If you had told me five years ago that LinkedIn would be my go-to social media platform, I would probably have laughed. Or cried. Maybe it would have been a combo laugh-cry. 

Because LinkedIn wasn’t part of my daily social interactions five years ago. I was newly venturing into the world of entrepreneurship and networking. My LinkedIn feed was mostly people looking for jobs and sales bros bragging about hustle culture and long workdays. The thought of being someone who actively posted, DM’d, and commented on there was cringe-inducing.

Then came the pandemic and the rise of virtual networking. And now, I can’t imagine life without LinkedIn. It’s where I’ve met some great clients, reconnected with old colleagues, and learned a ton about building a business. I’ve even gained “influencer” status for sites like Overdrive, which will pay you to engage with posts you already enjoy on the platform when you have 1,000 or more followers.

If you’re a small business owner, you’re probably aware of all the benefits of LinkedIn. But you might not be sure about the best way to present yourself. Here’s my advice based on my experience helping small business owners gain traction on LinkedIn. (P.S. Feel free to peek at my LinkedIn profile and connect with me.)

How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile in 10 Easy Steps

The good news is that you probably have done at least some of these steps as long as you have a profile. We’ll start at the beginning in case you are entirely new or want to overhaul your existing profile. If you want to follow along, we are going top to bottom editing your LinkedIn profile.

Step 1: Use a professional headshot

LinkedIn is not the platform for selfies or low-quality images. Ideally, you should use a professional headshot for your profile pic. If you’re lacking that, then enlist help from your bestie or partner to take a picture of you with your camera or smartphone. I’m not a photographer, so I paid for professional headshots. If you’re going the DIY route, make sure you are against a solid background and have a natural light source. Portrait mode can work really well to keep the focus on you, not the background. You’ll probably want to take advice from a pro, who is, again, not me.

Step 2: Add a banner

I detest LinkedIn's forced banner option, but what can you do? Well, you can do a few things. One option is to leave it blank, which I don’t recommend. The better option is to create a unique banner using a tool like Canva. You can also use one of LinkedIn’s premade banners. Leaving it empty makes your profile look incomplete and tells people you aren’t really active on the platform. 

Step 3: Add your headline - but make it interesting

I can’t tell you how many compliments I’ve gotten from my headline, “I’ve been making boring topics fun to read for 15 years.” I’ve genuinely had people book calls based strictly on that headline. No joke. 

My initial headline was probably something boring, like “writer.” But I’ve learned that people want to see your personality in a headline – they don’t want to know what you do but who you are. So don’t be afraid to be a little bold and eye-catching in capturing the essence of who you are … professionally. 

Step 4: Add the rest of your details

You’ll add your headline and other biographical information in your profile's “edit intro” section. This is your place to share information about your business, education, and location. While you certainly aren’t obligated to fill in all the blanks, it’s a good idea to share as much information as you are comfortable with. In addition to giving people a better idea of who you are, this can help with the algorithm when people use Sales Navigator for searches.

Step 5: Add a custom button

Before closing the “edit intro” section, I recommend clicking the “custom button” editor. I used this to add my calendar link and have had some calls booked. Now, there is always the risk that some won’t be qualified (like the guy who tried scheduling his own interview). But Calendly makes it easy to cancel irrelevant meetings, and that’s only happened to me once. It shows up as a “book a call” link on my profile.

Don’t want to share your calendar? No problem. Use this section to link to anything else that’s relevant. It could be a writing portfolio, PR link, or anything else. The more information you have above the fold on your profile, the better – people will only scroll so far before they either contact you or move on. 

Step 6: Add contact info

Speaking of contacting you, the “edit intro” section also has an option to share your contact info. I don’t like sharing my phone number or address publicly, but I have no issues sharing my email address. Use this section to tell people the best way to get in touch with you. 

Step 7: Write your About section to your target audience

LinkedIn is a place for conversations. So, approach your “About” section like you’re having a conversation with your target audience. That means writing in first and second person instead of third person. Instead of telling them how great you are, speak to their target problem – remember, people don’t necessarily care what you do; they care how you do it and who you do it for.

Step 8: Share your services

If you’re using LinkedIn to network and market your business, make sure you add as many services as they allow on the “services” section of your LinkedIn profile. In addition to telling people what you do, this section can help people find you when they are searching for a service provider using the LinkedIn search bar. 

Step 9: Post regularly

Steps 1–8 will get your profile looking good. The last two steps will keep you relevant and help you grow your network. First, you need to post regularly. That doesn’t have to mean posting every day. At least once a week is an excellent place to start, especially if you are brand new to LinkedIn. Remember that it’s about quality over quantity – share valuable and relevant insights to your audience. But don’t worry if you don’t get much feedback, especially if you don’t have many followers. Be consistent, and success will follow. 

Step 10: Engage with others regularly

Finally, remember that LinkedIn is a social networking site, meaning you’ll get more out of it if you engage with other people's posts. Try setting aside 15-20 minutes daily to review your feed. Like and comment on posts that speak to you. You might get a reaction and end up in a conversation with someone new! Or you might hear crickets, and that’s OK, too. Just keep at it, and you’ll soon start growing your followers.

Need Help on LinkedIn? We’re Here for You!

I know LinkedIn can feel intimidating, but it’s a really great tool for networking, generating leads, and building authority. The great news is you don’t need to do it on your own. The People First Content team is here to help you optimize your profile and create valuable content to share with your audience. Book a free discovery session to learn more about our LinkedIn services!

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