If you are planning to grow your business network or generate leads through your LinkedIn profile then certainly you need to do a lot more than just creating an online version of your curriculum vitae.
This social networking platform efficiently works to attract both recruiters as well as clients; however in case of business it is purely to grab attention of the prospects. Only a LinkedIn profile that stands out can help to improve connections, generate leads and build your business. Almost every feature of your LinkedIn profile has the capability to do personal branding. Even the smallest thing in your LinkedIn profile can make a huge difference. The more you talk about yourself and your business, the more you will get recognised by your potential customers.
Below are some key practices which you need to follow to make your LinkedIn profile powerful:
Professional profile pic:
Make sure, your potential customers /clients are welcomed with your professional headshot. As we all know first impression is the key, do not skip to upload your picture. Your picture should be smiling and crop the image in such a way that your face is highlighted.
Headline that describes your work perfectly:
The space for headline is not just to showcase your designation in a particular company. To get your profile easily noticeable, describe your headline with rich keywords. The customers should understand what you have to offer them.
For eg: CEO at Webwingz – Leading Web Designing Agency in Adelaide
Make your Contact Info more professional:
It will be wise to enter company address and email ID. Instead of selecting company website and entering URL, you can play the trick by selecting ‘Other’ option, enter the keyword or company name and put the URL. This can make the profile more visible.
For eg: Web Designing Company and URL of web page
Customise your profile URL:
Cleaning up your profile URL by deleting the extra, unnecessary content like numbers, letters is a professional move. Keep your LinkedIn URL simple with your first name and last name.
Catchy summary:
Your summary should be catchy and at the same time readable too. Highlight the main content with bullets. Fill all the relevant information and plus points about you. There is around space of 2,000 characters, you can use it efficiently to talk about your duty and company. Include keywords in the content. There is also option to add doc, photo, link, video and presentation. You can add anything that is helpful for the profile visitors and enhance the summary.
Your complete work experience:
It is just as your resume. If you have a good experience, just flaunt it as it will encourage the potential customers to build business with you. Make sure the skills which you add are relevant to your current business. Also try to add your business keywords to get found easily.
Join suitable groups:
You are allowed to join 50 groups, so ensure that you join groups that are beneficial for your business. Join groups that are related to your niche and also after joining be active on those groups by participating in discussions or posting something that is attention-grabbing.
Other factors:
Focus on projects – Talk about your product and services in this Project section. Use this as a portfolio to showcase your elite work.
Honours and awards – Improve your LinkedIn profile for the prospects by adding awards and honours. This will build trust factor and help to grow your business.
Share your interests and skills – To improve search engine rankings and to gain attention of your potential customers, use keywords related to your interests and skills and present it in these sections.
Recommendations: Asking for recommendations is one of the most crucial things on LinkedIn. Around 5 to 10 good recommendations will be beneficial for your LinkedIn profile. When you ask for recommendations, clearly present your skills and services, so that the recommender can write an effective recommendation.
Ground rule – Be active on LinkedIn:
Just a completed LinkedIn profile will not be enough to generate leads and business. You need to stay active to stay connected. Check your LinkedIn account daily. Post something interesting and engaging on your LinkedIn profile. Make sure there are at least 20 posts per month.
Start building powerful network on LinkedIn and get ready for great business collaborations.