First impressions are crucial for networking. Let a professional LinkedIn profile help you put your best foot forward.

Choosing a profile picture

You are the face of your personal brand. Your profile picture leaves a strong first impression on your future network. Make sure the photo is recent and looks like you. Wear business professional, smile with your eyes, and frame the photo with 60% of your face. Long-distance photos do not make a good profile picture.

The Background Photo

At the top of your profile is a background photo. This photo grabs the viewer’s attention and shows a personal side to you. Make your profile page stand out with a unique, memorable, and appropriate background photo.

LinkedIn Summary

Many overlook the LinkedIn profile summary and leave it blank. Don’t make that mistake! This is an opportunity to tell your story. Highlight your skills and the difference they make when you work with others.

Overused words

Try to stay away from words people typically use to describe themselves, they are meaningless. Words you should avoid in your profile are “leadership”, “experienced”, “certified”, “creative” and more. Instead, demonstrate the skills you have through the description in your story.

Grow your LinkedIn Network

Sync your contacts, invite your friends and professional partners to connect on LinkedIn. This will help you find more people you know and expand your network! Try to include a personal note with your friend requests and follow up with a meeting or conversation.

Endorse your community

Find people in your community that genuinely deserves an endorsement! People typically return the favor and it will create a stronger connection. Keep your endorsements valuable though by reaching out to those whose endorsement you’d find valuable. If you seem to be receiving more endorsements for one particular skill and it is skewing your profile, you have the option of showing endorsements or hiding them.

Share Media and Marketing

Sharing white papers, other brand content, case studies, and other’s accomplishments adds another dimension to your profile. It also showcases your passion and commitment to the industry.

Comment

Promote yourself by adding comments to your shares. It sets you apart from others within your feed and allows you to express why the content matters. This portrays strong thought-leadership and establishes your opinion.

Long-Form content

Start conversations with long-form content! Blogs, articles, and opinion pieces are great long-form content. First, monitor the response you receive from comments and shares. Is there a reoccurring theme or something that resonates with your connections? Expand on those and hone in on issues your network cares about. Respond to comments and be ready for new conversations.

This may seem like a lot but LinkedIn is an invaluable asset for networking! Don’t make the mistake of not using all the tools you have at your disposal!