We design our websites to rank as well as possible on Google. That’s called search engine optimization. But who are we actually „optimizing“ our LinkedIn™ profiles for?
On one hand, of course, for human visitors, and on the other hand for LinkedIn™ – specifically for the algorithm that controls the distribution of information on the platform. Fully completed profiles receive more visibility in search results, contact suggestions, and more. The right keywords in the description text are crucial in being found by your target audience.
But let’s take a step back: Before we think about the graphical and textual design possibilities, we should clarify why we want to be (actively) on LinkedIn™ in the first place. The reasons may range from „Because my boss forced me“ to „Because I want to reconnect with my classmates“, but if we ignore these special cases, we mainly find these five reasons:
- Networking and Communication: The first and most important reason to spend time on LinkedIn™. The success of connection requests and other activities directly depends on the quality of your profile. If I want to know more about a person, I first look at their resume. If it conveys seriousness and competence, it will significantly increase the proportion of positive responses and accepted connection requests.
- (Content) Marketing: LinkedIn™’s news feed is an excellent, personalized business magazine. The mix of status updates, company postings, subscribed opinion leaders („LinkedIn™ Voices“), #hashtags, blog posts, and targeted advertising is a great breeding ground for B2B campaigns. Regular readers will not only consume passively but will sooner or later join the discussion – with comments and their own posts. If you spark the interest of your conversation partners, they will often visit your profile.
- Social Selling: Especially in B2B sales, research before sales meetings plays a major role. Those who adequately present their offers and services on their profile find potential contacts more easily and expand their sales network more efficiently.
- Career Planning: Whether the pressure is currently high or a new job is just a vague possibility, LinkedIn™ is internationally the most important career and recruiting platform, and it is also overtaking Xing in the DACH region. As more and more large companies partially or completely handle their recruiting processes via LI, this is probably the main reason for having a complete profile. (And a gapless career history – HR managers do NOT love 2-year sabbaticals in the USA.)
- (Professional) Web Presence: Even without thoughts of changing employers, LI offers the opportunity to build a serious, professionally-oriented web presence. With the appropriate privacy settings, the entire LinkedIn™ profile can be „publicly“ found via Google or only the parts you want to present to an interested world.
Your LinkedIn™ profile could be an excellent conversion tool!
Convinced? Then take the time to present yourself on your LinkedIn™ profile as competently and trustworthily as you are in the analog business world.
