What A Few Of The Best LinkedIn Profiles Have In Common
To a lot of small business owners, LinkedIn is not one of the “popular kids”–amongst the Instagrams, Facebooks, and TikToks, it is the social platform that gets stuck in a social media corner only to get updated when absolutely necessary.
Why? Because it isn’t that fun. You aren’t going to find quippy influencers and cute cat videos here, folks.
But whether you like it or not, LinkedIn is where you get to play in the world’s sandbox of movers and shakers. And you want your profile to be up to the task.
After all–first impressions are everything. And when it comes to the business world, your LinkedIn profile is as important as any single person’s profile pic is to their dating life.
But how, exactly, do you stand out in a sea of pretty impressive profiles? We looked at the profiles of some of the most influential people on LinkedIn to find out.
Sizzling insights from a few of the best LinkedIn Profiles
1. Show your sweet side…and a bit of heart.
If your profile is all about stats and technical details, you become a robot to the person looking at your profile. And nobody wants to work with, hire, or follow a robot.
Show what makes you human–what makes you relatable. Give people a glimpse of why they don’t just want to hire you–they want to hang out with you over a cup of coffee, too.
Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx, shows this perfectly on her profile. Her banner speaks a thousand words with phrases like “We care a lot” in flashing neon, front and center. What are some of your heartfelt core values you can share?
2. Include something eye-catching in your headline.
Let’s face it. LinkedIn profiles are a lot like resumes. They tend to look dizzyingly the same the more you look at them. To stand out, you have to take a risk.
But on LinkedIn, that risk best not come with dancing unicorns and cuss words (unless that is very specifically YOUR brand).
Take a page out of influencer Gary Vaynerchuck’s page, instead. His headline includes an invitation to text him. Sure does grab your attention, doesn’t it?
You will have to find your own way of catching people’s attention. Got a big, bold brand promise that makes people go whaaaa? This is your opportunity to make it work for you.
3. Make your LinkedIn content useful for your followers.
Neil Patel is a pillar of marketing–he knows how to get follows. On LinkedIn, he does this by sharing content that isn’t all about stroking his own ego and boasting about his own accolades. His posts are almost purely beneficial to the people who are following him.
The takeaway? Churn out content that educates people, inspires them, or otherwise makes their work day better. They will follow you, and they will thank you for it.
4. Add quirky personal details.
People want to know more about you than just your job skills and career history. Show them a peek behind the scenes at who you are. This ties in with the “show heart” tip above–but it is a bit different. This one might be more aptly named “Show personality.”
This is where your eccentric hobbies and favorite pastimes can be a boon. Take Bill Gates, for example.
His “About” section states: “Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Founder of Breakthrough Energy. Co-founder of Microsoft. Voracious reader. Avid traveler.”
So if you are a professional tango dancer or you write poetry for fun, go ahead and strut your stuff!
5. Ask thoughtful questions that get conversations started.
The best LinkedIn profiles often become something of a virtual office cooler–only the kind of water cooler where your ideal colleagues, clients, and business partners show up for the conversation.
Create an inviting space for this by asking thoughtful questions in your activity feed.
Need some inspiration? Check out author Gretchen Rubin’s LinkedIn feed. She asks questions like, “What does productivity mean to you? Daily word count, hours of practice, finishing a big project, streamlining your work day?”
What is meaningful in your vertical? What are you curious to know? Start there.
6. Have fun with it.
Richard Branson has fun with social media–and LinkedIn is no different. He is known to answer questions people ask him on LinkedIn (covering everything from his meditation practices to the idea of retirement). The whole “Ask Me Anything” angle is… well… fun!
But his posts aren’t just fun–they have the dual purpose of inspiring people reading them. Take this for example: “The oceans are completely undiscovered … we’d love to be able to build a submarine that truly can explore the bottom of the oceans.”
Use LinkedIn to have fun with your own brand–Blue Sky it, as they say–and in the process, build a brand that is uniquely you.
Has checking out our list of some of the best LinkedIn profiles inspired you to ramp up your own LinkedIn marketing game? If you are not sure where to start, or where to put your energy when it comes to marketing, this free quiz can help.