One of the best ways to start building your brand online is to optimise your LinkedIn profile, making it easier for you to get found and be remembered. Whether you have a personal brand, are starting a small business, or are managing the LinkedIn profile of a big company, having a fully optimised LinkedIn profile is beneficial. It provides more clarity on who you want to reach, the value that you offer, why you want to stand out, and where you want to be.
Claim a Vanity URL
Whether you are interested in using LinkedIn more for lead generation or networking and building connections, a vanity URL can be a simple thing that helps you out. Take a look at the current URL of your LinkedIn profile. If it’s a random combination of numbers and letters, then it’s not yet optimised. The good news is that you can edit this and get a unique URL. To do this, click on ‘Edit public profile and URL’ on the right sidebar, and edit your profile URL by selecting the pencil icon.
Put Your Profile Summary Together Carefully
Not writing anything in the profile summary is one of the biggest mistakes that LinkedIn users make. This is because the summary part of your profile is not only essential when it comes to helping you get found, but it also increases the chances that having your profile viewed will lead to opportunities for you. Be specific and show results in your summary. This is also a good place to naturally and strategically place your target keywords.
Use a Logo or Professional Headshot
LinkedIn is a professional network. So, if you are using it to build a brand, then the main aim is to ensure that you are leaving a good impression on your profile visitors. If you are building a personal brand or are using LinkedIn as an individual business professional, then it’s a good idea to invest in a professional headshot. Use a logo if you are managing a business page or setting up LinkedIn for your small business. Don’t leave it blank or use a picture of one of your products – this looks sloppy.
Create Content
Finally, creating and posting content on LinkedIn is one of the best ways to optimise your profile and attract more visitors to it. There are several ways that you can do this including posting to your LinkedIn timeline, sharing other content that you feel is relevant to your connections, and writing and publishing LinkedIn articles. As with content creation anywhere else, it’s important to have a good strategy and think about creating and publishing content that is going to be useful to your audience and address their concerns and pain points. This will make it easier for you to become an authority in your industry, and looked up to as an expert in the niche.
Whether you are running your own business, building a personal brand, or managing a bigger company, optimising your LinkedIn profile is an ideal way to generate more leads, build connections, and improve your online presence and authority.
