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Thursday, May 2, 2013
LinkedIn is Not Only a Social Network, but an Invaluable Business Tool, and Here Study Breaks College Media Provides Must-Read Tips for Best Optimizing LinkedIn Profiles
As the world's largest business networking site, LinkedIn is invaluable for business owners, allowing them to make--and maintain--connections all over the globe with a simple click of the mouse. What comes with the site's importance and popularity, however, is the necessity for users to stand out in the crowd, and here Study Breaks, a leading college media entertainment company, provides must-know tips and tricks for properly optimizing a LinkedIn profile and taking full advantage of the site and all the opportunities it offers.
Because of the business implications LinkedIn thrives on, one could equate a personal profile to an online business card (as it essentially tells the story of who one is and what they do--and is something that's easily and readily shared.)
Austin, TX May 02, 2013
LinkedIn is widely recognized as the world's largest business networking site, serving as a social mediasite connecting members from across the globe with current business contacts while allowing them to keep in touch with past coworkers, and serving as an excellent tool for those seeking information regarding future employment—whether on the job-search end or the recruiting end. And since LinkedIn is generally viewed as an online portfolio, profile optimization is more influential on "real life" happenings than other social sites. (One can think of it this way: When creating a LinkedIn profile, they’re virtually building an online business card.)
Here are some tips for those looking to brush up on the basics and trying to create the most effective LinkedIn profile possible:
The average LinkedIn user is over forty years old and earns approximately 100k a year. This is important data to know when creating one’s own personal profile, because it gives the user an idea of what the majority of users’ pages might look like (thus giving the creator a good template to build on). It also supplies the user with an accurate estimation of the demographic profile of their LinkedIn peers (providing him/her with a basic understanding of how to conduct himself/herself conversationally online).
Because of the business implications LinkedIn thrives on, one could equate a personal profile to an online business card (as it essentially tells the story of who one is and what they do—and is something that’s easily and readily shared).
Tips for LinkedIn Profiles:
1. The Photo
Though no one should judge a book or magazine by its cover—nor a person by their picture—due to human nature and the importance of making a great impression, the photo chosen for a LinkedIn user is very important. That said, users should absolutely opt for a headshot over a logo or anything else. A user would also be wise to choose a photo in which they’re smiling. Choosing a smiling profile picture is important, as one wants to present a pleasant image of themselves. (After all, as most LinkedIn users haven’t met, the demeanor in one’s photo is the simplest, often only, way to judge someone off the bat.)
Though no one should judge a book or magazine by its cover—nor a person by their picture—due to human nature and the importance of making a great impression, the photo chosen for a LinkedIn user is very important. That said, users should absolutely opt for a headshot over a logo or anything else. A user would also be wise to choose a photo in which they’re smiling. Choosing a smiling profile picture is important, as one wants to present a pleasant image of themselves. (After all, as most LinkedIn users haven’t met, the demeanor in one’s photo is the simplest, often only, way to judge someone off the bat.)
2. The Name
This is a specific tip for married females: They should highlight their maiden name between their current first and last, enabling users who knew them pre-marriage to link up.
This is a specific tip for married females: They should highlight their maiden name between their current first and last, enabling users who knew them pre-marriage to link up.
3. The Headline
One should build an informal headline. On LinkedIn, a headline is a space consisting of 120 characters that can be used to promote individual job titles as well as a short description of one's unique personality. The more informative the headline is, the better. A great headline makes it easier for someone searching for a specific contact to determine quickly and easily if the user is whom they are looking for.
One should build an informal headline. On LinkedIn, a headline is a space consisting of 120 characters that can be used to promote individual job titles as well as a short description of one's unique personality. The more informative the headline is, the better. A great headline makes it easier for someone searching for a specific contact to determine quickly and easily if the user is whom they are looking for.
4. The Summary
The summary is simultaneously the most important section of the LinkedIn profile, and where most users go astray. According to social media expert Kevin Knebl, most people don’t put anything substantial in their summaries. He equates it to leaving money on the table, as the summary is where there is the most space available for a user to explain themselves, their talents, and what about them adds value. Another great idea for the summary is uploading a positive client testimonial of self-shot promotional video in the allotted space. Most people don’t even know that this space exists, and for a user to, as a LinkedIn marketer, add value to their profile in the form of a YouTube channel or promo video, that could make the difference in winning business or not.
The summary is simultaneously the most important section of the LinkedIn profile, and where most users go astray. According to social media expert Kevin Knebl, most people don’t put anything substantial in their summaries. He equates it to leaving money on the table, as the summary is where there is the most space available for a user to explain themselves, their talents, and what about them adds value. Another great idea for the summary is uploading a positive client testimonial of self-shot promotional video in the allotted space. Most people don’t even know that this space exists, and for a user to, as a LinkedIn marketer, add value to their profile in the form of a YouTube channel or promo video, that could make the difference in winning business or not.
To learn more, about making the most of LinkedIn, check out this webinar from Shweiki Media and social media superstar Kevin Knebl.
Study Breaks College Media provides a one-stop solution for small businesses, providing them with big marketing strategies and delivering college students.
Study Breaks magazine is an award-winning line of monthly entertainment magazines for college students with a mission can best be explained through its slogan: We are college life. Published by Shweiki Media Printing Company, it is distributed in five Texas cities (Austin, Houston, San Antonio, San Marcos and Lubbock) and two southeast cities (Athens, GA; Columbia, SC). (Studybreaks.com)
