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LinkedIn For Business

What is a LinkedIn Profile and How to Make It Work?

Take a Quiz to Assess Your LinkedIn

If you have this itching feeling that you are not fully sure what LinkedIn is actually about and why your business needs it, then delve into this article first before reading further (trust me, it will help you to understand a lot more!) What is LinkedIn? This is one of the most comprehensive articles that you will be able to find about LinkedIn profiles. You got it, – everything you need/want to know about getting the most out of your LinkedIn account is here.

What is a LinkedIn Profile?

Think of it as your expanded business card cross pollinated with your elevator pitch with a drizzle of key facts from your employment and professional achievements, pampered by backing from your peers.

How is that for an introduction?!

From your time on LinkedIn, do you think it sounds about right?

Until right now you might have not thought much about your own LinkedIn. Let’s face it, this is how many people get to know you and yes, judge you (yes, don’t look so shocked, you’ve done it, I have done it, the guy sitting next to you on the bus has even done it).

The best news – and advice – that I can give you, is: you can always improve.

If you want to know if your profile stacks up against best practices, fill out our quiz here.

What are LinkedIn Profiles Used For?

Is there anything that makes LinkedIn different?

Profiles on LinkedIn share many similarities with other social networking sites, like Facebook for example, – with its design and information areas enhanced to include more content associated with a user’s professional skills, accomplishments and interests.

Instead of showcasing pictures from your latest trip, LinkedIn is used to show your experience, accomplishments, appreciation from peers and clients, and more.

When in business, your profile on LinkedIn can be used to assess you and your company as a potential vendor. Imagine the damage an outdated profile could do to your business. Frankly, if you don’t maintain your account, you may as well delete it altogether.

LinkedIn profiles can also be used as a virtual resume. Job hunting on LinkedIn is a real thing, and in fact, it’s a great way to sidestep the recruiters and find an ideal candidate yourself.

How to Add Content to Your LinkedIn?

Once you’ve registered on LinkedIn you can start filling out your profile.

LinkedIn offers a walk-through of the key parts of set up if you’re brand-new to the platform.

You can access your profile whenever to view or modify it by clicking on ‘Me’ at the top of LinkedIn followed by selecting ‘View Profile’.

Your profile will be shown in a layout comparable to how it’s shown when made public to your connections and the public, except you’ll have the option to edit each part.

Note that there are different icons for different types of edits:
  • The pencil: This allows you to modify the area by changing, deleting or adding information.
  • The list: This appears when you hover your cursor over specific areas and enables you to drag and drop to reorder them.
  • The plus sign: This lets you add brand-new blocks of material to your profile.

And on top of that to conserve time from having to scroll down your whole profile, you can add new material to your profile by picking the blue “Add Profile” area button on LinkedIn straight below your profile photo.

It will display a dropdown list of all the main sections and subsections of content you can add.

Where to access your profile in LinkedIn

Now that you know where to find the buttons that will allow you to edit, lets deep dive into each of them so you know exactly what to do.

LinkedIn Sections

You can share as much or as little info about your work life as you want.

Some individuals keep it basic while others make the most of all the areas and fill out everything that they can. Keep in mind that when prospects are researching you online, giving them more information about what you currently do can be really beneficial.

Here’s a rundown of the different sections you can add:

Intro: Edit this section by clicking the pencil icon in the leading right of your profile, to the right of the profile image and underneath the header image.

Here’s a rundown of the different sections you can add:

Intro: Edit this section by clicking the pencil icon in the leading right of your profile, to the right of the profile image and underneath the header image.

  • Profile picture
  • Header image
  • First & Last name
  • Headline: This is the first thing displayed under your name. LinkedIn generically makes this your job title and company, however, it’s better to change this to something that explains what you do.
  • Current work
  • Education: It’s best to add everything here from High School onwards. It’s a slim shot, but this is a chance to create a relationship with a prospect.
  • Region/Country
  • ZIP/Post code
  • Industry
  • Contact information (Profile URL, Email, WhatsApp number)
  • Summary/ About Section: This is a great spot to really tell people what it is you and your company do. It can feature a call to action, your email, or more about who you are as a professional.
  • Featured: Share information such as articles, web links, testimonials with imagery etc. to show what you have done.
  • Background
  • Work experience (Past and Present): This is similar to your CV. You share your knowledge and expertise’s in each of the roles. Even if you own your business now, it’s a good idea to fill this out so people get an understanding of your background.
  • Volunteer experience
  • Add up to 50 private skills: Examples consist of Social Media Marketing, Research, Public Relations, Writing, and so on. This is your chance to really narrow down your skills and share. Once you’ve shared your skills, people can endorse your skills that you’ve chosen. This is like a personal reference.
  • Achievements: This is your time to shine! Share different aspects of your career (see the 8 points below), where you can add the achievements to show your success.
  • Publications: This could be any articles, books, or reports that you have written.
  • Certifications: Any extra qualifications you’ve gained: think first aid certificates, or any industry specific certificates.
  • Patents
  • Courses
  • Projects: This could be projects that you have worked on; if you’re a builder it could be a home, a marketer it could be a campaign that went viral etc.
  • Honours & Awards: Have you been to an awards ceremony and won? Or maybe you were nominated. This is a great place to show off your awards.
  • Test Scores: This may not be relevant to you if you are well into your career. However, if you are a graduate or at a university, it could be a good idea to share your grades.
  • Languages: If you speak more than one language – share it loud and proud!
  • Organisations: This can be specific to your work, or if you’re part of Rotary. The organisations we are a part of can help share information about us and create connections.
  • Additional Information
  • Recommendations

You can get recommendations from others (voluntarily or you can request them!) and you can give them to people you know and trust. Think of them like personal testimonials.

After you finish your profile, we strongly recommend to explore how it stacks up against best practice it by taking our LinkedIn Quiz.

Can You Limit Who Can View Your Profile?

Yes, is the simple answer.

To limit your information from being viewable to just anyone, you can configure your personal privacy settings in just a few simple steps:

  1. Click on your photo in the menu bar Me > Settings and Privacy.
  2. Next to Edit your public profile, select ‘Change’. You’ll be shown a sneak peek of how it’s shown to the general public.
  3. Explore the alternatives in the righthand column to customise which areas you want to conceal from the public.

If you do not want any public visibility, you can turn the blue “Your Profile’s Public Exposure” button to Off.

While you can do it, we question why. After all part of the reason you join any and build your network is to make new connections and to allow people to find you. So this seems a bit counter-intuitive.

The Benefits of Having a LinkedIn Profile.

Even if you don’t intend to invest lots of time on LinkedIn, if you have put the effort into establishing a profile, it is a whole lot better than not having one at all.

Here are just a few fantastic advantages you can expect, depending on your job.

When you own a business, it allows you to:
  • Update business connections you already have
  • Claim your space as an authority in your market
  • Be found for your expertise by prospective clients
  • Find new staff members by posting jobs on LinkedIn
  • Find prospects so that you can grow your business
  • Do targeted market research and PR
  • Connect and relate with others in your space
  • Understand the job market for your industry
  • Claim your authority and expertise so that you become a known expert in the field
 As a marketer or a salesperson you can:
  • Conduct market research
  • Gauge feedback
  • Do lead generation
  • Promote your products and services
  • Do PR
  • Advertise
  • Showcase products & services you promote and sell
As an employee, you can:

If you put effort into building up your LinkedIn Profile, you will be able to generate a PDF version of your LinkedIn CV. This will include your skill set, background summary, contact information etc.

Passive Exposure to Other Professionals.
  • Other professionals (including employers aiming to employ) may discover you through searches or through their network. They may reach out to you with a great opportunity if they like what they see on your profile.
  • A Networking Opportunity.
    Being on LinkedIn can help you to network with the best types of specialists. Viewers can skim your account and decide within a few seconds whether you’re an excellent match to network with.
  • A Place to Feature Media, Links and Recommendations.
    Standard CVs typically don’t surpass composed words, however with a profile on Linkedin, you can upload appropriate media files (such as files, videos or images) and link to URLs on the web for each position listing you put under your Experience area.

On top of that, you can also supercharge your credibility by asking for recommendations from associates you’ve worked with and are connected to on LinkedIn. These will look like composed statements of endorsements in addition to the name, picture and link of the individual who gave it.

Did you join LinkedIn to Generate Leads? But now you are not sure about it because nothing seems to work?

So have many other people on LinkedIn.

I’m not sure what you are doing to get leads on LinkedIn. And maybe you have engaged one of the many Lead Gen agencies from overseas. Or maybe you used it for couple of days, got nothing and walked away disappointed.

On top of that, you can also supercharge your credibility by asking for recommendations from associates you’ve worked with and are connected to on LinkedIn. These will look like composed statements of endorsements in addition to the name, picture and link of the individual who gave it.

Here are three facts, that might have escaped you:

FACT 1.

Even when you do nothing, a prospective buyer may come across your LinkedIn and can reject the idea of reaching out to you even when recommended. Simply because your LinkedIn looks dead and they can’t tell anything about you.

Right now, do you feel like this has some truth to it?

Fortunately, this can be corrected. Start by taking our Quiz and then reach out for help when needed.

FACT 2.

All the usual networking rules apply, i.e. you get out of it what you put into it. If you do not participate on LinkedIn ( you don’t share ideas, comment, or celebrate with others) they won’t come to you. So, when you think what can you do to make LinkedIn work for you, think again from a networking perspective.

Maybe you hate networking. Then the great news is LinkedIn is all digital, so you don’t have to dress up, go somewhere and see people who aren’t relevant to you. That’s a plus, right?

FACT 3.

To become successful on LinkedIn you have to be brutally honest and understand the value and the placement of LinkedIn in your sales process. Yes! In the diagram called your sales process you need to have a space for LinkedIn, along with before and after actions.

Do you understand the place of LinkedIn in your sales process?

LinkedIn is generally not a place where sales transaction happens – that is the reason why your sales people are not closing sales on LinkedIn. Because it’s not designed for that.

Do you need a hand to understand the correct place of LinkedIn in YOUR sales process?

Do you need a hand to integrate LinkedIn in YOUR sales process?

If your answer is yes to either or both of the above, reach out directly to me assia@smarketinglab.co.nz now to discover how LinkedIn can bring profitable outcomes for your company too.

In Conclusion

This article answers you burning when, what, why and how questions about LinkedIn. The remaining question is Who?

Who will do it for you?

LinkedIn and our team believe you can do it yourself because everything is there for you.

At the same time we know you are busy, a bit unsure and maybe just don’t have the headspace and motivation needed.

Do you need a hand? We offer a Done For You option to get you kickstarted.

Our NZ-based professionals are ready to re-set your profile to the level it deserves, including:

  • Becoming your expanded business card
  • Delivering your elevator speech
  • Claiming your authority with key facts from your employment and professional achievements
  • Giving you the credit you deserve with endorsements from your peers

Interested to see how this can be done for you? Reach out to us here and experience the difference of professional marketing approach applied to your LinkedIn.

Assia Salikhova

Smarketing Lab Co-Creator,
developer of profitable B2B solutions to grow your business.

Ready for the next step?
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