There are 17 million opinion leaders and 10 million C-Level leaders active on LinkedIn. Are you one of those social leaders too? If No, you are probably missing out on the visibility you deserve. If yes, a mere presence is still not enough. There might still be a lot that needs to be done. Confused? Read on.
There have been times where established Business leaders could get away by thinking they or teams do not need to be social savvy to prove their value. This notion is being brutally defied now, especially, during times when you are looking for a change of job.
You may or may not like it, but your LinkedIn profile will always be factored in by your recruiters, and it thus, presents as a double-edged sword in making or breaking your case to your next “great position”.
Getting Started with LinkedIn
(P.S. You can jump to the next section, if you already have an active profile)
Making a start is always hard. Even though you don’t plan to check your LinkedIn profile as often as you visit Facebook or Instagram or even Telegram, it is still worth spending 25-30 minutes of your time setting it up.
Checking it every week and updating it regularly is critical.
However, simply having a LinkedIn page is not enough. You need an excellent LinkedIn profile that is discoverable, optimized, conveys meaningful and interesting content, and creates inspiration.
Each of the above is equally important. As a beginner, and a busy leader, it may turn out challenging for you to balance your approach towards content creation, engagement and profile optimization. But without this balance, you will end become a part of the flock.
Advancing Strategically and Consistently
Setup/Optimization –> Searchability –> Networking –> Captivation & Engagement –> Consistency
These five steps have to be followed in sequence first and then in tandem thereafter.
Understand them one by one.
LinkedIn Profile Optimization
Your designation may be fancy enough to attract the attention of the profile visitor for once. However, it can never explain the details of your role, your extra-ordinary capabilities and achievements. You profile must describe your persona. Your specialties, leadership style and unique ways must reflect outrightly in your profile headline, cover image, bio, interests, recommendations etc. Be mindful of the following:
- You only have 120 characters to deal with. Your headline should make thunders
- Consider it a mini-billboard promoting you and what you bring to the table.
- Include your USPs and how you can help your business or clients, rather than merely stating your position.
- Keep your primary audience in mind
Story-telling for Searchability
Your profile summary is the second master-piece that your profile visitor will interact with. Let them know about all the hustles and bustles you’ve made, the distruptions you’ve led to reach the success you deserved. The more captivating your growth story is, the greater are the chances your profile looks compelling! Remember:
- This is the section where you can dive a little deeper as you have 2000 characters to play with.
- Instead of emphasizing your prior experiences, consider what you do well and what you can offer a potential employer.
- Keywords are essential in this context; use phrases that you think are closely associated with your industry.
- People want to read easy and quick. Writing long paragraphs can be daunting and of less use.
- Be a little creative and contemporary with what you write.
Networking
This about making connections and keeping your page active. But it matters who are you connecting with. You need to be connected with the right mix of followers, stakeholders, potential employers, opinion leaders and freshers. There is something more to it.
You need to increase your social radius and connect with people who maybe relevant but not directly known to you through others sources. LinkedIn is one channel that brings forth a tremendous chain of networks and these are just a few clicks away. They cost you only a little bit of time…nothing beyond that. You do not need to visit an event, or leave the comfort of your schedule.
Value Creation with Compelling Content
This is the step where your leadership skills and knowledge come to a true value capture. For creating and capturing value, you need to work on stellar content. Tell your audience about your experiences, which are unique, interesting, crisp and exceptionally relevant. Your audience also includes your potential recruiters. Always keep them in mind. Your posts should reflect anecdotes, strong opinions and standpoints, your flexibility and must always give a solution to a problem.
- Your profile descriptions and content should be so compelling that the other person whom you have requested to connect simply cannot ignore your request. Be mindful when writing posts:
- Write short and simple
- Include storytelling
- Do not restrict to post sharing. You need to add comments to others’ posts as well
- Talk about trends, but make your standpoint very clear
- Write call to action based content where you seek responses from readers
Consistency – Out of Sight is Out of Mind
People will forget you fast if you do not show up often. The LinkedIn Algorithm promotes those posts and profiles that are regular. Watching what others are writing, expressing your viewpoints are included in consistency too. But participating in discussions at a larger level such as groups is more beneficial. These groups on LinkedIn have a far-reaching potential. You get a chance to interact with hoops and chains of people – which you may never be able to cover in face to face events in one go.
Additionally, you must maintain a calendar of your own posts and your posting frequency must not be missed at any cost. It is easy for your content to get buried amid the traffic spike created by so many other LinkedIn users who write and publish much more regularly and started before you. What you need to be mindful is:
- Consistency doesn’t mean you overdo it
- A prior planning is important to avoid spamming and overkill
- Adding meaning to content is important and hence, posts need to be drafted iteratively
- Participate in groups without a miss
LinkedIn is Worth the Hype
Since LinkedIn has been in business, it has been acknowledged as the benchmark for business networking among professionals. LinkedIn can do wonders for the growth of your career when used optimally. But several leaders are already preempting by leveraging the networks to their advantage. The longer we take to get started, the more we may be pushed behind on the digital front. We cannot undermine the fact that a leader’s LinkedIn profile mirrors his or her abilities to make it to the next great position. Time to act. If you are ready, this is an area where we can set the wheels in motion for you. Connect with us resume@kaizenconsultants.in
We help you stand out in the ocean of LinkedIn users and grab the attention of recruiters by optimizing your profile today!
