Get your LinkedIn undies sorted before doing anything else

You might be thinking I have gone bonkers with a headline about underwear and LinkedIn.

But all will be revealed!

The right underwear is essential to ensure clothes feel and look fabulous. Almost every woman will attest to the magic of a great bra and how shapewear transforms outfits

Men will attest to the difference between suits and shirts that fit with quality undergarments and fabric breathability.

Underwear is the foundation of personal style and comfort which impacts confidence and movement throughout the day.

Poor choices result in being fidgety, self-conscious and uncomfortable which others observe,

And that is the same with LinkedIn. Your profile top card are your virtual LinkedIn undies. 

If they don’t feel great and not fit for purpose, everything else you do on the platform can and will be is compromised.

Compelling, clear and informative profiles cement other activities. All roads lead to your profile from Google and searches. 

Poor quality and a lacking profile will hinder networking, social selling, engagement, and content contribution.

Truth bomb

Humans are visual creatures, time-poor and often lazy. We want to consume information as quickly and easily as possible. And making it easy for others to learn about you will be appreciated.   

When someone who doesn’t know you lands on your LinkedIn profile they may or may not always read fully the About section. But they will see your banner, photo and headline. And in those few nanoseconds holds the power to inform and influence.

Let’s look at each undie element:

Banner

The banner image is the window to your profile and brand value like a mini website.  

A naked banner (default green mode) is useless, looks lazy and disconnected. Whilst say a nice landscape is better than being stark naked, it’s not fit for purpose and doesn’t help to influence. They must always be.

  • Aligned and on  brand and representative of the business, values, goals.
  • Unique, creative, tailored and a visual delight and easy to read.
  • Inspiring the desire to know more. Painting a sense of tribe and professionalism. People will identify what is presented and if it fits their needs. Be proud of what you represent.
Headlines

With 220 characters (not that you want or need to use them all) there is plenty of room to clearly share your who, what, and where.

The headline is searchable and needs to contain powerful and appropriate keywords for business services identification. The first 60 characters have to be the best ones as they show up every time you comment and share in the newsfeed.   

Forget the puffery and salesy jargon. No ninja, warrior, guru, flame thrower type fluff. Keep taglines and really creative copy for your banner. If you really want to add something quirky, do it at the end so search is not impacted.  

Photo

We cannot trust who we cannot see. Don’t leave this blank and make sure your photo settings are set to ‘viewable by everyone’. A photo that shows the best version of you and is congruent to what people can expect to see in the flesh or on screen is key. 

Perception must equal reality.

The old saying

We all know the old saying about always wearing nice underwear in case you are in an accident or similar. Well again, there is an analogy on LinkedIn.

Even if your business is doing brilliantly and you don’t give a flying boxer about LinkedIn, things can change in a nanosecond. So, be prepared and make sure your profile underwear is awesome, just in case.

DARE Group Australia is a valued content partner of Inside Small Business