Branding for LinkedIn Profiles

Even if you are a one-person show, you represent your business. You are selling yourself and your skills. The key to marketing yourself is through branding. Achieving success is breathing life and personality into your brand. One of the best ways to do that is through the use of branding for LinkedIn profiles.

Your Personal Brand Matters

Your personal brand is a way to push yourself in a highly competitive job market. Whether you are seeking a c-suite position or some other professional candidacy, the best way to stand out from the crowd of would-be jobseekers vying for attention from companies hiring is with personalized branding which can land you the interview you seek and kickstart any career.

How to Create Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn

Nowadays, your LinkedIn profile has become very important and it’s a great way to market yourself and custom skills. Let’s explore branding for LinkedIn profiles.

Headlines Matter on LinkedIn

Yes, your profile headline matters on LinkedIn. It is often the first description recruiters see so make it count. Grab their attention with clear, concise details that come across feeling confident. Use terms people regularly search for when hiring. Create a distinctive profile headline. Your LinkedIn headline is the first description that people will see so make it memorable. Good headlines are clear, confident, and use terms people search for.

Utilize Search Terms

Yes, LinkedIn is a professional social media platform, but it’s also a search engine that talent acquisition and recruiters use to find candidates for a variety of positions. The words you choose to market yourself in your online resume matter immensely. Think about the keywords that you want potential clients and employers to use to find you on LinkedIn. Which ones best describe your experience and skills? Make a list of the words. Now sit down and use those keywords in your LinkedIn headline, job title, descriptions, and summary. Choosing the proper keywords to optimize your resume is one of the most important steps that you can take to ensure that your profile is found and visible.

Breathe Life into Your LinkedIn Profile

As with any social media account, regular updates keep things fresh and alive. It’s imperative that you stay current by adding any career move or other work-related activity or educational opportunity that you have carried out. You can also write about projects you are working on, non-profits you are involved with, events you plan on attending, and even important things you might be currently reading or studying. You can differentiate yourself by showing that you stay current by reading tops in the industry. Think of your LinkedIn profile as a living and breathing resume. You want to remain visible with regular updates. Keep it fresh!

Market Yourself

Branding for LinkedIn profiles is all about marketing yourself. You want to be very specific and throw in interesting and pertinent facts and figures. Be sure to highlight your greatest achievements. Remember, it’s okay to toot your own horn because you want recruiters and clients. Everything you list should be relevant to the job market you are showcasing.

Keep Things Clear and Concise

Yes, many people do consider LinkedIn a form of social media but it’s still a professional platform where job seekers and recruiters come together. You might be tempted to write jargon to try to brand yourself in a more personal light, but such writing will only come across as unprofessional. It is imperative that your profile descriptions look like a true cover letter and resume. Keep everything very clear and concise. Yes, you can sell yourself and show how great you are but always use professional writing – no slang terms, no shortened phrases.

Avoid Cliches to Stand Out

It’s tempting to use all the common words on your LinkedIn profile like ‘team player’, ‘creative’ and ‘extensive experience’ but these are meaningless because so many use the same words. You need to stand out from the herd and find unique ways to describe your skills.

Importance of the Profile Picture

Your photo on your LinkedIn profile matters. It should clearly show your face. Avoid doing extreme close ups, but also do not post a full body shot. Avoid wearing hats or sunglasses. Always dress professionally and do not have anyone else in the photo. Also, smile! On LinkedIn, you are allowed to add a cover photo (like Facebook). Use cover photo as a fun way to truly stand out from the crowd. You can incorporate your company’s log onto the page or pick an image associated with your profession. Try to think outside the box. The required dimensions are 1884×396

Customize Your Profile’s URL on LinkedIn

You can customize your URL on LinkedIn. You can change it to your name, but if you have a common name then you might have to get a little imaginative and add in your middle name or profession. Try to use dashes because Google reads dashes as spaces. LinkedIn allows you to change your URL once every 30 days.

Adding Your Skills

On LinkedIn, you can add up to 50 skills. You’ll want to choose relevant skills that truly reflect your experience and niches. The skills must align with what potential employers and clients are seeking. If you are unsure about what skills to list, then look at the jobs you are seeking to see what they have listed for required skills.

Keeping Your Profile Public

You want to keep your LinkedIn profile public even if you are not currently seeking employment. Take pride in your work and let potential employers, colleagues, and customers see your work.

Accept Connections

Always accept connections. You don’t need to personally know the person to connect on a professional level. Growing your connections helps lead to a wider network which will present you with more opportunities. Your profile will also show up more. Think of the thing as a massive spider web. Every connection matters. All the above tips will help you develop your brand to make your LinkedIn profile stand out. Contact the McGehrin Group to learn more about Branding for LinkedIn Profiles.

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