Like other social network platforms, you can use LinkedIn to get noticed. It’s one of the best marketing platforms and a great way to advance your career or business since you’re likely to connect with more professionals there. LinkedIn has also made efforts to improve its platform in order to make it more appealing to users. Users can list their skills and receive endorsements from other people among other unique features. This could help boost your visibility as a professional and increase your possibilities of making powerful connections.
Here are some tips on how to market yourself on LinkedIn.
1.Be Picky With Your Connections
When you receive a connection request, try to assess the sender first. Are they someone you’d have in your professional circle? If not, then you probably shouldn’t accept the request. Try to limit your connections to people in the same industry as you are and professionals you look up to. This will keep spammers away and you can have an easier time building your professional or business network.
2. Be Active
Have an active account. Make sure you post every once in a while, like posts and comment. Just like any other social media platform, this increases your visibility and boosts traffic to your profile. You may, in the process get noticed by the right people. It also doesn’t hurt to message people if you have something to tell them privately. Just remember to keep it professional.
3. Customize Your Profile
Many people leave their profiles blank or incomplete which puts off a potential connection. Having a profile is one of the first steps of marketing yourself online. Therefore, you should take the time to make your profile as attractive as possible. Remember to add your resume, samples of your work, and a link to your website, if any.
4. Send Thank You Messages
This is a great way to break the ice and start a conversation with a new connection. You can have an automatic setting that sends a message every time you have a connection. Alternatively, you can do it manually and have more control over who you message. Either way, it’s can help you meet new people and grow your network.
5. Create Value
Try to showcase your value as a professional by solving a problem. For instance, if you’re a financial expert, you can write a post about a hot topic in the field. This will most likely generate some traffic thus boosting your credibility and increasing your chances of connecting with major industry players. Ensure that you post something factual and well-researched.
6. State Your Current Employment Status
Don’t be ashamed to say that you’re unemployed. After all, you’re there to seek career and business opportunities. However, there are ways to put it that won’t make it too obvious that you’re out of work but will let potential employers and clients know that you’re available. You can include something like “currently seeking new opportunities” or “xx professional in transition”.
7. Use Keywords
Your profile should contain keywords that focus on your niche. This increases your chances of appearing in relevant search results. Therefore, if a potential employer or client is looking for a professional with certain qualities, your profile may pop up. Try not to overdo it with keywords as this may end up limiting your visibility. Instead, you can repeat the most relevant keywords based on your profession and qualifications.
8. Show Off Your Personality
Remember that personality matters a lot in getting hired or attracting clients. Therefore, put it on display as well. You can include your extra curriculum achievements, additionally, you can share what prompted you to choose your career path and why you love what you do. Avoid generic statements and try to make your profile as personal as possible.