change it if created my profile years ago?
The answer is yes! Originally seen as just a job-hunting tool, or for company recruitment, things have very much moved on. Since being acquired by Microsoft, LinkedIn has invested in various exciting updates such as live audio (covered in February’s Social Media Roundup) it’s the right time to make sure your profile is up to date.
Is it worth the time? Does LinkedIn really influence buying decisions?
IDC found that 75% of B2B buyers and 84% of C-level executives consult social media before making purchasing decisions. They are more likely to be influenced by individuals than by company pages. And let’s not forget It costs 75% less to generate leads on social media than any other medium. So whilst you may work for a company that has a great page on LinkedIn, it’s still important that you take time to engage and have an up to date profile. There is nowhere that this is more important than if you are offering services rather than a product.
Add a Header or Background Image
Most people now realise the importance of adding a headshot to their profile but also adding a header is also a must. It’s the first thing people see when they come to your profile – and it’s a bit of a giveaway if someone isn’t spending much time on LinkedIn that they still have the greyed pattern one provided by LinkedIn!
Use this to be eye-catching or to include your company branding and strapline so people know straight away who you work for and what they do. If you work in a creative industry perhaps go for something that makes you stand out from other profiles.
Creating a strong Headline
Making it as simple as possible to know what to add is something that LinkedIn do well. When you go in to edit your profile you’ll be taken through, step by step in terms of adding your experience, education and skills.
About Section
Here you can write more independently about yourself and it’s key to avoid some of the jargon/overused words that you can find on CV’s. Make this section about how you help clients, what’s different about you and/or the company. Think about – is there anything you’re passionate about, that you want people to know about? Make this section authentic so that people can get a sense of what it would be like to talk to you and do business with you.
Switch to Creator Mode
To get your content seen by more people change over to creator mode, having been rolled out to everyone now it’s well worth doing and LinkedIn have a step by step guide to show you how. You’ll get the opportunity to use hashtags to show what topics and expertise you share content about making it easier for people to find your content even if you’re not connected.
Grow your network
One of the easiest and most effective things you can do is to grow your LinkedIn network. There are a number of ways you can do this and syncing your profile with your email address book is a good place to start. This helps LinkedIn to suggest people you could connect with and so very quickly you can begin to grow your network. Getting into the habit of following up meetings and conversations with LinkedIn connection requests – is also a great way of keeping your network vibrant and up to date.
If you are an admin on your company’s LinkedIn page you can also invite connections to follow that page which is also an important way of growing your following.
Having the time………
We hear this so often and it is hard if you have a day job to focus on! Even if you can only commit 5 minutes a day to updating your profile and engaging on LinkedIn, you’ll soon start to see a positive impact. But if it’s been lingering around on your to-do list for a while and you need the help to kick start your LinkedIn activity we offer one-to-one sessions to get your profile into great shape and get you familiar with how to engage on the platform.
Contact us to find out how we can help optimise your LinkedIn profile and personal branding.
