Margie Barkley: Create a LinkedIn profile in 5 easy steps that converts.

What do you think of LinkedIn? Do you consider LinkedIn boring, irrelevant, salesy? All of these things can be true. What if I told that you could engineer your LinkedIn profile to be interesting, fun and profitable? With the right tweaks, you can create a LinkedIn profile which converts even while you are sleeping.

Check out the how.

Why should you care about your LinkedIn profile?

LinkedIn was launched in 2003, and it has since grown to become the largest social network for professionals. The platform’s ethos is “connecting the world’s professional to make them more successful and productive.”

LinkedIn allows you to network, advertise, publish content and recruit. Like Facebook, LinkedIn has personal profiles, brand pages and groups.

Why should you be concerned about your LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn has more than 930 million users from 200 countries around the world. This is a large pool of potential clients, employees, investors and mentors.

LinkedIn research also shows:

Advertising on LinkedIn increases the brand attributes of B2B brands by a factor of 2-3x. 40% of B2B marketers surveyed say LinkedIn is their most effective channel to generate high-quality leads.

Regularly updating your LinkedIn profile can be beneficial.

You have changed your mind, you have improved, you have more clients to please, and you may have also changed your preferences. You may also have changed your mind since you created your profile.

Social Media Pulse Video: Social Media expert Judi Fox explains how to create LinkedIn content that converts.

1. Your LinkedIn profile should be accessible

Make sure you are visible outside of the LinkedIn network by going through your privacy settings. If someone searches for your name, then your LinkedIn profile will appear.

This is the most important platform to use if you are looking for new clients, investors or sales.

Change your Off-LinkedIn Visibility from blue to green under Settings & Privacy/Visibility

By turning on the Creator mode, you will get more people to see your content. You can turn on the Creator mode by going to View profile/ scrolling down and tapping on Resources.

You can select up to five topics that reflect your expertise once you have turned on the Creator Mode. These topics will help people interested in the topic discover your content.

LinkedIn tip: By selecting “private mode” under your Visibility settings, you can see other people’s profile without them knowing. In exchange, you will not be able to see who is viewing your profile. Upgrade to LinkedIn Premium to get both features plus 90-day history of who has viewed your profile.

2. Searchable words are important for your LinkedIn profile

Search engine optimization (SEO) is something we know well as marketers. Search engines will show our content if we optimize our articles and social media posts with popular keywords. LinkedIn follows the same logic.

When a company is looking to hire a manager for social media, it will use the term “social media manager” and not search for an intergalactic guru for social media planets. Yes, I’ve seen that one recently.

You will appear in search results if you use the correct keywords throughout your About, Experience and Headline sections. You can also use LinkedIn outside of the platform, as we have discussed in Step 1.

LinkedIn will customize job recommendations based upon the words that you use in your LinkedIn profile. You will also be displayed to recruiters if they are looking for someone to work with. Avoid using complex words to describe your abilities and be consistent.

3. Post regularly on LinkedIn

Fewer than 3% of our members post more often than once per week, and they could be missing out on some great opportunities.

Regularly posting on LinkedIn will increase your LinkedIn profile’s visibility, encourage more interaction, and help you build a larger community.

A content strategy is a great idea for your LinkedIn profile. It will help you align your content to your target audience and keep your postings varied. You can also cover trending topics and timeless ones, as well as your personal insights.

What can you share? Here are some ideas:

Evergreen content

Each platform has its own set of parameters, and each type of content will have a “shelf-life” that is different. A LinkedIn post has a shelf life of around 24 hours. A YouTube video lasts 20 days. Pinterest takes 4 months. And a blog post can last 2 years. Downloadables that are evergreen, such as an eBook or Whitepaper, are perfect for LinkedIn. They can be shared and influence purchasing decisions years after their initial publication. These can be displayed in your LinkedIn profile if you add media to your role. Add new materials and remove outdated ones. Review your list regularly.

Personal Updates

Nobody wants to be a robot that churns out generic content. LinkedIn is becoming more human-focused, allowing you to share photos and updates that are traditionally not “professional”. You can share photos of your cat, the doughnuts that your CMO has brought to work, or your team’s outing. Sara Davies MBE, best known for BBC Dragon’s Den, is someone I admire. She balances work with fun. She is a thought leader with a strong community focus, and her positive photos and invitations to comment show that.

Mentions and Tag

Create articles or posts that include @tags for other connections to increase the number of people who see your LinkedIn profile. These should be relevant mentions. Mention in your articles people who inspire you. You can also mention speakers at events you liked or companies that you have had good experiences with.

When we shared the article on LinkedIn and tagged all of the women who were involved, we saw a great response.

Funny pictures and GIFs

A relatable GIF isn’t right for everyone but it can help build community and increase engagement. GIFs are not part of my LinkedIn strategy. I only use them if I find the perfect GIF.

LinkedIn will be much more authentic in 2023 than it was ten years ago, when we only posted about promotions and awards. Use a GIF to stay real, if you feel that is what’s right for your brand.

Topical polls

You can use polls to understand the audience’s sentiments on current issues. They can guide your content, and they are a great source to cite.

As an example, 81% agreed with Evan Spiegel as CEO. You can use the results of a poll to stimulate discussion and debate. Polls can help you convert connections into business by demonstrating that you are someone who is interested in the latest trends and listens to others.

Share and promote podcasts

Podcasts are popular with LinkedIn’s decision-makers. Collins Tarus shared a link to their podcast so that we could listen.

If you want your audience to act on your post, the description and CTA will be crucial.

Articles that reflect your interests and expertise

You can build an audience on LinkedIn by creating regular articles. They will receive notifications when you publish new content. These articles can also be a great way to start new discussions, exchange ideas and make new connections.

Every month, I will publish an article on LinkedIn that I find interesting or in which I believe I can be of value. Some articles are lighter, like the one I wrote just before Christmas.

You can feature your articles on LinkedIn to make them more visible. Click on + to add or remove articles. This section can be kept fresh and interesting by clicking the button. You can also read and follow articles from people you admire. LinkedIn, like any other social media platform, shouldn’t have a one-sided focus.

LinkedIn Tip: Keep your content schedule consistent by using your Agorapulse calendar.

free demo for agorapulse social media management tool

You can schedule both your LinkedIn profile and page with Agorapulse. Your page and profile will not have the same content, but you can still share between them later.

We manage LinkedIn profiles of senior-level company directors and schedule their content using Agorapulse. We schedule content for them to appear in their feeds during peak USA time if they are located within the USA.

Twitter is often used to share LinkedIn content.

4. Avoid the cringe-factor

Most people don’t use LinkedIn because it is cringe. People who brag, those who fake awards, and those with awkward stories are all reasons why people don’t use LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is so embarrassing that it has inspired accounts to shame the perpetrators. These are rounded up on Twitter by @StateOfLinkedIn. This treasure, whose name I have blurred. It’s probably made up and truly cringe.

What to avoid in a LinkedIn Profile

Stop doing these things if you’re looking to convert to Christianity without feeling cringe-worthy!

Stop humblebragging.

You might be a proud bragger if you post casual and self-deprecating comments on social media in order to highlight an admirable accomplishment.

Just say you are proud of something like an award, professional milestone or industry award.

Humblybragging can be particularly offensive when it involves a good deed. Don’t share pictures of your sandwich you bought for a homeless person on the way to work or a long post about humanity. You can do acts of kindness and charity without telling anyone. Corporate social responsibility can be a good thing, but it’s not if you make it all about yourself.

This post is a complete turn-off for me with its “good guy” and excessive humilitybragging.

Do not be a spammer.

Accepting a new connection only to receive a sales message is my pet peeve. If the message is not personalized or about something I requested, I will likely remove that connection.

Take the time to learn about your new connection. Interact with their posts, and get to know them better. You shouldn’t send a message that is purely sales-oriented unless the person you are contacting specifically requested product/rate information.

Do some research before you write your message.

Send them a personal welcome message or an introduction when you meet a new person. But don’t try to sell them anything!

Do not add contacts to your email list.

You cannot add someone to your database just because you have connected with them. Your database should only contain participants who have opted in and are willing to receive emails.

Asking for recommendations looks great on your LinkedIn profile. But don’t do it!

It is not polite to request recommendations from people you haven’t worked with. If you have worked well with someone, send them a personal request. You can direct their recommendation towards a particular quality or skill that you wish to highlight. This recommendation is from Tom and it sits proudly in my profile. It shows visitors an actual experience of one my clients.

Social proof on LinkedIn converts your connections into cash. 63% of consumers say they will be more likely to buy if they have read positive ratings and reviews.

LinkedIn tip: Don’t say or do anything on LinkedIn that you wouldn’t in real life. Would you walk in a bar and tell everyone you are an award-winning employee of a company? Or would you rush in and try to sell the first person that you see? Hope not.

5. Add powerful networking touchpoints

It’s crucial to include clear touchpoints in your LinkedIn profile to help you attract clients.

Some examples of this could include:

Subscribe to my blog/newsletter. Now, you’re ensuring the connection receives all of your emails and updates outside of LinkedIn. The connection will be GDPR compliant and have opted-in correctly. You can send newsletters from within LinkedIn. Click on Create A Newsletter and then click Write Article. It’s very easy to unsubscribe from your newsletter, so make sure you add value and don’t try to sell.

Join my community. Share your LinkedIn group on your blog and in articles so that people can join and take part in your community. You can create a community or forum if you don’t already have a LinkedIn Group. LinkedIn connections will join multiple groups, and then snooze the group on Facebook when they feel it’s too much. Create amazing content, and create strong communities. Collaborate with me. Invite collaboration. This is a powerful tactic that will boost your LinkedIn profile. This also gives your profile a more user-generated element. Share the video, podcast, photo or article you create with another LinkedIn user and make sure to tag them. Use strong hashtags to reach a new audience. A strong hashtag can be a great networking tool and bring together people who are interested in a particular trend, cause, or topic. I use strong hashtags to invite comments at the end of my posts. You can add or follow any commenter outside of your connection circle.

With the right tools, you can monitor your success on LinkedIn. Imagine doing all of this, but not knowing if it worked! Click on the analytics in your profile to see your impressions: