5 Ways to Increase Your Visibility on LinkedIn Whether building a professional network, developing a sales platform or looking to be recruited, LinkedIn offers access to millions. Here's how to get noticed.
By Richard Lorenzen Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
We all know that LinkedIn is the best platform for anyone looking to establish a professional presence and connect with colleagues or potential employers. Whether you're trying to promote your company or get head-hunted for a job, you need to make your profile stand out from the crowd. These are the best five ways to increase your visibility on LinkedIn.
1. Endorse friends for skills they have.
Endorsing someone accomplishes two things. To start, you're doing a good deed, and the other person receives a notification from you to reciprocate. The more endorsements you get for specific skills, the better. This will make your profile more attractive and more visible to recruiting agents searching for people with specific skills.
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It's also important to let past and present peers know what they do well. Reinforce that message via an endorsement. It will also give you more authority when you start to interact in group chats.
2. Seek recommendations.
Don't be afraid to ask for a LinkedIn recommendation from trusted colleagues that know you and are familiar with your work. You need to be proactive if you're going to stand out. Ask for recommendations directly. Most people will be happy to, if they feel confident in your ability and skills as a professional. All you should do in return is endorse them for the skills they have.
Make sure you're completely honest about what you're saying about each other. It will come back to bite you later if you're less than honest.
3. Complete your professional summary.
Your professional summary is the store window of your profile. This is the first thing a visitor will see. Your professional summary should have a short introduction telling people what you do and why you're here. Keep it short and sweet.
Related: Projecting a Professional Image on LinkedIn
Also, you must maintain the first person at all times. This is not a job application. Keep it personal, as if you are welcoming someone into your territory; because you are.
4. Link to your other professional social platforms.
Include a link to a Twitter feed you keep exclusively for professional purposes. You want your followers to connect with you on multiple platforms because LinkedIn is all about pulling in as many people as possible. By increasing the number of connections you have, the more visible you are to strangers. You should aim to have the biggest web of contacts you possibly can.
5. Browse the "People You May Know' list.
The "People You May Know' list is LinkedIn's search engine. The way they come up with suggestions is through connecting mutual contacts, or through matching up certain characteristics, such as where you went to school. Browse this regularly and see who comes up.
Related: 7 Ways to Better Networking
Keep connecting with new people and increasing the number of connections you have. This will enable you to appear to a greater number of people.
Always be active.
These five tips have the potential to connect you with more people and to become more visible on LinkedIn. The real secret to success on LinkedIn is to stay active. Join groups and actively send traffic to your LinkedIn profile. Use these tips to start making your LinkedIn growth a business priority.
