With over 500 million users, LinkedIn is a great channel for making connections, keeping up with industry trends and staying in touch with valuable contacts, among other things. With so much potential value for professionals in almost every industry, it’s crucial to make sure your profile is set up to help you reach your goals.
Here are six essential elements your LinkedIn profile needs so that you can get more views and make more connections.
- A Professional Headshot
Having a professional photo makes you more relatable in a virtual medium and actually makes your profile 14 times more likely to be viewed. For your photo to have maximum impact, choose one that’s recent, high-quality, takes up most of the available space, and presents you as professional and friendly.
To give your page even more clout, add a customized background image. It could be something that reflects your personal brand, a shot of your hometown or a bold block of color, anything that makes you stand out.
- An Enticing Headline
If you don’t include a headline, LinkedIn defaults to your current job title. But you’re so much more than your job title and you risk getting lost in the crowd! Your headline should convey your full professional value while also capturing attention and making people want to know more about you.
Your headline also shows up in search results and is your first professional touchpoint with potential clients, so it should include relevant keywords.
- A Compelling Background Summary
This is where you can be more conversational and show off a bit of your personality. Let readers know who you are, what you do, what you’ve done and what you’re passionate about. You can still include keywords related to your niche, but the point here is to attract people and make them want to reach out to you or look deeper into the value you offer.
- Your Experience
Take the time to flesh out the details of all your relevant experience to boost your credibility. By posting the dates and job roles with each client, you’ll increase your odds of achieving higher rankings in LinkedIn’s search results. To increase your search visibility, also be sure to include all the post-secondary education you’re received.
- Links to Prove Your Value
You can connect up to three URLs to your LinkedIn profile. At the very least, link back to anything that might reinforce the value you can provide like a website, blog or social media profile.
- Recommendations
This gives readers the chance to hear about you from another perspective and can further bolster your credibility. Be proactive – don’t wait to collect recommendations. Reach out to past employers and clients for recommendations and be sure to return the favor.
Don’t Miss an Opportunity to Connect
LinkedIn is a great tool to promote your value and find new opportunities. However, only around 51% of LinkedIn users have 100% completed profiles. With LinkedIn’s algorithm ranking completed profile’s higher in other user’s searches, it’s even more important to make sure yours is complete so you aren’t missing out on potential leads and relationships that can contribute to your success.