Improve your visibility on LinkedIn using these top 7 enhancing tips.
1. Display A Professional Looking Photo
It’s important to have your photo on your LinkedIn page to improve your visibility. You don’t want to remain anonymous, do you?
I believe your photo gives the first impression to your connections so it is important that you have a professional looking photo. I’m not advising you have to wear formal attire to look professional, but please, no wine or beer glass in hand! What I mean is that your photo should look lively or upbeat, smiling and has a positive aura. This will improve your chances of being noticed. This makes your profile attract other people and make them curious about who you really are.
I would suggest you put your personal photo instead of a product or logo (you can use those on your company profile) if you are branding yourself. It is best for people to know about you rather than the product you are selling.
2. Create A Killer Headline
Your headline is limited to 110 characters so make it count! This is your shout out to your prospects telling them your main purpose, your main area of expertise. You have to be specific with your headline for the people you are trying to reach. The more specific, the best chance your targeted prospects have of finding you. Re-visit this section, improve it to get it just right.
Also, keywords are important for you to be easily recognised. Search for keywords that are related to your niche. This will improve your chances to appear in LinkedIn’s search feature.
Be creative. Think of a headline that would easily capture your audience’s attention. Maybe you could search similar users and see what they put into their headlines and come up with your own idea, that could be something unique. The more unique your headline is, the more it stands out and improve your chances of it being read.
3. Get Recommendations
LinkedIn’s recommendation feature is a great way to increase your credibility online. Take note that the more people recommend you, the more credibility you build, and that means that your trust factor will improve.
The best way to ask for a recommendation is to message the person individually, but bear in mind that it should be a person who has either worked with you or bought your products and services and has a positive experience to report.
Yes, that might sound very obvious but I have been asked to recommend people who I barely know. Remember, that if you recommend someone, that recommendation, along with your name will appear in that person’s profile for ever. So do beware of giving someone a recommendation just for fear of offending them, because that recommendation will reflect on you.
4. Don’t Leave Your Summary Blank
Don’t leave your LinkedIn summary blank! It’s one of the most important sections of your LinkedIn details.
This is your chance to show your skills and expertise, to let people know lots more about you using the 2000 characters allowed. Use lots of keywords in this section, but make it read well too, so be carefull not to overuse them.
Share your accomplishments and talents in a way that will attract people to you. Format it nicely too, making sure that it isn’t one big block of text, use bullet points and paragraphs for a more visual appeal.
When writing your summary, keep it organized, so that your audience can easily understand the main points, and become keen to find out more about you.
5. Don’t Ignore Your Skills and Endorsements
It is very easy for your prospective customers or clients to hire you if you specify your skills. Your potential as an employee or a consultant can be easily recognised through your skills. Your endorsements also affect your visibility in LinkedIn search results.
Never ever ask for endorsements or skills that you are not really capable of. This will only affect your credibility as a professional.
6. Create A Multimedia Profile To Stand Out
Well, I definitely like the fact that LinkedIn allows you to put photos, videos, and links on your profile. Let’s admit it! Plain text is dull and boring! Multimedia adds spice and attractiveness to your profile.
Of course, don’t just include multimedia for the sake of it. Make sure that you only include what is related to improve your profile, and create specific media exclusively for your LinkedIn image.
7. Don’t Forget To Include Your Education and Experience
Readers want to know almost everything about you, including your education and experience. They want to know which school you went to and what your past experiences are, for them to assess your credibility as an online professional, and to maybe find some common ground too.
Keep it organized as well. Your experience should be from present to past, and make sure that you fully describe the nature of your work for them to understand your current position. This will improve the chances of your details being read.
Remember, your fields of expertise and education are big factors to a compelling read.
Well, there you have it! Your 7 steps to improve your LinkedIn page. Just keep in mind that you are selling yourself, so don’t disregard any part of your profile. Be creative; be unique, because that will make you stand out among the rest of the LinkedIn Users.
Steve Harrison.
