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Personal branding is more important than ever. As people buy from people your audience will be as interested in who you are as well as your product or service.
That’s why it’s key for your LinkedIn profile to be up to date! Here we share the five most important things to update to make sure it’s all fresh and ready to work hard for you in 2023!
Profile Picture
- Use a profile picture – research shows that just by having a profile picture your profile is 14 times more likely to be viewed by others.
- Be yourself – use a photo that represents you and that is fairly recent as you don’t want it to look outdated.
- Try to make your photo clear and fresh – it should ideally be 400 x 400 pixels and you can use the maximum size of 8MB.
Background Photo
- Don’t use LinkedIn’s default image – this is the first thing that is often noticed when visiting your profile, so don’t waste this opportunity by using LinkedIn’s default background image. Not uploading a background image will make your profile look half-done and forgotten about. It’s also a headline-grabbing space to share important details about you with potential new connections and followers.
- Use an image that represents you and what you do. If you can create a custom-made banner, that reflects your personal brand, then that’s the way forward.
LinkedIn Profile Headline
This is the section that appears under your name in your profile, but will also be visible in the “People You May Know” section, LinkedIn searches, LinkedIn job applications, posts, messages, recommendations, and even invitations to connect.
- Don’t just include your job title – use this section to give your viewers some more information about you. This could be your area of niche or which problems you solve for your audience.
- Use keywords that are relevant.
- Suggested formula to use – What you do + why connect with you + how your service/product will solve their “problems” = killer headline.
Profile Summary
- Start strong – by grabbing your viewers’ attention, if it’s boring they will most likely stop reading.
- Be yourself – make sure your personality shines through.
- Show off your expertise – by highlighting your recent wins and relevant experience.
- Be clear and don’t try to bamboozle your viewers – after all you want them to keep on reading.
Features
This section is often forgotten about as it is not automatically part of your LinkedIn profile.
- Add thought-leader content – such as images/documents/presentations/LinkedIn posts and articles that support your personal brand.
- Show off your wins, such as awards and certificates achieved
You’ll either find the Featured section below your headshot and connections or under your About section, depending on if you have Creator Mode turned on or not.
If you haven’t already turned on Creator mode – do! This will provide you with lots more insights and also helps the algorithm prioritise the content you share.
Could you benefit from a LinkedIn training session? Get in touch with us today on hello@thinkmarketinglab.co.uk to discuss how we can help. We work with SMEs across the UK, helping them with their social media.
