10 Ways Business Leaders Can Optimize Their LinkedIn Profiles
From customizing profile URLs to including the right keywords, there are many ways to optimize a LinkedIn profile.
With over 1.10 billion users worldwide, LinkedIn has become an essential platform for professionals and business leaders globally. LinkedIn users can network with one another, read insightful posts, and even look for a new job all in one place.
LinkedIn is particularly very useful to business leaders as it allows them to connect with colleagues, thought leaders, and like-minded individuals; share more about themselves, their companies, and their business insights; and even find the right talent to fill the gaps in the business.
However, given the millions of users who are on the platform, it can be challenging to stand out on LinkedIn, especially for those who use it to form networks, forge partnerships, and seek opportunities.
Standing out does not necessarily mean displaying flashy pictures or elaborate biographies and descriptions. Here are 10 easy and practical ways business leaders can optimize their LinkedIn profiles.
Profile and Background Photos
On LinkedIn, users have the option to upload a profile photo and a background photo. Doing both will help better optimize a user’s profile.
For background photos, choose a photo that sets the context and shows something about you. You may opt to use a photo that shows the kind of work you do or the company you represent. It’s important to ensure that the photo fits the technical requirements of LinkedIn.
As for the profile photo, here are some tips to keep in mind, according to LinkedIn:
- Use a high-resolution photo
- Make sure your face takes up 60% of the frame
- Make sure you’re the only person in the photo
- Wear what you typically wear at work
- Be careful with filters
- Make sure to have the right facial expression
Profile URL
It’s also recommended for LinkedIn users to optimize their profile URLs as this can help others locate them online. When editing the custom URL, it should include the person’s full name or brand name.
This change can be made on the profile page via “Edit public profile & URL.”
Headline
It is easy to mistake the headline for the job title. That is not exactly the case, as this can be used to provide more information that others may want to know. Strengths and qualifications may be indicated here, and it can also be used to briefly explain what a person does given his or her role.
As Zety points out, keep in mind that the headline is only 220 characters. It’s not a lot for anyone who wants to say so much, so it’s important to keep in mind that brevity is still the soul of wit.
Profile Summary
The profile summary is not very different from a resume summary, and it’s where a LinkedIn user can share more. With 2,600 characters allowed, the summary can essentially be used to tell the user’s career story.
This is also a good place to explain specializations, accomplishments, and even career aspirations. It is recommended to use the first-person point of view. It is also important to ensure that the summary is addressing the audience.
However, like the headline, being brief and concise will go a long way. Summaries that are two to three sentences long, therefore, are ideal.
Skills
A LinkedIn profile is the perfect place to highlight relevant skills. They can paint a picture in a reader’s mind of who the person they’re reading about is, what they can do, and what they are good at.
It’s important to include both hard skills and soft skills in this part of the LinkedIn profile. Hard skills are skills that can be measured, such as analytical skills, writing skills, and management skills. Soft skills, on the other hand, point more towards personal traits and attributes, such as organizational skills, decision-making skills, and communication skills.
For a more in-depth discussion on hard and soft skills, check out a previous article on the topic here on The Business Manual.
Endorsements
Endorsements are important when building credibility on LinkedIn. Getting endorsements from others in the network is particularly helpful in optimizing a profile as endorsements on skills help the audience verify expertise in a particular area.
It is recommended that the favor be returned by also giving out endorsements to others. LinkedIn also recommends managing endorsements by editing features in the Skills section of the profile.
Recommendations
Recommendations are a lot like endorsement, but they are more in-depth and add even more credibility. As these are written testimonials made by bosses, colleagues, and even subordinates, these paint a more vivid picture of who a person is, what they are like at work, and how they are as leaders.
It’s good practice to request for recommendations, and it is also advised to give recommendations as well.
Network
Given that LinkedIn allows users to add 30,000 first-degree connections, it will be a waste not to take advantage of this feature. Building a network can be as easy as synching the LinkedIn profile with an email address book.
According to Zety, those who grow their networks are more visible on LinkedIn. Anyone on LinkedIn can be added to a network, but it is highly recommended to add colleagues, past clients, personal friends, and even influencers in a chosen field.
Comments
LinkedIn allows users to share posts to their feed, but leaving comments on them takes things to a different level. According to LinkedIn, leaving comments on a post gives the user “greater prominence within the feed.”
Comments also allow for the sharing of thoughts, ideas, and expertise, which add to a user’s credibility. Thought-provoking ones can start a whole conversation about a subject, and all the additional comments do a lot in raising a profile on LinkedIn.
Keywords
As with anything and everything online, keywords also play a huge role in optimizing a LinkedIn profile. Keywords are typically the search words being used to find people on the platform. It is important for a profile to have relevant keywords in order for it to be easily found on LinkedIn.
It’s recommended to have industry keywords on a profile as well as keywords that describe the user’s job and area of expertise. These keywords should appear in the LinkedIn summary, experience section, and even in posts being published on the feed.
Key Takeaways
A LinkedIn profile is essentially a marketing tool that business leaders can utilize to showcase themselves and their companies. It is important, therefore, to be strategic when it comes to what is added to the profile. A mishmash of content and information that are not relevant will make it more difficult for others to locate and connect with a profile.
Business leaders’ LinkedIn profiles should highlight the best about them—their experience, relevant skills, and most importantly, what makes them a successful, inspirational leader that others can emulate and learn from.
