How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile in 5 Easy Steps

Posted March 13, 2020

Your website and social channels are all tailored to your branding. You send out regular emails to subscribers and constantly work on bulking up your subscription list. At this point, you feel you have dotted the I’s and crossed the t’s as far as digital marketing is concerned. Do you still really have to create a LinkedIn account?

Turns out, entrepreneurs and freelancers have a lot to gain when they learn how to optimize a LinkedIn profile.

Why Entrepreneurs Should Create a LinkedIn Profile

Imagine going to a business convention. You meet a fellow entrepreneur and discuss a promising brand collaboration. You have their contact details, but also want to learn more about what they do. Naturally, your research about them, but you can only find marketing media about their company. Is this enough to invest in a partnership?

Entrepreneurs should understand that networking and marketing aren’t the same. Just because you have an excellent advertising and marketing strategy doesn’t mean that your online presence is solid enough.

Taking your brand to the next level should mean investing in your personal presence online. For entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals, there’s no platform as fundamentally significant as LinkedIn.

Here’s why entrepreneurs and self-employed people should create a LinkedIn account:

It’s networking basic. Entrepreneurs used to exchange business cards when meeting clients, possible partners, and investors. Nowadays, networking entails exchanging LinkedIn profiles. While you can still hand out business cards, a LinkedIn account gives you a wider space to enlist your achievements, affiliations, and credentials.
It’s the top lead generator. LinkedIn may not share the vast user base of Facebook or the branding aesthetics of Instagram, but it proves to be the top social channel when generating leads. According to a survey, 59% of marketers confirm that LinkedIn is their number one source for quality leads.
It offers a great talent pool. If you’re looking for collaborators or partners, LinkedIn is another great place to check. Housing over 20 million open jobs, it’s not surprising why professionals flock into LinkedIn. In fact, the social platform has recorded that more than two professionals sign up to LinkedIn every second, making it the search engine for professionals.
It boosts website traffic. A LinkedIn study revealed that the platform is responsible for 46% of social media traffic leading to company websites. If you want to increase brand exposure and get quality website traffic, it’s time to include LinkedIn in your SEO strategy. If you’re looking for untapped ways to increase revenues, you must learn how to optimize your LinkedIn profile for sales.
It can reduce advertising costs. LinkedIn gives entrepreneurs another platform to publish articles and repurpose content. However, not many people realize the platform can also reduce advertising costs. The same study mentioned above found that marketers have decreased cost per lead through LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms. Here are 3 more ways to reduce business costs.

How to Optimize LinkedIn Profile in 5 Easy Steps

Don’t just settle for creating a LinkedIn profile, as it is more than just a social platform where you can link up with partners or look for recruits. LinkedIn can rank your name on Google thereby bolstering your brand. It can boost your website traffic while reducing your costs.

Here’s how to optimize your LinkedIn profile in 5 easy steps:

1. Upload a proper photo for your account.

People are naturally drawn to visuals and LinkedIn users are no different. Use a recently professionally taken headshot if you have one handy. If not, keep these few tips in mind to ensure your picture is suitable for LinkedIn:

- Make sure the photo has a high resolution. According to LinkedIn, the ideal profile picture should have 400 x 400 pixels.
- Use a solo picture. Treat your LinkedIn profile as another virtual portfolio. As a professional page, your profile picture should only feature yourself. It’s also preferable to use a neutral background to keep the focus on you.
- Take up at least 60% of the frame. Every social channel has a so-called aesthetic. You can post travel photos on Facebook or upload an abstract image on Instagram. Your LinkedIn profile picture, however, should feature a close shot of yourself with 60% of the frame showing your face.
- Don’t forget to use a background image. The background image serves as a secondary visual feature of your profile. Use it to convey your niche or show your brand.

2. Be creative with the headline.

Grab people’s attention or give them a summary of what you do. Remember that there are no rules that say the headline should just be your job title. Apart from your photos, the headline is the first thing that people see on your profile. Create one that prompts people to read through your entire profile. You can select keywords that highlight your strengths or have something to do with your line of business.

3. Tell a story with your profile summary.

As an entrepreneur, you probably have an elevator pitch. Consider your profile summary a platform where you can practice it more elaborately. Don’t just list your skills or achievements in your summary. Write one that highlights what you do and why you do it, so you can connect with the readers. Of course, the summary should complement your headline.

4. Highlight your relevant skills and offered services.

People use LinkedIn for various reasons. Some create one to look for a job, others use it to offer one. Apart from building a virtual portfolio, your LinkedIn profile is a networking platform. Make sure that your most relevant skills, as well as the services you offer, are prominently displayed. What you want readers to find out about you should be highlighted in your profile.

5. Use endorsements wisely.

Endorsements underscore who and what you know. LinkedIn helps users keep endorsements that align with the type of portfolio they are trying to build. The Edit feature in the Skills panel of your profile lets you select the endorsements to feature and hide.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to others and proactively ask for endorsements. Of course, you must not neglect to endorse others in return.

LinkedIn has great professional potential for entrepreneurs. Learn how to optimize LinkedIn profile and use it to your advantage by working through these tips.