How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile - blog

OPTIMIZE YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE – Top to Bottom!

Recently I interviewed my friend, social media guru Andrew Jenkins about how to optimize our LinkedIn profiles. Immediately after the interview, I opened my laptop and started making some changes!

I hope this newsletter has the same effect for YOU! Read on to learn:

now more than ever – why you need to optimize your LinkedIn profile
the 3 most important elements of your LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn quotes

Let’s do this!

Now’s the Time to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

“Now more than ever.” It’s a statement that we hear a lot lately, right? Well, given what’s going on in the world, NOW MORE THAN EVER, it’s time to optimize your LinkedIn profile:

online events are replacing face-to-face conferences and meetings due to COVID-19
almost 10% of the world’s population is on LinkedIn (700 million active users)!
LinkedIn enables us to leverage a transparent network for professionals

So I interviewed Volterra founder Andrew Jenkins to help us all optimize our LinkedIn profiles.

Andrew’s firm Volterra provides social media strategy and implementation consulting to firms. He also teaches social media marketing at the University of Toronto. And – he coaches executives on how to optimize their linkedIn profile!

Andrew highlights that “LinkedIn is not just for job searching.” So what else happens on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn can serve as your media-rich business card. You can connect with people in real time on LinkedIn when you meet them.
LinkedIn can communicate your personal brand.
You can share your thought leadership on LinkedIn
LinkedIn can help you market your firm, your brand, and/or yourself.
And yes, LinkedIn serves as a job-searching tool! In 2019, more than 4 million people were hired directly through LinkedIn.

In this podcast episode, you’ll learn how to optimize your LinkedIn profile from top to bottom. If you’re like me, you’ll make some changes to your profile immediately after hearing Andrew’s advice!

Click HERE to listen directly on the Talk About Talk website

? Click HERE to listen on your favourite podcast player

? Click HERE to read the printable shownotes

Volterra founder Andrew Jenkins

Thank you, Andrew!

The 3 MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS of Your LinkedIn Profile

In the podcast interview, Andrew Jenkins and I go through every element in your LinkedIn profile. Andrew highlights that the 3 most important elements are:

the HEADLINE
the HEADSHOT
the BANNER

HEADLINE

***Your headline shows up with every post and comment you make on LinkedIn!
It’s not just your title, (“V.P. Marketing”). Ask yourself, what do you want the LinkedIn community to know about you? Add your value proposition, strengths expertise, differentiator, certifications,… (Note this is an opportunity to summarize your personal brand story, as per my conversation with master storyteller Bobby Umar)
Use up to 200 characters, with the most important phrases at the beginning of the headline.
Use the keywords that you want to be found for in your headline (and in every other element of your profile). But no keyword stuffing!
If you’re job-searching, avoid putting “open for new opportunities” in your headline. Recruiters will hire you because of your expertise and experience, not because you’re looking for a job!
(I updated my headline immediately after my conversation with Andrew. What do you think?)

HEADSHOT

A few pointers: neutral background, no vacation photos, no group photos, wear whatever you usually wear to work.
Here’s a LinkedIn instructional video on how to take a headshot selfie.
Get a professional headshot whenever you have the opportunity to do so – maybe at a conference or when there’s a professional photographer taking photos for a website.
(My headshot was taken by a professional photographer who was hired to take a group photo of a board of directors. After he took photos of our group, he asked, “does anyone need a headshot?” – Yes! Thank you!)

BANNER

Andrew Jenkins says that the banner photo is like free advertising for your personal brand. What do you want people to know about you?
Consider an image that portrays your values, your expertise, your clients/customers, or perhaps you working – in action!
(My current banner photo is one of my paintings. I need a new one! Any ideas? Maybe one of the hero images from my website?)

Inspired?

Here’s a link to the shownotes for this episode, where you’ll find a printable 2-page summary of what you need to know for every element of your LinkedIn profile. I hope you find it helpful!