When I get enquiries for my services, like most business owners I ask where they heard about me. Increasingly these days the initial contact has been made through LinkedIn. There are other social media sites of course however, it seems that LinkedIn is the business professional’s social media site of choice. For any business owner or career professional it is vital to building your profile and personal brand. One common misconception of LinkedIn is that you are only on the site if you are looking for a job or looking for a candidate. Yes there are many job seekers and recruiters but anyone in business who wants to succeed should also be showcasing their brand and what they do. Whether you are a CEO or a new starter, stating your brand position can open up possibilities and lead to new opportunities.
Here’s five quick tips to help your LinkedIn profile – shine.
S – Summary. This is the first part of your content that is read by others and should sum up who you are and what you do in a compelling way. It is what you are doing now or have done most recently and put forward with personality to your target market. To make it stand out use paragraphs with headings and/or bullet points. Include all your specialties using your key words and include contact details.
H – Headline. Say what you do. Use four to six words that sum up your unique expertise. E.g. Senior Product Specialist * Business Development Executive * Event Manager *Travel Editor * Best Selling Author – play it big. Headshot is also very important – make sure you definitely have one and it is professionally photographed. Read my blog on Personal Brand Photos.
I – Interesting. Include elements that will help your profile stand out. Visuals are eye-catching. Videos, blogs, copies of publications, articles or books you have written, examples of certificates or awards. Include logos of companies you have worked for.
N – Notoriety. Back up your experience and expertise by including valuable third party endorsements. Include testimonials from clients in the body of your LinkedIn profile. Make sure your recommendations are relevant and only include endorsements of skills that you want to include. Don’t have too many – just the ones you want to be known for.
E – Experience. This is the part that looks more like a resume and details your experience and timeline.Include everything that is relevant to you from your past that highlights your knowledge, background and expertise. Factor in education, qualifications and additional experiences such as being involved with associations or boards.
A thorough LinkedIn profile will take time to write so I suggest doing that offline and only update once you are completely satisfied. By the way you can turn off your activity settings in your privacy controls so people will only see your updated activity when you are complete.
Read last week’s blog Send a Media Release to Stand Out.
In my free eBook the Power of Personal Public Relations I write more about being your own publicist. Download your copy here.
Sue Currie is a personal branding specialist and director of Sue Currie Communications an agency providing an integrated strategy of personal and professional public relations solutions to help business owners boost their image, renown,brand and business. Through speaking, corporate workshops and consulting, Sue helps organisations and individuals to stand out and shine.
