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LinkedIn Profile Contact Information

January , 2022Marian

Starting off with the 1st blog of 2022, we are going to look at LinkedIn Profile Contact Information.

To make any changes to your contact information, click on ‘contact info‘ as circled here

The ‘contact info’ section contains the following information

  • LinkedIn Profile URL  (website link to your profile)
  • Option to add up to 3 website links with descriptions
  • Phone Number ( Choose either home, work or mobile)
  • Address
  • Email
  • Twitter Handle
  • Birthday

Here is an  example of my contact information below.

The aspect I want to focus on today is the ability to add 3 website links with descriptions to your contact information.

Once you are a 1st connection with someone on LinkedIn, they will be able to see your website links and descriptions/ calls to action

You may want to use these links to promote a new service or a new product.

Or you may want to add a link to your client reviews page or a link to your newsletter subscription and instruct people to ‘sign up to our newsletter’.

This can be easily done using the the pencil feature at the top of the ‘contact info’ section.

To enable you to add a description to your website link which is customised and make sense to you and your prospective clients,  simply choose ‘Other’ from the drop down menu.

This will then trigger LinkedIn to open a new description box under your website link.

You then add your description of the website link here.  You have a character limit of 30.

Now you know how to add 3 website links with descriptions to your LinkedIn Profile – how can you best use this feature?

I hope this was useful and actionable for you.

That’s it for today

Thanks a mil!

Marian

Pronouns on LinkedIn

November , 2021Marian

 

At a presentation last week someone asked me what do ‘He/Him, She/ Her, They/Them’  mean after someone’s name on LinkedIn.

On this image above you can see I have chosen She/Her.

The ‘Pronouns’ feature gives LinkedIn members the option to add pronouns to their profile to best express themselves.

LinkedIn explains pronouns are used to signal one of the most deeply felt aspects of who we are, our gender identity.   

This is important for people whose gender identity doesn’t align with the sex they were assigned at birth.

LinkedIn works extremely hard around diversity and inclusion and wants to limit the chances of its members feeling isolated in any way. 

By choosing your pronouns you are showing support for everyone on the LinkedIn platform.

If you want to add pronouns , you can take a peak at the lesson below.

This is one of a number of updates to my digital course Power Up Your LinkedIn Profile, launching in 2022.

Thank for reading & watching!

Marian

https://flourishwithsocialmedia.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/LinkedIn-Pronouns-Demo-.mp4

Making Your Professional Headline Stand Out on LinkedIn

September , 2021Marian

 

In this weeks blog post I talk about your LinkedIn Professional Headline, and how to make it stand out.

LinkedIn Professional Headline

The headline is the description of what you currently do.  It can be used by LinkedIn Members in all sorts of creative ways. 

Why is the LinkedIn Professional Headline Important?

The Headline is visible right underneath your name.  It’s one of the first things people will see as they land on your profile in search results or visit your profile .  

It will get attention from prospective clients and make them want to learn more about you and your business. 

Visitors to your profile will be drawn to your headline, after your cover image and your profile image and you have 7 seconds to impress a visitor to your profile so make that a standout impression!   

What is the Character Limit?

There are 220 characters available for your headline, so you can have a few different titles in here. 

Some Business owners will put a customer promise here  e.g. I once worked with a recycling company sales manager whose headline read ‘ We Pay For Your Waste’ – a very effective headline. 

Others may put in a website but be aware this is not a clickable link. 

LinkedIn is Indexed By Google

When deciding on the wording for your headline, what search words will someone use if they want to find someone like you.  Use those keywords in your headline. 

LinkedIn is indexed by Google so your profile may pop up in a google search. 

Your headline can also be client focused  – you can focus on what you do or have done for your clients.  Decide what will make the biggest impact on your potential client. 

Your headline is definitely worth putting some thought into.  Of course you can always change it at a later stage so don’t let it stop you in your tracks for too long.  

To Bullet Or Not To Bullet

Bullets can be used on your headline and I thought it would be good to compare the headline with and without bullets.

Here it is without bullets

Professional Headline Without Bullets

and here it is with bullets.  

LinkedIn Professional Headline

The bullets definitely draw in the reader more and give more clarity, don’t you think?

I put together a pdf on bullets you can use on your LinkedIn Professional Headline to make it stand out more. Make Professional Headline Stand Out

Further guidance on the LinkedIn Professional Headline is available from LinkedIn here

That’s it for today – hope this weeks blog post useful!

Marian

Do you know about the LinkedIn Cover Story feature?

September , 2021Marian

Happy September!

I have to say Autumn is my favourite time of year, as the warmer winter woolies start to be reintroduced.

I also love the colours of the leaves, and the licence to light a fire ( ok, its a gas remote control one, but still!)

LinkedIn Cover Story

Following on from last weeks post about the LinkedIn Profile photo, this week I’m talking about a relatively new feature, the LinkedIn Cover Story.

With this feature you can record a short ( up to 30 second) introductory video which can be viewed when someone taps on your profile photo.

The LinkedIn Cover Story can only be created currently from the LinkedIn Mobile App.

How to Create Your LinkedIn Cover Story

  1. Go to your LinkedIn Mobile App.
  2. Click on your Profile Photo in the top left corner.
  3. Under your name, click on View Profile.
  4. Tap on Your Profile Photo.
  5. Choose the option to ‘add Cover Story’.
  6. You can then record your video.
  7. After finishing your recording you can then watch a preview of your cover story.
  8. Once you are happy with it, you can then choose ‘Next’  &  ‘Add to Profile’

Warning: Let’s just say I had to do a few takes to get it looking decent, but it still needs work.

However, we’re looking for progress, not perfection and it’s fantastic to have this new addition to the LinkedIn Profile.

If you want to see what the LinkedIn Cover Story looks like you can tap on my profile photo here 

I have also included the LinkedIn Cover Story Help Section here directly from LinkedIn for any further queries you may have.

Send me a link to your profile when you’ve done your LinkedIn Cover Story, I’d love to have a look!

That’s it for this week!

Thanks a mil

Marian

 

 

Is Your LinkedIn Profile Photo Reflecting Your Professionalism?

August , 2021Marian

Is Your LinkedIn Profile Photo Reflecting Your Professionalism?

This week,  I am focusing on your LinkedIn Profile Photo.

Your LinkedIn Profile Photo is the small photo of you that sits under the large background image at the top of your profile.

Where is my Profile Photo Seen?

When you send out an update on LinkedIn, this photo will accompany the update.  

It is also seen when you like, comment or share anyone else’s posts.

If you create a LinkedIn article, your profile photo will also be used. 

Given the different places your profile photo is used, it’s important to get it right and is a key aspect of your profile.   

No Photo, No Trust

If you have no photo on your profile, people may not connect with you or contact you to work with them. It doesn’t give a great first impression or promote trust.

Conversely having a photo here means your profile will get 14 x more views,  a pretty staggering statistic.  A profile photo will instill confidence & encourages people to find out more about you and your business.

Here are some examples of profile photos I put together where everyone looks relaxed, friendly and approachable.

This may sound obvious but your profile photo should show what you look like today. On a number of occasions I’ve worked with clients who had photos that were 1o – 15 years old and they had changed dramatically in some cases.

Use A High Quality Photo

Make sure you use as high a quality photo as you can.  If your photo looks blurry, what does it say about you and your business?

What Should I Wear For My Profile Photo? 

Some people get into a tizzy about what to wear for a LinkedIn Profile photo.  My advice  is to be as authentic as possible. As long as you look smart and yourself, that’s great.  Make sure to smile as this will make you look more approachable and encourage visitors to connect with you.

Professional Headshot 

My overall advice is, if you can afford it, get a professional profile headshot done. 

Although the photo of me below was not officially a professional headshot, it was taken by my videographer with professional equipment.

She was testing out her video cameras to ensure they were in the right position for filming and took some photos to check if I was happy with it.

The video recording session that keeps on giving!

On my LinkedIn profile photo below, the background is cut out and my face fills the frame.

If you have a good photo of yourself, zone in on your face and very little of the background will be seen.

The dimensions of a  LinkedIn profile photo are 400 x 400.

If you are just starting out and don’t have the budget, ask someone to take your photo with a good phone camera and I’m sure it will look great.

For the first 5 years on LinkedIn I used a decent photo someone had taken of me.

Like everything when the budget allows, you can upgrade.

That’s it for today – have a great week!

Marian

 

 

 

Have You Claimed Your LinkedIn URL?

August , 2021Marian

Have You Claimed Your LinkedIn Profile URL?

Welcome to this weeks issue of ‘LinkedIn For Entrepreneurs’, where I want to check if you’ve claimed your LinkedIn Profile URL?

Now, if you are anything like me (not techy!) , when you hear mention of HMTL and URL, your eyes start to glaze over and your brain goes funny.

But stick with me on this one and I will explain to you what a LinkedIn Profile URL is, why you should claim it and a video lesson on how to do this.

What is a LinkedIn Profile URL?

The LinkedIn Profile URL is the website link that corresponds to your LinkedIn profile (see image below).    This link is automatically generated when you originally set up your profile. 

Why should I claim my LinkedIn Profile URL?

This link generated by LinkedIn is usually quite long and has lots of numbers at the end of it.   

What you want is for your link to look something like this, a nice clean link https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianmurphy/

You can then add this link to the end of your email signature so potential clients can connect directly with you from an email.  This means you can continue to build up your LinkedIn connections and professional network even when you’re not on LinkedIn. 

And remember if that person moves to another company, it doesn’t matter, you are connected to them forever! Result!!

How Can I Claim My LinkedIn Profile URL

Today I am going to share my lesson from my digital course Power Up Your LinkedIn Profile   on how to claim your LinkedIn Profile URL.

It’s under 2 minutes and well worth putting this into action on your own profile, if you haven’t done so.  This lesson takes you step by step through the process on how to claim your LinkedIn Profile URL.

https://flourishwithsocialmedia.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Demo-Claim-LinkedIn-Profile-URL.mp4

 

I hope you found this weeks issue valuable – Have a great week!

Marian

Positive First Impressions with a LinkedIn Profile Background Image

August , 2021Marian

Positive First Impressions with a LinkedIn Profile Background Image

Welcome to this weeks issue of LinkedIn for Entrepreneurs where I focus on the LinkedIn Profile Background Image.

Do you use a background image or do you know what it is?

Today I’ll tell you all about it, the dimensions to use, why you should use one and how to do this.

A LinkedIn Background Image is the main image behind your small headshot photo on your LinkedIn profile, represented by a pale blue space as in the image below.

LinkedIn Background Image

 

The background image represents a large part of your LinkedIn Profile ‘real estate’ as many refer to it as.

It provides a fantastic opportunity to communicate visually what you and your business is all about.

Dimensions For LinkedIn Background Image

The dimensions for the LinkedIn Background image are 1584 pixels wide x 396 pixels tall.

Examples of LinkedIn Background Images

Think about how you can use this space with imagery – e.g. a photographer could have an image of themselves on a photo shoot, a fantastic action shot.

A coach or consultant can show an image of themselves talking to a client, showing a supportive expression.

Generating Ideas For LinkedIn Background Image

Do a 15 minute brainstorm on ideas that would best represent you and your business here and choose one.  You can change it later.

My philosophy is get an image up that’s good and improve over time.  Rome wasn’t built in a day.

I’ve had to leave my perfectionist tendencies behind to make progress, and would advise you to do the same.

I’ve shared an example of my LinkedIn background image below.

These photos were taken when I was filming for my digital course in City Quarter, Cork and I love the ‘action’ element to them as well as the video cameras in the shots. Not to everyone’s taste but I always love looking at behind the scenes shots.

Adding a Logo

I’ve included my logo on the image above, so immediately visitors know I’m involved in the social media area and can search to find out more.

Canva

To create the above background image,  I used a tool called Canva.

Canva is a fantastic tool for creating background and social media images, especially for non techy people like me!

I created this image by using their template ‘LinkedIn Banner’.  I added a grid to hold the 3 images, dropped the images on the template and then added my logo.

If you’re just starting out and adding a LinkedIn background image for the first time, upload one image to your profile and see how it looks.

How To Upload Your Background Image

On the top corner on my background image above, there is a pencil icon – click on this to upload your photo and choose ‘apply’ when you are happy with it.

View On Different Devices

A tip is to look at the background image on different devices as the positioning of your smaller headshot image is different on mobile, ipad and desktop.

I hope you found today’s issue valuable – Have a great week!

Marian

How Entrepreneurs Can Build A Professional Network On LinkedIn

July , 2021Marian

How Entrepreneurs Can Build A Professional Network on LinkedIn 

It may be basic but as my 1st (of many) blog posts on LinkedIn, I am going to start off with an outline of how to build your professional network as an entrepreneur.  

LinkedIn is the online platform you absolutely must consider as there are now 756 million members in 200 countries and regions worldwide.  

 As an entrepreneur you can do this by following what I consider the 4 building blocks of your LinkedIn Presence.  

THE 4 C’s

  1. Capturing the essence of yourself & your business using your LinkedIn Profile 
  2. Connecting with other LinkedIn members
  3. Creating content to convey your brand & business message
  4. Communicating with other LinkedIn members  

 

Capturing Your Business Essence on your LinkedIn Profile 

Your LinkedIn Profile is the beating heart of your LinkedIn presence.  Spending quality time on completing your LinkedIn profile will mean you show up with clarity, confidence and credibility and you will capture the essence of yourself and your business for visitors and potential clients to see.  Your LinkedIn profile provides multiple and creative opportunities for you to communicate your message in both a written and visual way.  The team at LinkedIn is adding new features all the time to make your profile stand out more which I will be talking about in upcoming blog posts so keep your eyes peeled.  

Connecting on LinkedIn 

As LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network, with 756 million members, it seems a no-brainer to get connected here. When you are proud of your LinkedIn profile, you will then have the confidence to connect with other LinkedIn members and potential clients.  You can build your professional network by connecting with people you have previously or currently work with, previous clients, existing clients, people in organisations you are a member of, as well as connections beyond your existing network.  You can also accept invitations from other LinkedIn members to connect.   

Creating Content That Resonates on LinkedIn 

Once you have created a profile you are proud of and started connecting with other LinkedIn members, you can then create content relating to your brand and business and post this content using LinkedIn posts and articles.  Many entrepreneurs struggle with what they should talk about.  Some ideas include, personal stories, projects you are working on, client testimonials, answer customer pain points and valuable tips that will elevate you to ‘expert’ in your field in the minds of your connections.  By creating this content you are building the Know-Like-Trust factor that online networking is built on.  You must also engage with the content of your connections by liking, commenting or sharing their posts and articles.  LinkedIn rewards this interaction and your content will receive greater exposure because of your efforts 

Communicating On LinkedIn 

Many entrepreneurs set up their LinkedIn profile and think, job done! However this is the foundation on which everything else is built.  It is vital that you engage with your connections and engage with the content they create.  You have many ways to communicate with your connections and using LinkedIn messaging can be one of the most powerful ways.  See an interesting article your connection might find useful? Send them a message with a link.  You hope that your connections will also send on interesting content to you when they come across it or share it in a post.  You can also like, comment and share your connections posts and articles.  By following these simple practices on LinkedIn you will soon be viewed as a decent entrepreneur who is willing to play the long game and build up relationships in an organic way.  

 

Learn something new today? – I would love to hear what that is!

Until next week!

Thanks a mil 

Marian

Connect with me on LinkedIn

Marian Murphy

Recent Posts

  • LinkedIn Profile Contact Information
  • Pronouns on LinkedIn
  • Making Your Professional Headline Stand Out on LinkedIn
  • Do you know about the LinkedIn Cover Story feature?
  • Is Your LinkedIn Profile Photo Reflecting Your Professionalism?

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