How to build a LinkedIn profile

You may have noticed that Linkedin has now added stories to their mobile experience, and you would be forgiven for thinking that Instagram has rebranded as a professional network!

“Great, all I need is another distraction!”

We get asked about the importance of Social Media by clients as it's often dismissed as a “nice to have”. Or, we tried it but it never worked (when in reality, there was no real strategy or even a plan).

However, with the majority of the workplace now working between office and home, Social Media is becoming even more important. And it’s not just paid social which you need to keep on top of, as the algorithms also take into consideration your companies’ organic social footprint as well as that of your people.

Companies and employees alike need to step up their game... but it starts with the people:

1. Employees are the face of the company - People buy people.
2. Build your own personal brand as well as the company.
3. Also, who knows when you’ll be looking to make that next career move.

Below is a step by step guide for employees to increase their personal brand on the number 1 professional network

Headline Image and Banner Image

Really simple stuff but so often neglected, hit the pencil to edit your intro section. This is the first thing people will see amongst the masses of information which they are exposed to every day.

Background image

Your background should convey a positive visual image related to your work (1584x396px recommended)

Profile Picture

A recent, professionally taken photo is always recommended if at the very least so you don’t end up the subject of someone’s Terrible Linkedin Photos blog!

Aim for your head to fill 30-50% of the space and choose the level of visibility as to who can see your profile picture.

Headline

The headline is your chance to convey how you can help people, it’s more than just a job title. It’s the first thing people see when they are notified that you viewed their profile, so make it interesting and convey your value.

About and Featured

In this section, provide more detail about yourself and link to examples of your work. Use links, documents, images and videos to capture the reader’s attention.

Articles, Posts and Other Activity

Linkedin is a great platform for developing your personal brand and publishing your thoughts about your industry, company or general work life - If you’ve got something to say, this is a great place to say it!

Posts

These can be independent thoughts or sharing something that is particularly relevant to your industry… Or both! There are a few guidelines as to how Linkedin Works:

• Share interesting multimedia files (not just links)
• Tag companies and people you are involved with
• Offer insightful commentary over and above “nice work” or “great job” - the algorithm considers number of words in replies, likes, “see mores” clicks, hovers, scrolls etc. when determining how interesting your post is.

Download our guide on how linkedin works

Keeping it light hearted and showing an emotional human side also resonates very well - As demonstrated by a simple gif of the team eating pizza and enjoying the office culture!

Pulse Articles

Linkedin pulse articles are a powerful way to dive into a specific professional subject matter and express your opinion. They are chronically under-utilised and unbelievably simple to do well. Linkedin even actively encourages and promotes content based on:

• Identity - Who you are and who you are connected with.
• Content - How old is your content? Who is mentioned in the update? Metrics such as view-to-like ratio.
• Behaviour - What sort of content have you engaged with previously? Who do you interact with?

You can write about anything that you think is professionally relevant to your network. It could be about new legislation, industry trends, about your company, working from home, your first virtual coffee…

Skills and Endorsements

Get found in searches for what you are good at, so don’t be afraid to showcase your skills and ask for endorsements from your network. Linkedin recommends displaying at least 5 skills relevant to your current employment.

Video and Voice Messaging

The linkedin mobile app now even supports voice and video messaging - Products like Vidyard and Brightcove are becoming increasingly popular to stand out from the crowd, but Linkedin is already mirroring the likes of Facebook and Whatsapp with their easy-to-use UI.

Linkedin Cover Story

For the brave amongst you, you can now even record your own Linkedin cover story which certainly does capture the attention. When you click onto somebody’s profile page, it comes alive like Harry Potter on the front page of the Daily Prophet!

Stand Out

Remember, Linkedin is a database and an indexable search engine with 740m* active users. Follow these steps to give you and your company the best chance of standing out from the crowd.

Download our guide on how linkedin works and find out how to repurpose podcast, webinar and video content for maximum Social Media impact.

Related Social Media Content [Vimeo Showreel]