We all know that networking on LinkedIn is essential to marketing yourself in the digital space and a crucial asset in maintaining your professional relationships. But with 575 million profiles and hundreds of other people with the same skills and job title just in your city alone, it is increasingly more challenging to stand out. Here are our best tips for making sure the right people are seeing your profile and the unique value that you have to offer!

1. Consistency is Key!

Five minutes per day is all it takes! Don’t think of LinkedIn as another social media time waster, LinkedIn is an extremely efficient tool to advance your networking abilities. You no longer must wait for the next SHRM meeting or professional event to reconnect with people in your network, by finding 5 minutes in your day to scroll, like, comment and share content you will see your visibility increase and stay up to date with your connections. Remember to be engaging – don’t just like and comment, ask questions are start conversations!

2. A Great Headshot is Everything!

According to LinkedIn, profiles with headshots are 14 times more likely to be viewed than those without a profile picture. While having a headshot is important, it is equally important to have the right headshot. No selfies, super casual snaps or photos with other people!

3. Be Thoughtful and Strategic About Your Endorsed Skills

It’s 2019, MS Office and Google Drive are a bit too run-of-the-mill, your endorsed skills should aim to reinforce what unique skills you can bring to the table. Are you interested in marketing? Then list relevant skills such as social media, analytics, lead generation, copywriting, content creation, etc. By including skills that are not very relevant to the field or type of job you are in (or looking to be in) it gives the impression that you do not have a clear understanding of what you are a specialist in. A vital career insight is to find your own personal niche!

4. Create a Custom URL

When you create a LinkedIn account, your profile is given a link that is often very long and contains a plethora of unnecessary numbers and letters. Luckily, it is very easy to create your own URL in LinkedIn which will make it easier to share your profile with those in your network or add to the top of your resume!

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Connect With People You Don’t Know

Don’t only connect with people you have met in person – forget what we’ve all been taught about social media safety, LinkedIn is a great space to find and grow professional relationships. It isn’t much different than a stranger walking up to you at a networking event, shaking your hand, introducing themselves and chatting about your professional lives. If someone writes an article or frequently posts about a topic that you are interested in or something that resonates with you, don’t be afraid to reach out with follow up questions, thank them for further informing you on the topic and send a connection request!

6. Create content!

Creating a LinkedIn account and chalking it full of experience, education, buzz words and endorsed skills is only half of the work. By creating content, you can really make a name for yourself and get your skills in front of those who matter most. Creating content can refer to

• Assemble relevant industry news or insights and sharing them with your followers,

• Write blogs or articles and publish them on LinkedIn Publishing

• Share company or school (if you are a current student) updates, people love to see how invested you are in your organization and this is a great way to spread company messages

• Keep it easy! Repost someone else’s content! Just make sure it is relevant to your career, industry or followers

We hope that with these tips, you will be able to increase your profile views, gain meaningful LinkedIn connections and overall expand and reinforce your professional presence!