Are you great at selling your company but horrible at selling yourself?
Can you talk about your company’s products and services for 10 minutes straight but get tongue-tied when someone asks you to list your best qualities?
Personal branding is essential to growing our careers. But, when we focus so much time and energy at work for our jobs we have nothing let for ourselves.
Having a LinkedIn profile page is an easy way to start building the foundation of your own personal branding and grow your network.
Here are 7 tips for using your LinkedIn profile to build your personal branding!
1. LinkedIn Profile Picture
According to LinkedIn, members with a profile photo get viewed 21x more than those without.
Use a picture that is recent and looks like you. People are here to make a connection and they want to see your face – so a headshot is more effective than a full-body photo.
2. Attention-Grabbing Headline
A strong headline grabs people’s attention and encourages them to read more. Use it to tell them more about you – what is your role and why do you do it.
You want to find a balance between standing out without being gimmicky or inappropriate. If you need ideas on how to do this, look for other LinkedIn profile examples of people in your field and see what they say to make them stand out.
3. A Summary of Your Story
The summary is your chance to tell your story to the LinkedIn community.
Talk about what you do, how you do it, and how it impacts your industry. Whenever possible, use numbers and case studies to highlight your successes.
4. Resume
The resume section of your LinkedIn profile should be set up like a traditional resume. Include your job titles, the companies you worked at, the dates you were there, and a description of your accomplishments.
If you are just starting your job hunt, are transitioning to a new field, or are unemployed and need help to find the right way to say something, use a LinkedIn profile writing service. They can help you position transitions or breaks in employment more positively on your profile.
5. Networking on LinkedIn: Connections, Sharing, and Endorsements
When you first create your LinkedIn profile, find 50-100 connections to add to your network.
You can do this by syncing your email address book to LinkedIn and sending invitations to connect with people you already know. When you have meetings or conversations with new people, use LinkedIn connections as a way to follow up and keep in touch.
Share Content With Your Network
Sharing relevant content is a great way to offer value to your connections.
You can share material you find by influencers and newsmakers in your field or write your own work to share on the platform. If you publish on a WordPress blog, you can easily share your content using a plugin to automatically publish new posts to LinkedIn.
Endorsements & Recommendations
Making and giving endorsements is a great way to connect with your network and increase your credibility at the same time.
Actively manage your endorsements by requesting them from people who can speak to your accomplishments sincerely and specifically
6. Personal URL
Create a personal URL to promote and easily share your profile with others. An added benefit is you’re more likely to show up in search engine results when you have a personal URL for your profile!
7. LinkedIn Privacy Settings
Finally, if you’re setting up your profile to look for a new job while you’re still working at your current position, use the Privacy Settings. You don’t want to announce to your boss and colleagues that you’re looking for a new position!
Build Your Best LinkedIn Profile
Setting up a LinkedIn profile is a great way to highlight your accomplishments and grow your network within your industry.
Read other articles on our blog to learn more tips for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
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