5 Steps to Elevating Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn

09.08.2015 Holland Dombeck

One out of every three professionals on the planet is on LinkedIn.

According to Jason Miller, LinkedIn’s content marketing manager. Whether you’re in the job market for a career in digital marketing or looking for a position in a different industry, maintaining your personal brand on LinkedIn can provide employers with a fuller understanding of your skill set and overall potential. The second post in our four-part series will cover how to make the most of this valuable online professional resource. 

With over 347 million members (and growing!) it’s hard to ignore the power of LinkedIn – especially when it comes to building your personal brand online.  While LinkedIn is known as the business-to-business social networking destination, it is also the primary resource for recruiters to connect with potential candidates. 

To make sure you are using the social tool to elevate your personal brand and increase your profile visibility, be sure to follow these five best practices:

 

1. Use a flattering profile picture and captivating headline

Your profile picture and headline are the first two things people see when they view your LinkedIn profile, and unless you change it, your headline will appear as your current or last position held. Your headline should communicate to clients and candidates, who you are as professional; instead of your job title, consider revising the text to highlight your skill set. 

Example: “Marketing Manager” vs. “Digital Marketing Professional with a passion for solving marketing challenges with media solutions”

According to LinkedIn.com, having a profile picture increases the likelihood of your profile being viewed 14X more! Select and image that frames your face and shoulders and highlights your professional side – e.g. no friends, kids or pets, keep the focus on you!

 

2. Maximize keyword to show up first in search results

Recruiters find candidates through keyword searches. By including keywords relevant to your industry and skillset in your profile, you will help ensure profile is aggregated into LinkedIn’s search return function.

A great place to layer in keywords is in the “summary” section on your profile. The summary is an above the fold opportunity to present who you are to clients, recruiters and other LinkedIn users. Take advantage of the summary section’s prime real estate to define yourself on a professional and personal level. Remember – your summary should be focused on you – so use this blank space as a chance to highlight your accomplishments, current projects and provide insight into your career aspirations.

 

3. Increase SEO by claiming your custom URL

LinkedIn provides users with a great tool to enhance your personal brand and maximize SEO through custom URLs. Replacing the long tail of numbers and symbols associated with the destination of your profile with your actual name  (http://linkedin.com/in/yourname), increases your chances of being found by a search engine. Custom URLs are also a great way to connect with other users after networking/career events as you build your online rolodex.

 

4. Highlight your accomplishments with visual links

 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are processed 60,000X faster in the brain than text (3M Corporation). Elevate your profile by leveraging LinkedIn’s visual content feature to build your online portfolios. LinkedIn allows you to add a variety of media such as videos, images, documents, links, and presentations to the Summary, Education, and Experience sections of your LinkedIn profile. 

 

5. Demonstrate a passion for your craft with status updates

LinkedIn allows you to have a two-way dialogue with your network. A great way to start a conversation is by sharing content that you create or that you find interesting and relevant. If you’re regularly sharing useful information, your prospects and recruiters will see you as an expert in your field. 

 

Looking to put these skills to the test with a career at a successful media sales organization? Cox Media is always looking for top talent to join our team. Learn more about job openings and potential career opportunities here.

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Holland Dombeck

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