If you’ve spent any time looking for connections on LinkedIn, you’ve probably noticed a few trends. On LinkedIn, more than any other social network, it seems people like to follow the leader even if the leader is doing it wrong. Let’s stop the madness and drastically improve your profile in 3 easy steps.

Include a Profile Picture

The whole point of social networking is to make connections online. You are networking, communicating, showcasing your talents, and telling your story. It is difficult to connect with someone if their profile doesn’t have a picture. I want to get to know you, learn about you, your employer or business, what makes you unique, and to find some common ground where we can both benefit by connecting. A picture instantly adds warmth and personality to your profile and makes it easier for me achieve these objectives.

Descriptive Professional Headline

I would love to see a stat on the percentage of LinkedIn profiles that use the professional headline space to list only their job description. This is probably the most common mistake made on LinkedIn. The professional headline is the most viewed part of your profile along with your name. Your name, profile picture, and professional headline are displayed when your listing searches for connections, when you answer a question on LinkedIn answers, or when you take part in a discussion in one of your groups.
This is a golden opportunity to stand out.

Instead of Director of Web Development, my professional headline reads, “Internet marketing specialist helping companies generate leads, increase revenue, and grow their brands online.” Director of Web Development is boring and vague. To quote the movie Office Space, ”What exactly is it that you do here?” Tell them what you do and why it matters in a powerful, yet concise statement. Internet marketing specialist helping companies generate leads, increase revenue, and grow their brands online, says exactly what I do and how I can benefit your company.

Expand Your Summary

You are allowed 2,000 characters for your profile summary, use them all. This is your opportunity to tell your story. You want the reader to get to know you and see why you are the best at what you do. Incorporate keywords into your summary increasing the chances that your profile will appear in a LinkedIn search. Too often business professionals act like writing 2,000 characters is a major chore. Open word and start writing. You will be surprised at how little 2,000 characters is.

If you are going to invest the time it takes to succeed in social media, you might as well do it right. Spend an hour and implement these 3 steps to make your LinkedIn profile better. If you would like to connect with me on LinkedIn go to http://www.linkedin.com/in/mattvittal and submit a connection request.

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