How Do You Create a LinkedIn Profile That Has Impact?
I am often asked what makes a LinkedIn profile impactful. Over the last decade, I have developed four principles guiding my work with senior-level clients as I help them discover their brand and craft it for online consumption. I hope you will enjoy this resource.
Principle 1: Your profile will have more impact when it causes you to be found more often and ranked more highly in people’s searches.
Strategy 1: Identify your keywords and use them often throughout your profile, in your Headline, About section, Experience section, etc.
Tactic 1: Write to the margins (the maximum character counts for each section). By doing so, you allow yourself to use your keywords often.
Tactic 2: List 50 skills, many of which will use your keywords.
Strategy 2: Achieve at least 500 relevant connections with others, and join groups pertinent to your interests.
Strategy 3: Make it easy for people who want to contact you to do so.
Tactic 1: Have a headshot that evokes a friendly, warm handshake.
Tactic 2: Be sure your contact information is up-to-date and easy to find
Tactic 3: Customize your URL so it is easy to enter.
Rationale: LinkedIn’s search algorithm has two primary drivers, the number of times the searched keyword appears in your profile and your relationship with the person searching. Therefore, you want your keywords to appear often in your profile, and you want to have relationships (connections, mutual membership in groups, etc.) with relevant persons.
Principle 2: Your profile will have more impact when it is concrete and memorable.
Strategy 1: Make your profile visually interesting.
Tactic 1: Add visual interest with a banner image behind your photo depicting some aspect of your brand.
Tactic 2: Add photos and video to your Featured section to showcase your brand.
Strategy 2: Tell your story in a personable manner.
Tactic 1: Write in the first person to evoke an emotional connection with the reader.
Tactic 2: Write about your business purpose, passion, and principles.
Strategy 3: Tell of your accomplishments in concrete terms.
Tactic 1: Use KPIs and other metrics to show how you moved the needle for your employer.
Tactic 2: Add optional sections highlighting coursework, honors, patents, etc.
Principle 3: You cannot market what you don’t understand; introspect and determine your messaging and keywords.
Strategy 1: Identity: What are your differentiators? What are three things you want people to remember about you?
Strategy 2: Use the “rule of three” in your messaging. People remember things in lists of three.
Tactic 1: For your headline, use the three things you want to be known for or three results your clients or customers receive.
Tactic 2: Use your differentiator and the three things you want to be known for in your About section.
Tactic 3: Be sure that the top three skills in your Skills inventory align with the three things you want to be known for.
Rationale: Three things are memorable, while a headline with four or more things makes you look unfocused.
Principle 4: Your profile will serve you better when it markets you for what you want to do now and in the future rather than what you’ve done in the past.
Strategy 1: Showcase accomplishments that align with your current and future goals while minimizing past experiences that are not aligned.
Strategy 2: Edit your Skills inventory
Tactic 1: Eliminate out-of-date skills you don’t wish to use again.
Tactic 2: Add the highest expression of each skill you possess. (For example, if you are a sales manager, list “national accounts” and “managing sales teams” rather than just “sales.”)
Tactic 3: Put your three most essential skills in the top three positions.
Book a discovery call with me if you’d like expert, one-on-one assistance developing your LinkedIn profile with impact. I ensure that the profiles of my executive clients make the impression they intend before the first conversation takes place. My approach to sharing my clients’ business stories on LinkedIn is rooted in a deep understanding of brand and how LinkedIn works.
Selected by The American Reporter as one of the top 6 personal branding experts, I work exclusively with top executives and senior leaders. I am the author of the award-winning book LinkedIn for the Savvy Executive: Promote Your Brand with Authenticity, Tact and Power – 2nd Edition.
If you’d like to get started, you can contact me, and I’ll be happy to help you navigate your executive branding journey.
