Five Tips to Take Full Advantage of Your LinkedIn Profile

When you are in the communications profession, it's especially important to stay up-to-date on ways to make social media work for you. Admittedly, Linkedin was a social media network that I use on a regular basis, but knew the least about. So, when I saw that the university I work for was offering an executive education class on how to get the most out of your LinkedIn profile, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to brush up on my skills. Below you will find five simple tweaks that you can make to your LinkedIn profile to make you more searchable and relevant on this social media network.

1. Take note of your profile strength- In the bottom, right hand corner of your profile, LinkedIn takes it upon itself to rank your profile basically from zero to hero. If you want to make your profile stronger, under profile, hit edit profile, and LinkedIn takes you through a series of steps to brighten up your online presence. Your ultimate goal should be to make it to "all-star."

2. Edit your default tagline- The default setting for your profile tagline is your current job title, which, if you think about it, makes no sense. Change this tagline to keywords that set you apart and make you unique- for example, mine is, "Experienced Public Relations Professional, Marketing Strategist, Social Media Manager, and Event Planner." You will see the option to edit this once you are in the edit profile function.

3. Customize your profile so you are easier to find- Your default URL on LinkedIn is a bunch of random letters and numbers, which is located at the top left of your profile underneath your picture. Change this URL to something you can remember. My profile URL is www.linkedin.com/in/bridgetconrad/  . Also, make sure that your profile is visible to everyone. You can do this under the edit profile function, go to the bottom of your profile under connections, and click customize visibility.

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  Make the Most of Your LinkedIn Profile
  

  
  

4. Remind people of you profile- Put the link to your public profile in the signature of your email. You can add a LinkedIn graphic button to your emails- click the following link to see directions http://slidesha.re/1jmzbOn 

5. Include a summary on your profile- A summary on your profile helps people make a personal connection with you through industry, school or hometowns. Who knows- this could be the deciding factor on whether someone calls you for a job! You can do this easily under the edit profile function, in the background section.

I hope these tips are helpful! Do me a favor and add Heather Esposito on LinkedIn- www.linkedin.com/in/heatheresposito . She taught the class I attended and changed my views on LinkedIn completely. In fact, just this week, LinkedIn hit the 300 million user mark, so it's definitely a worthwhile network and it pays to keep your profile current. Oh, also add me on there too: www.linkedin.com/in/bridgetconrad .Have a great Easter everyone!