Regardless of what niche that you serve, LinkedIn is one tool that will open unlock the door of opportunity in your career. But unfortunately, many of us are yet to discover just how potent it can be when used correctly.
If used efficiently, it's one social media platform that will expose your blogging career to potential employers, colleagues, business partners and possibly, talents that you can hire in the future. However, to use LinkedIn in the interim, your primary goal should be to get yourself connected. The moment you get connected, every other thing will become easy.
Note: that things will become more accessible than they were doesn't mean they will fall on a platter of gold. And that is because LinkedIn is a long-term investment that will require consistency to move from one level to another. One thing you should know is that at the end of the day, it's something that you will never regret.
If you have been wondering whether your profile is good enough to compete with other professionals on LinkedIn, worry no more because we understand. And because we know we've done our research, put this article together to understand how to make the necessary changes to your profile to give it a more solid ground to compete and achieve the desired success.
Without further ado, below are eight steps that will help you achieve a perfect LinkedIn profile.
1. Carefully choose your username
This is one area that some persons neglect on social media. Always note that the name you have on your profile needs to be consistent with what you use both in other social media platforms and in real life. That way, it will be much easier for people to find you when they search for you on LinkedIn. If, in reality, you tell people your name or brand name is 'Fred Scott,' then you should also try to ensure that name aligns with what you have on your social media platform. This will remove any unnecessary stress people will have to go through in finding your account. It will also increase the credibility of your blogging career or brand.
2. Have a professional photo
In LinkedIn's profile checklist, you will find a slogan that says, “ It doesn't have to be fancy." While no rule of thumb says it has to be, a profile photo that is too simple might not convince your visitors what you are doing. First impressions are everything, so use your photo to create a memorable one. Another reason it's essential to have a professional photo in your profile because it will help improve the number of views that your content will get.
When it’s time for you to choose the professional photo that will help you stand out, ensure it’s not taken from a far distance or an awkward angle. Photos that are taken asymmetrically best fit this purpose. Again, ensure that your profile photo is not cropped from a large picture. It’s one mistake that most people tend to make, thinking it doesn't matter. It certainly does! Always make sure your photo has you and only you in it.
On LinkedIn, you can upload a cover photo that is up to 1400px x 425px. Use it to showcase some of your personality to the world.
Utilize the space in the cover photo section by choosing neat and sharp photographs of you doing what you know how to do best.
3. Show off your skills (let the world know what you’re made of)
We wrapped the previous point by talking about the essence of showing you off what you know how to do best through your photos. Well, that's not the only showing off that you need to do, as some of the skills that you have acquired over the years as a seasoned blogger can also be displayed in your profile. Because LinkedIn knows that it's an essential move that will draw much attention, and that is why they have created a section that is strictly dedicated to this alone.
Utilize this gesture from LinkedIn and include as many skills as possible that you have learned since you started your blogging career.
4. Include your contact Information
Your profile could be missing out on the chances of converting leads if you do not have a means by which visitors and potential clients. If your contact section is empty, it’s time to fill it up. While doing so, you can also add your handles from other social media platforms, your email address, the URL of your blog, and much more. You must have your contact section filled because you don’t know when it may appear before a human resource HR person of top companies that might need your services.
5. Turn off your activity broadcast
What is broadcast?
Broadcast is a setting that is usually found in the Privacy & Settings section that your audience when you've made specific changes to your LinkedIn profile. Without turning this setting off, it can upset some of your target audience on LinkedIn because they will consistently get a notification whenever you edit your profile. Another reason you must put off this setting is that it can alert both your target audience and your potential employer about your intentions to start searching for a new job.
How to turn off your broadcast
To switch off your broadcast, look at the right-hand corner of your screen. Drop down the menu option. Once you've done it, the next thing will be for you to click on the "Settings & Privacy" option. After that, click on 'manage,' and then on the "Turn on/off your activity broadcasts." Select 'off'.
6. Pay your summary section a visit
LinkedIn has provided 2,000 characters in the summary section that everyone blogger or business person can use to win the hearts of their audience. Feel free to utilize this opportunity, but remember to be genuine and transparent about whatever you say. The integrity of your brand as a blogger on LinkedIn should always come before sweet-talking your target audience. With the help of external links, videos, and photos, you can use the summary section to share your expertise and works that you've done for other clients in the past. Slideshare is one of LinkedIn's tools that can ideally help you organize your summary section. For example, if you have a slide presentation that you want your target audience to see, you can upload it with the Slideshare tool.
7. Find influencers and follow them
Generally, every industry has its influencers who seem to get much attention from other LinkedIn users. These influencers are typically seen as leaders of thought and are respected by most people. So, do your groundwork and find these influencers, as they will constantly provide relevant information that can help you grow on your career path.
8. Endorsements and Recommendations
Some people often complain that LinkedIn is a bit too serious and sometimes dull, especially when new to the site. This is understandable because most of them came from other social media platforms with lots of informal activities simultaneously. It's only a matter of time before they get used to LinkedIn's professional setting and adjust. Endorsement and recommendations are places that will help them get a feel of actually being on social media. This is because LinkedIn will most likely prompt them to endorse some of their connections when they log in and ask their contacts to do the same.
Bring it down to writing recommendations, and it's advised that you give a handful of these well-written recommendations to clients you have worked with in the past. Recommendations are usually a sign of appreciation, and this will often compel people on the receiving end to return the favour.
These are bonus points that you need to know off the heart to make your LinkedIn profile stand out as a blogger.
1. Testimonials
Generally, testimonials are statements that people wrote that you are either currently working for or have done business with in the past, which says well of the work. However, feel free to ask for testimonials if the brand that you worked for is impressed.
2. Newsfeed
As a writer, you need to explore every opportunity that LinkedIn has provided to showcase your work. And the LinkedIn newsfeed is another section where you can get to publish some of your pieces.
3. Proofread everything
We, humans, are prone to make mistakes in almost everything that we do. Understandably, we could make mistakes while talking, but errors such as grammatical errors and spelling errors can be unpardonable at times. As a professional blogger on LinkedIn, avoiding these human errors will help your profile stand out.
CONCLUSION
Regardless of where you're a part-time or full-time blogger, following the steps mentioned above will help you create an outstanding LinkedIn profile. In addition, these steps are proven to help your brand achieve better visibility and be more open to opportunities.
Final tip:
If you are using LinkedIn and Facebook Groups to get more visibility and traffic, then you should check out GP Group Poster.
