LinkedIn is a powerful platform that helps people make meaningful connections with other professionals. It also helps potential employers and employees find each other. Even if you currently have a job, it’s not a bad idea to keep your LinkedIn profile pruned and polished. You never know when a greater opportunity may come knocking! For job-seekers, here are some tips on how to boost your LinkedIn engagement.
Use Your Profile the Right Way
Your personal LinkedIn profile is everything. Your profile shares who you are, your professional experience, your skills, strengths, interests, and also alert potential employers that you are seeking a position. With all that said, it makes sense to spend time showcasing your work and updating your profile regularly.
Another thing to keep in mind is to use keywords in your profile to your advantage. When employers and recruiters are looking for a specific skill set to fill a position, they will search for relevant keywords that will deliver the most accurate candidates. Keep this in mind when writing your profile and descriptions! Be sure to include words related to the jobs or clients that you want, so your profile matches the position you eventually hope to land. If you ignore this vital step when creating or updating your profile, you may not be getting the attention you deserve.
Optimize for Mobile Viewing
In today’s world, not everybody is sitting at their desks in front of a computer while working. In fact, some of the most productive professionals are those who can transition from desktop to laptop to tablet to mobile without skipping a beat. Particularly when it comes to social media, more and more people are viewing their feeds on mobile, and LinkedIn is no exception.
With that said, it’s more important than ever to ensure your LinkedIn profile is optimized for mobile viewing. This means practicing character limits, so your most crucial information isn’t cut off or too long that a potential engager doesn’t want to take the time to sift through a massive block of text. Keep everything short, simple, and to the point, so people can easily find and engage with you.
Use Polished Images
Along with the descriptions on your profile, the most prominent details that an employer or client is going to see are your profile and background images. While you may assume that employers skim past the pictures and instead focus on your skills and achievements, this isn’t always the case. Whether it’s done consciously or not, a lot of employers will judge based on the professionalism of your images.
If you have a professional headshot, it’s the perfect fit for your LinkedIn profile picture. Your headshot should feature a plain background, an appropriate outfit for your industry (i.e., business attire, medical scrubs or lab coat, or casual clothing), and a friendly, welcoming expression. If you don’t have a headshot, you can use a photo of yourself that includes the pointers mentioned above as the next best thing.
As for your background photo, you’re missing out on an engaging opportunity if you’re still using the default LinkedIn image. Use a background image that can help communicate your skills, brand, or additional information with a little personality. For example, a writer might use an image of a vintage typewriter, or a motivational speaker could use a photo taken while giving a speech.
Post Content Regularly
Your feed on your LinkedIn account is the perfect canvas to start bringing people to your profile. The goal is to keep people engaged with your profile, so they’re more interested in interacting with you in the future. One of the best ways to encourage engagement is to post valuable content.
The content should relate to your professional niche or skill set, while also infusing some of your personality. Perhaps someone asked you a question about something in your field. Instead of just answering them privately, you could write a public post about it. Not only does this answer their question, but it could help others who have the same question. In addition, it shows employers and clients that you clearly have an understanding of what you do.
Also, consider writing more detailed articles that you can share through LinkedIn Publisher. In addition to your regular posts, this in-depth content can help draw more attention from potential employers or followers and present you as an industry expert.
Get Endorsed by Other LinkedIn Users
When employers are searching for the best candidates to fill a position, they are looking for a very specific skill set. LinkedIn offers ways to show off your top skills by asking other industry experts or colleagues to endorse you. Your top three most relevant skills will be displayed on your LinkedIn profile, along with the number of professionals who verified that you have those particular skills. Having these listed on your profile is vital in helping potential employers find you.
The easiest way to get this done is to ask others to endorse you in return for endorsing them. You should also regularly clean up your endorsements to make sure you’re showcasing the ones you want employers to see and get rid of the ones that are no longer relevant. Adding this endorsement element to your profile creates another opportunity for people to connect and engage with you.
Be Consistent
The last tip is to be consistent when replying to comments, updating your profile, posting content, and connecting with other professionals. The more active you are, the more engagement will follow. Put in the time every day to like or comment on other people’s posts as a way to boost your own engagement. You’ll find that people will naturally reciprocate, creating more interaction and visibility without having to do much work.
If you’d like to learn more about the power of social media engagement and how Levy Online can help boost your brand’s presence across all social platforms, contact our team today! We have a dedicated social media marketing team that can help you make the most of your social media business accounts with proven strategies and creative approaches.