It’s hard out there for small business owners and employees at busy startups to find time to build credibility as professionals. Using LinkedIn for branding makes it surprisingly easy to amp up your game. Here are 6 ways to use LinkedIn to build your reputation:
#1: Comment on your LinkedIn feed.
Your connections are posting articles, commenting on the others’ activities, and starting group discussions—and you can see all of this from your main LinkedIn feed. These updates provide the perfect opportunity to inject yourself into conversations. Of course, only do this when you have something meaningful to say!
Oh, and do not just hit the Like button; that’s a lazy form of engagement and won’t get you any type of recognition or build your brand in any meaningful way.
#2: Show off your skills.
When you’re editing your LinkedIn profile, you can tweak the list of Skills you possess. This is helpful, as LinkedIn will often prompt your connections to endorse their connections’ proficiency in various skills.
Let’s say you are really good at juggling. Add the skill Juggling to your profile. Then, your connections will occasionally be asked: “Does _____ know about Juggling?” and they’ll have the option to hit the “Endorse” button. The more endorsements you get for that skill, the more people will think you’re a lean, mean juggling machine, and all those juggling recruiters will beat a path to your door.
#3: Write a memorable headline.
Headlines are incredibly important to your LinkedIn profile. After all, they sum you up in a nutshell. If the first thing you want people to know about you is that you’re a keynote speaker, that absolutely belongs in the headline. If you are actively exploring new opportunities, you need to consider putting that in the headline, too.
As for your company, if it’s not commonly known among your intended audience, include a short but detailed description so your audience can see exactly what the company’s focus is. While plenty of professionals know what Firebrand Group does, I don’t want to take for granted that my audience knows that Firebrand is a futureproofing firm focused on helping enterprises predict the future of marketing & communications and getting there before their competitors do.
#4: Develop a great summary.
Your summary is one of the most important things about your LinkedIn profile. People will read your headline, and if you’ve enticed them into reading your profile, the #1 thing they’ll read is your summary. Think of your summary this way: if you were introducing yourself to someone, and you only had 15 seconds, what would you want to have gotten out of your mouth before you run out of time?
If you live and breathe museum research, make sure to relate that immediately in your summary. If you happen to have a Pez candy dispenser collection that is unrivaled in the entire country, which is interesting but is not something that defines you professionally, leave that out.
#5: Get recommendations.
Getting recommendations on LinkedIn is one of the most underrated things you can do. Unlike Endorsements, which are your connections’ ways of saying you’re good at specific skills, Recommendations are completely free-form. Your colleagues can write as much or as little as they want.
Of course, people have to love you to spend five minutes crafting a nice note about you. To improve your odds of getting a few recommendations, write a few for those you hold in high esteem. After all, it’s better to give than receive. Once you write a recommendation for others, LinkedIn will ask if you want to send them a brief note asking for one in return. Mention to colleagues some of the attributes that you’re looking to emphasize. For example, if you’re working at a biotech startup and looking to pivot into strategy consulting, you can request recommendations highlighting your decision-making, strategic mind, and consulting-relevant projects you have previously tackled.
Give people options. Don’t just say you want recommendations purely focused on your ballet skills. If the person you’re asking for a recommendation has never seen you do a pirouette, they might not feel comfortable giving you a ballet-related recommendation. Try giving them roughly four things you want to be known for, which gives them options without boxing them in.
#6: Use a stellar picture.
One thing that we notice often on LinkedIn—which annoys us to no end—is when people post pictures that are way too small for LinkedIn’s dimensions. View your profile from both a phone and a browser to ensure that you’ve optimized it for all types of devices. You’ve put too much effort into your LinkedIn presence not to.
While you’re at it, don’t put up the wrong picture. Don’t put up a picture of Mr. Whiskers, even if he is the favorite of your six cats. You have a baby? That’s great. We’re really happy for you. But it’s not going to be your LinkedIn picture.
Want more on how to build your brand using the latest digital tactics? Check out Getting to Like, my latest book (with co-author Ali B. Zagat), where we cover everything from LinkedIn management to content development to picking your social media channels, and more.