Whether you are looking for a job or new customers, your personal LinkedIn profile is an invaluable resource.
To get the most out of LinkedIn, its important to go beyond the basics.
Even when LinkedIn congratulates you for having a profile that is 100% complete – there is still much more that you can do.
Take the time to put the following 3 tips into practice and you will enjoy the power of enhancing your LinkedIn profile for search – while also making it more engaging for prospects and potential employers.
#1 – Tag Your Heading with Keyword Phrases
Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn is fully searchable – both from within LinkedIn and on the open web. To take full advantage of this capability, add keyword phrases to your heading and title that you believe are most commonly being used to search for someone like you.
For example, while I consult with selected clients, my primary source of income is from speaking to small business associations and enterprises whose primary customers are small business – often as a keynote speaker.
Thus, my best keywords are small business, keynote speaker, and my topics of marketing, social media, and business trends.
If you search LinkedIn for your desired keywords, you will notice they are highlighted in the search results. Examine those profiles that are ranking highly and pattern your profile accordingly.
#2 – Add Video to Your Profile
There are a couple of ways to add video to your profile to make it more engaging. Both the Slideshare and the Google Presentations apps can be used to display your video by embedding it into a Powerpoint presentation.
You will find both of them by navigating to the More tab on LinkedIn.
Slideshare serves up your video in a professional manner, in that it is nicely framed and centered on your profile. However, most people think of Slideshare as a Powerpoint application, and may not realize at a glance that there is a video within it.
This is why I prefer the Google Presentations app. It clearly displays the commonly recognized YouTube format, so one instantly understands there is a video available – and not just a static PowerPoint presentation.
Both apps serve up your video from a Powerpoint presentation – with Google Presentations accomplishing this via Google Docs. So, if you do not have a Google Docs account, that is the first place to start.
Embedding video into your LinkedIn profile is easier than you would think, and it only takes a few minutes.
Here are the steps to follow with Google Presentations.
#1 – Create a Google Docs account. If you have any challenges, just Google it.
#2 – Title your Powerpoint presentation in Google Docs to match the title of the YouTube video you plan to embed in your Powerpoint profile.
#3 – Click insert video and you will you will be led to your YouTube channel.
#4 – Select the desired video and save. That’s all there is to it!
#5 – When inserting your video, use the cross-hairs on the corners to enlarge and properly fit it to the screen.
Unfortunately, LinkedIn adds new applications to the bottom of the Applications Module. So, if you want your video to be above some of your other content, you will have to first remove other applications, add your video, and then reinstall the applications you removed.
This is what I had to do to get my video placed above the feed for my WordPress blog.
#3 – Identify and Add Your Most Relevant Skills
LinkedIn recently added a feature for highlighting skills in your profile.
It is important to recognize that skills are searchable keyword phrases that can enhance your ability to rank highly within a LinkedIn search – and on the open web.
When you use this feature, LinkedIn will suggest specific skills that are most popular. If those fit, then by all means use them. This places you into a big pond where many will be fishing.
However, if you really want to stand out in search, it’s also essential to select skills that are most relevant to your prospects and customers.
LinkedIn doesn’t necessarily understand your business, so if necessary, be sure to create new skills that will resonate with your target audience. This places you right where you want to be – in a tight little niche where you can shine!
Need more?
Here are 3 more invaluable tips for getting the most out of LinkedIn.
And if you haven’t discovered LinkedIn Classmates – here are a few secrets for making LinkedIn Classmates work for you.
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Until tomorrow, Jeff
Photo Credit: mariosundar
