Is your 2020 going to plan? Maybe it is time to review your LinkedIn profile and look at where you are now and where you are going now and in 2021.
Earlier this year I was asked to contribute a piece for the Motivating your Mind … Inspiring your Spirit ebook by Rob Salisbury. It features 75 industry experts from Australian, American, Canadian, German, Hong Kong,
Malaysian, New Zealand, Singaporean, South African, Sri Lankan and United Arab Emirates.
I hope my article inspires and motivates you to take action in relation to your LinkedIn presence in the coming year. Download this complimentary eBook here.
Optimise Your LinkedIn Presence
Are you the best-kept secret in your industry? Often as a highly skilled specialist focussed on solving problems in your field of expertise, you can forget to amplify your brand. Promotion may not feel natural. You may prefer to focus on delivering a fabulous service to your clients, who are likely already referring others to you, but are you visible enough to make referral easy?
It may feel weird, but we must put ourselves out there if we want to make an impact. This can make us feel
uncomfortable, but if we do want to make a difference to those who most need our help we must step
forward and increase our visibility, bringing our credibility with it.
Putting yourself out there can include sharing your expertise through publishing content online and in print,
speaking and media interviews, in your area of expertise. One of the easiest ways is to use LinkedIn to build a
presence, share and engage with content and establish relationships with your network.
LINKEDIN PROFILE CHECKLIST
LinkedIn is a free platform to use, with a global audience and a reach way beyond your connections. Before
you work on your strategy to publish and network online, focus on reviewing the presence you already have,
and calibrate it. Because of the visibility, you can create it is worth investing effort into positioning your profile. Aim for progress over perfection as your profile will never be finished; it will evolve as you do.
ACTION 1
Review your digital footprint
What is showing up in search results?
Google yourself in Incognito or Private browsing to see what is showing up for your name.
Take a look at your LinkedIn profile from the seat of your ideal client or stakeholder – what is missing, misleading or needs to be optimised to match your brand?
ACTION 2
Get clear on your goals, objectives and who you want to be seen as.
Who are your ideal connections?
What problems do they have that you solve?
What words do they use?
ACTION 3
Rework or build your LinkedIn profile to align with your objectives.
Focus on your headline – lead with the problem you solve
Update your photo – be the person who shows up to that first client meeting
Add or update your background image to share your brand message
Share your journey through the About section, ending with a call to action.
Include video and visuals to connect with your network.
Optimise your Expertise title to include keywords
Check your contact details to include weblinks
Review and update skills to include keywords used in the headline and descriptions
LinkedIn levels the playing field. Whether you are starting your career, run a business or lead a team, make LinkedIn activity part of your habits and gain the results. Enhance your profile positioning by using LinkedIn to
enhance your visibility, establish authority and earn influence.
Now is the time to leverage the most trusted and the largest professional social network. Take control of your
digital footprint and put yourself out there.
Refer to my 21 Steps LinkedIn Guide for more support, or download my LinkedIn Profile Blueprint.
Download 2020 e-book: Motivating your Mind … Inspiring your Spirit