Like most social media marketing, or internet marketing in general, the key to everything is in the keywords you choose to target. LinkedIn.com is no different. LinkedIn is an important business social network that you can use to boost your business exponentially, but you need to be found by people searching for you for it to work.
Headshots
On your LinkedIn profile you have many areas in which you can impact who finds you. These include the profile picture, profile headline, and profile summary.
Always include a professional-looking headshot as your profile picture. Having a photo on LinkedIn is an essential component in making it work for you. People don’t pay attention to profiles without pictures. Your picture should show your face, your smile and your eyes. You can take the picture yourself with your webcam, but make sure it’s a close up of your face and that your clothing or background doesn’t distract from it.
Headlines
Next, be sure that your profile Headline has keywords in it. Don’t make your headline about the job you currently have, that part is in your resume section. For now, include keywords about what you do rather than what position you hold.
For instance, if you’re an online content writer or something like that you might put: Content Expert | Content Writer | Social Media Expert. Use the “pipe” to separate the keywords for a more visually pleasing look. This is better than putting the title of the job or business you currently have.
Summary
Next ensure that you fill out the Summary section of your LinkedIn profile. The best way to do this is with bullet points instead of a sentence. It’s easier to scan, and you can put more in there if you do it that way. Simply make a list of what you’re an expert at and put bullets in front. Remember to use keywords that people might use to find you such as “content writer,” putting one keyword per line.
Experience
When you get to your Experience, this is the part that looks like a resume. Simply fill out each space completely, remembering to use bullets and not sentences. For each area you fill out you’ll have a chance to invite those who worked with you at that job or project for recommendations. Ensure that you do that. Recommendations are a vital part of not only being found on LinkedIn but also being hired.
If you have a portfolio full of examples of your work, or videos, you can also upload them. Name your files keyword names as they’ll be easier to find and show up in search results. If you’ve written a publication such as an eBook, be sure to list that as well. The more complete your profile and the more you include different keywords that people might look for to find you, the better off you’ll be and the easier it will be for people to find you.
Skills and Expertise
In the Skills and Expertise part, be sure to enter everything you know about, which are also keywords. Your connections will be notified when they sign on to LinkedIn and will be asked to endorse you on these skills. You can also ask people in your network if they will please endorse you for the skills you’ve mentioned.
Education
If you have advanced education or certifications, put them in the Education section on your LinkedIn profile. This is an excellent way to ensure that your teachers and instructors as well as fellow students can recommend you. The education section also allows you to include videos, images and documents to demonstrate your expertise. If you have these things, by all means include them. The more you can include on LinkedIn, the more likely people are to find you.
In every section of your LinkedIn profile, be sure that you are using industry keywords and specific keywords and keyword phrases that searchers might use to locate you. You can test it out to see if it works by searching one of the terms you’ve used in the search box. Likely you’ll show up for the keywords you’ve entered, which is going to help you be found on LinkedIn. Just make sure you’ve studied the keywords and know what your target audience will look for.