How To Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out

On social media, your profile is your first impression. Your first impression can make or break a potential business relationship, especially on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for growing your network and beginning (and maintaining) business relationships. However, if your profile is hard to read or minimal, chances are you're not going to create a great first impression on your second and third-degree connections. When was the last time you updated your experience, or your skills, or even your contact information on your profile? Even if you're not looking for a job, there are plenty of people on LinkedIn looking for people to do business with, so keeping your profile updated and personal is essential to your networking growth on LinkedIn!

So, how do you know what areas to focus on when updating your profile? And how do you stand out in a sea of LinkedIn profiles? Let's dive into the best ways to make your LinkedIn profile stand out among the rest!

Profile Picture

It's the first thing we see, even before we click on the profile - the profile picture. Having a current, professional headshot is important to show your potential clients who you are. Too many times have I seen profiles with no profile picture and straight-faced license photos doubled as profile pictures on my LinkedIn newsfeed. Try to find a picture that shows who you are and what you're about - are you fun, personable, a high-powered executive? Show it in your photo! This is truly the first impression people will have of you, so make it count.

Background Photo

Most people overlook this image since it is an awkward size and (in theory) doesn't offer much for your profile. However, this photo can actually help your business grow! We recommend highlighting your business in your background photo. Make an image the correct size, and highlight your company's logo and a slogan your business uses. This way, as soon as people click on your profile they'll see your company!

Headline

Many people overlook their headlines simply because all of their experience is already in their profile, so why add a redundant headline? However, think of it this way - You see a connection request from someone on LinkedIn, but all you see upon first glance is their profile photo and nothing else. How will you know who this person is or what he wants? And most importantly… Will you even care enough to click on his profile if you don't know him in the first place? Save your 2^nd and 3rd-degree connections from having to scroll through your profile to find out what you do and include it in the headline! You never know, this could be the reason they turn from your 3rd-degree connection to your 1st-degree connection.

Contact Information

You're probably wondering why it's so important to include your email and phone number when people can easily just access your LinkedIn and direct message you, right? Well, having up-to-date contact information is the perfect way to be as accessible as possible to the people that matter. If you're a financial advisor and someone is considering becoming your client, they would much rather call you to have an in-depth talk about how you can help them, rather than informally messaging you through social media. Let your connections decide how they want to reach out to you by including your email address, phone number, and even your website!

Summary

An often-overlooked feature of LinkedIn profiles is the summary section! When people are taking an interest in you and looking at your profile, they want to know who you really are. Though this can be a time-consuming part of a step in the process of building your LinkedIn profile, it's definitely.

So, what information should you include? We recommend having your phone number and website displayed on your summary section, just in case the person viewing your profile doesn't know about the Contact Info section of your account. Other than that, your Summary section doesn't have to be all about work - make it fun! Talk about yourself - your hobbies, what you like to do outside of the office, your family. Make it interesting, because the person reading the Summary section wants to get to know YOU! Talk about your job and why your company is better than the rest. This is the perfect time to also highlight some of the unique features that your business has to offer.

Experience

Now it's time to get into the nitty-gritty - Your experience section! You may think this isn't very important, especially if you already have a job. Why update a resume when you don't need to? But this is actually a great way to show people just how experienced you are in your field so potential connections know why they should turn to you for help with their needs.

If you're a financial advisor, showing how many years you've been working in the industry shows just how much you have to offer people, which also justifies why you're the right person for the job. Make sure your dates at all of your previous companies are up to date, add in a paragraph for each job about your roles and responsibilities at each company, make sure you've included all of your promotions, and last (but certainly not least) check to see if there is a LinkedIn page associated with each business! If there isn't a page for each business, then the logo won't appear next to the company's name on your profile. For your past companies, lacking a LinkedIn page is probably something you can't change, but for your current company, try creating a LinkedIn company page so that you (and everyone else at your company) can have a more professional and cohesive Experience section!

Skills & Endorsements

Think you know all there is to know about Excel? Do you consider yourself the master of the Adobe Suite? Show off your skills on your profile! LinkedIn lets you take skills quizzes to show that you're the master of your craft. This looks great on LinkedIn because it's one thing to say you're good at something, and it's another thing to prove it! Another cool feature on LinkedIn is that you can endorse people for skills they're good at. Check out your co-workers' profiles and endorse them in the areas they thrive in… You never know, they could return the favor for you! If a possible client sees that you have a lot of endorsements on skills that are relevant to your field, they'll be more inclined to reach out about your business since you've been able to show your worth to others.

With LinkedIn, there are plenty of other features you can add to your profile to make sure it's optimized. It's worth playing around with your profile until you're happy with it. Make sure it reflects you and your company. Also, try asking a friend or co-worker to take a look at it and see what they would add or change to show your personality and business expertise as clearly as possible.