Do you have a LinkedIn account?
Social Media Examiner’s Stephanie Sammons shares five basic tips to help entrepreneurs like you leverage your LinkedIn account.
1. Complete your profile box. Remember first impressions last, so make yours a really good and complete one. It also helps a lot if your profile is current and search engine optimized. In her article, Sammons shares a step-by-step guide on completing your profile box.
- Upload a professional image. No photo=no credibility
- Create a compelling headline. You are only allowed 120 words so choose your words carefully. Use brief, descriptive keywords. Focus on terms that your target market is likely to use when searching for the services that you offer. Make it compelling and relevant.
- List your current position and at least two past positions. Not including your past positions may render your profile incomplete (and may mean missed opportunities). Make sure to describe each position in depth and use keywords that are relevant to your target audience.
- List your educational information, including high school. LinkedIn allows users to search based on colleges or universities attended. You never know if a former schoolmate can help open a door of opportunity for you.
- Customize your website listings. Choose the “Other” option when setting up each of the three allowable links. Sammons suggests that instead of using the phrase “my website”, use a more descriptive name so that readers will have a clear idea of what it is, and you will have better chances of ranking for keywords relevant to your industry.
- Link to your Twitter profile. LinkedIn and Twitter are “tightly integrated”. You can actually share your tweets as LinkedIn status updates (add #in to the end of specific tweets instead of sending all tweets to LinkedIn) and vice versa. Again, this reiterates the need for a comprehensive social media campaign.
- Edit your “vanity” URL. By doing this, your LinkedIn profile link will show up in search results under your name on all the major search engines.
Remember, your LinkedIn profile should be an asset to you so don’t hesitate to invest time and effort into it.
2. Use keywords within your profile summary section. This section may not be as prominent as the profile box but it is just as important. Here, you get to elaborate on who you are, what you do, and what you can offer readers. Begin by stating your name (because your name is a keyword), followed by a brief description of your professional career/experience, and as you progress make sure to avoid industry jargon. Don’t get carried away with the use of SEO-friendly keywords. Just use them where they might fit (i.e. when describing your field of expertise).
I know we promised five but you’ll have to come back tomorrow to read the second half of this blog post. See you then!