Did you know that business schools encourage students to spend hours on their LinkedIn profiles? Ever wondered why? LinkedIn is one of the most powerful social media and digital marketing resources to market yourself. Does it not make perfect sense then, that you utilise your tech-savvy on what is probably the number one digital recruiting networking site in the world?
Michelle Storey reiterates that LinkedIn is for everyone – whether you are looking for a killer-job, want to become known as an industry influencer, sell more products, generate more leads and clients, build brands, attract more traffic to your website, the list is endless. Below is Tradeway’s tips on how to enhance your profile and catch the attention of your audience, be they employers, employees, industry role players or consumers:
- Seeking Recruits
Previously, the world’s biggest employers of graduates sought recruits through campus visits and recruitment fairs. Today, the LinkedIn platform has become critical in recruitment drives. Keep in mind that your prospective employer very likely looked at your LinkedIn profile before your 1st interview! And first impressions count!
- Spotlight the SEO
Every marketer worth his salt knows that search engine optimisation (SEO) is the tool to attract traffic to your website and boost your rankings. The same applies when you are the “product” being marketed. So, maximise the keywords in your LinkedIn profile in such a way that you end up at the top of a search list!
- Customise Your URL
Customising your public profile URL is a quick, easy way to differentiate you from all the other LinkedIn users out there. You will be easier to find, and you can use it on your email signature and business cards, boosting your credibility.
- Professional Pictures
People will be people – even potential employers and head-hunters are more likely to click on a profile with a photograph. Thus, a good quality professional picture is essential.
- Create Catchy Content
Tradeway’s Greg Martin says that your LinkedIn profile gives you an opportunity to go beyond the historical, chronological event-based (yes – boring) resume. Your content must stand out and grab your audience – highlight your expertise and personality. Remember, you want to be unique. So, avoid using standard “resume” language. Share your personal voice.
- Master the Headline – Conquer the Summary
Your LinkedIn headline and summary should convey what differentiates you. If you want to make a good first impression, focus on the headline. Everything you want to say about yourself should be there – make your ambitions clear, tell them about the future.
Your summary section should include who you are, what you do well and what you want to do next.
- Garbage in, Garbage Out
The effort that you put into your LinkedIn profile is the benefit that you will reap from it. Opinions differ vastly, some experts recommend three hours a week are required, others recommend an hour a day and still others that you should connect with at least 10x individuals daily. The take-home message is clear – keep your LinkedIn profile current and up to date for the best results. In short, keep your profile alive!
- Choose Connections Carefully
While it is perhaps pushing it to say that you should only connect to people you know and trust – you may lose valuable networking opportunities – do always approach strangers with care.
- Shed the Spam
Never, ever spam! If you do go the route of posting comments and analysis – and this is advisable – always ask an experienced and trusted adviser to read it first.
Building a professional LinkedIn profile is often intimidating to even the savviest marketers. Tradeway, the digital marketing and social media marketing leaders, will show you how to create a knock-out LinkedIn profile. Contact us today to help you come up trumps.