In today’s permanently online world, having a well optimized LinkedIn Profile is akin to having a 24/7 business card visible to everyone around the world.
If you are not using your LinkedIn Profile as a 24/7 business card, you may be:
- Missing out on leads
- Leaving money on the table
- Staggering your growth
- Not building new relationships
Your LinkedIn Profile is much more than just an online resume. It’s a platform that gives you the chance to build your personal brand, engage with your network, and generate new business opportunities, and truly leverage the power of social selling.
But many professionals treat their LinkedIn profiles as an afterthought, filling them with generic information and rarely updating them.
The question is… are you using it to its full potential?
Let’s take a deeper look into what elements are needed to fully optimize your LinkedIn Profile:
How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Banner Image
Your LinkedIn Profile Banner is the first thing people will see when they visit your profile. It’s a great time to make a good first impression, as well as help your audience understand what you do at a glance.
Here’s what an optimized Banner can do:
- Sell/Promote a product or service
- Get audience to connect and follow
- Drive lead generation
- Build brand awareness
- Send audience to a website or landing page
So how do you properly optimize your banner? Try to provide all the important information at a glance
- Tell people who you are and what you do
- Add a quick and easy call to action
- Make it graphically appealing
Let’s look at an example:
Notice how Richard provides value at a glance with his Banner; presenting what he does, followed by a Call to Action.
How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile Image
Your LinkedIn Profile Image can be used to tell your audience a lot about yourself. Keep it clean, crisp, and show confidence in what you do. The tone of the image should align with your brand.
Profile images need to be:
- Clean and crisp
- Only show your face
- Have a simple background
- Able to evoke an emotion
Notice how Shama has:
- A crisp, high quality picture of her face
- A simple background that doesn’t draw focus from her
- A confident yet relaxed posed, showing she’s an authority in her niche
How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Tagline
The purpose of your Tagline is to help your audience understand exactly what it is you do and how you can help them at a glance. Be concise yet descriptive.
An optimized LinkedIn Profile Tagline should tell your audience:
- Who you are
- Who you help
- How you help them
- What to expect from you
- How to contact you
Let’s look at an example:
Notice how the tagline provides value at a glance answering all the important questions from the previous slide
How to Optimize Your LinkedIn About Section
Your about section is a great place to expand on what you included in your tagline. This is where you can build your social proof and show you are an authority on what you do.
An optimized LinkedIn Profile About Section should include:
- What have you done that has lead to your success
- What have you done to help people grow
- Why should people follow / listen to you
- Noteworthy achievements and awards
Let’s look at an example:
Notice how this About Section goes deeper into showing why Justin Welsh is an authority in his niche, why you can trust him, and sign up for his course.
How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Featured Section
Your LinkedIn Profile Featured Section is a great place to promote a product or offer, deplatform to a landing page or a sales page, pin a high value CTA, and generally speaking provide an excellent opportunity to convert your audience into customers.
So here are some things you can do to optimize your LinkedIn Featured Section:
- Send prospects to landing or sales pages
- Promote a product/service
- Offer a lead magnet
- Promote sign-ups
- Promote events / webinars
Remember to always add an appealing image, enticing hook, and a concise yet detailed description of your offer.
Let’s look at an example:
…and he even references it in his tagline
Wrapping It All Up
In today’s digital age, having a well-optimized LinkedIn profile can be a game-changer for professionals who want to maximize their online sales potential.
Just a few simple tweaks to optimize your LinkedIn Profile can go a very long way.
It is more than just an online “resume”; it’s a tool that can help you build your personal brand, grow and engage with your network, generate leads, and generate new business opportunities through social selling.
Is there something we didn’t cover or are there any questions you still want answered? Feel free to send us a message or add a comment below!
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