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The Anatomy of a Perfect LinkedIn Profile

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LinkedIn has quickly become the single most powerful tool on the planet for creating your own personal-professional brand and, in the process, finding yourself lucrative business prospects and employment opportunities.

Whatever you are looking to achieve with your account, there are a few things that every personal LinkedIn profile must have. Our quick 7-step process will make sure your LinkedIn profile is getting you results:

Step 1: Say “Cheese”

A photo is an absolute must-have! As well as allowing you to show a little more of that wonderful character, it makes you significantly more likely to be found in searches. Tips for your photo:

  • Smile!
  • Keep it professional (snaps from Friday night at the bar aren’t ideal, even if they did catch your good side).
  • Make sure your face is clearly visible and that you use a good quality image.

Step 2: Use a Catchy and Keyword-Rich Heading

Think of your heading as your chance to sum up yourself (and your business) in a short sentence.

Make sure your Heading is:

  • Relevant
  • Keyword rich (so that it comes up in searches)
  • Catchy!

Step 3: Customise Your Profile URL

Your profile URL is your own personalised link to your page on LinkedIn.

Without making any changes this will be an messy URL, such as au.linkedin.com/pub/michael-bird/33/183/916.

Make sure you take 2 seconds to tidy this up into a link that looks professional and can look sharp in your email signature or on your business card.

Step 4: Connect!

LinkedIn profiles are always more impressive with a strong connection base (ideally in the 500+ connections bracket), so get cracking.

Add everyone you can find from your studies and previous work experience in order to boost the credibility of your personal profile.

Adding people you do not know is technically frowned upon by site administrators, but it’s common practice and it is an unbelievable way to link with prospects so definitely do not be afraid to send out a few ambitious invitations!

Step 5: Summarise What You Offer

Too many people don’t utilise the summary section and it is an absolutely essential component of a strong profile (and crucial for making you visible in LinkedIn searches).

The summary is your opportunity to show off a little and emphasise your approachability to the right people. The biggest tip we can give you is that you MUST, when writing your summary, consider who it is you are looking to target with your profile and customise your message to appeal to that specific audience.

Step 6: Flaunt your Experience

The perfect profile will include an extensive description of your professional experience, with emphasis on your current role.

Make sure you are using keywords for which you would like to appear in the searches!

Step 7: Get Others to Give You a Boost (For a Change)

Without doubt, one of the effective ways of selling yourself is having colleagues or clients endorse and recommend you, as it adds enormous credibility to you and your personal expertise.

The three best things you can do to build your endorsements and recommendations are:

  • Prompt others by listing your most important and relevant skills.
  • Endorse others! They are far more likely to endorse you in return.
  • Source at least 2 recommendations for each of your current and past positions.

Once you have completed our 7 easy steps to enhance your profile, you can start using your account to source prospects for your business or find incredible employment opportunities. The next step is being active! Reach out to people with personalised invitations, post regularly and engage in groups relevant to your industry.

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Written by Aseem Badshah

Aseem Badshah is a successful entrepreneur, marketing expert, and writer. He was a contributor to Socedo.com, where he focused on social media automation, digital marketing, and business growth strategies. Socedo.com is a platform that provides social media optimization, automation, and audience-targeting services for businesses. In this role, Aseem helped companies expand their online presence, increase potential clients, and improve sales performance.

Before joining Socedo, Aseem founded a digital marketing and social media strategy company called Uptown Treehouse. As the CEO, he was responsible for developing marketing strategies, establishing social media platforms, and offering diverse digital marketing services to clients.

Aseem holds a Bachelor's degree in Marketing from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. His unique insights into digital marketing, social media, and business development have made him a prominent figure in the field.