Establishing your sphere of influence (sometimes called your personal brand) can start as simply as fixing up your LinkedIn profile.

Right now LinkedIn has the best organic reach of ALL the platforms and is the best place to establish a personal brand.

If you google yourself or anyone, the most likely scenario is a LinkedIn profile pops up 1st, so why not take advantage of their massive SEO, and showcase yourself in the best possible way.

Follow these 6 SIMPLE STEPS steps and you are your way to having a more polished online presence

Establish your professional brand – Shore Up  your Profile Section in LinkedIn

#1 Track your SSI

Do yourself a favor find this score and screencap it- for later, before you make ANY changes this will give you a starting baseline to grow from, to see if your work has any effect check back in on this later

Here is how to get your SSI Score:   https://www.linkedin.com/sales/ssi

Your Goal should be 70 or higher anything 80 or above is best in class, the higher this # is the more LinkedIn will show your profile to others, not in your network

#2 Profile photo

Professional photos are preferred but not necessary

Most phones have a 4k camera these days, have someone take a few pictures in good lighting that are an authentic representation of what you look like NOW (not 10 years ago)

Make it just you, not your partner or pet

#3 Background photo (often overlooked)

LinkedIn profiles with graphics have 11 times more chance of getting viewed than those that don’t

Go to canva.com create your own unique banner (the free account has a lot of features),

You can start with a simple picture or company logo,

The advanced banner should say, Who are you? Who do help? What do you help them do?

TIP-Shorten your contact/profile URL and add it to your email signature 

#4 Headline-attraction/interest

Your headline section can be more than just your role, for instance, an accountant or actuary might say “Numbers Wrangler”, it will get them noticed and create interest

If you can’t decide on one

USE | to create | multiple titles

E.g.  Numbers Wrangler | Not a Tedx Speaker

Or

CEO | Founder | Troublemaker

Don’t be afraid to consistently update based on what you’re working on, what’s relevant, or have some fun.

#5 Experience/ABOUT section explains 

HOW YOU HELP PEOPLE and establishes you as an expert in your field

Ensure all of the content in your profile is geared towards showcasing the value you bring

Include titles and only KEY things you want to be known for – it isn’t about all that you have done, it’s about what you have done that’s relevant that you want to be known for going forward (THINK SEO)

As you are building relationships & ‘trust’ a personal item or interest, often creating a talking point or connection starter is a good strategic move

#6 Add Featured Section  

Having ALL of the LinkedIn profile sections filled in gets your profile ‘shown’ more

The featured section is where you ‘pin’ links to blog posts, websites, or another item you’d like to bring focus or attention to.

TIP -Did you know? You can publish articles directly to LinkedIn and pin them here, why not use their SEO to get your work noticed

I hope you found these tips helpful, feel free to connect to me on Linkedin or ask any questions about the information I have provided

Cheers to your best self,

Sharon

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonperryferrari/

PS for more in-depth tips on formulating an excellent  ABOUT/SUMMARY section review this LinkedIn article

https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/linkedin-best-practices/2016/7-linkedin-profile-summaries-that-we-love-and-how-to-boost-your-own

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