There are three key elements to your LinkedIn profile that will make them stand out from the crowd. The headline, banner and profile picture are absolutely essential to a professional profile. The best thing is that it hardly takes any time to improve those two components of your profile. Let’s see how to.

Upgrading your LinkedIn banner

The banner of your LinkedIn profile is the picture behind your profile picture. LinkedIn provides a basic background, but this space should really not be wasted as it’s one of the first things people notice when they visit your profile.

So, what to put in the banner and how to create one?

I would suggest asking a graphic designer, like Savvy Design Solutions, to create a professional banner for you. A graphic designer will be able to create a banner that represents your brand and purpose well.

As a cheaper alternative, you can create a banner on Canva with one of their pre-designed templates. You are able to make it your own by using your brand colours and inserting your logo, own pictures, or chose one of the provided pictures that represent your profession.

What to write in your headline?

The headline is the part right below your profile picture. As this is the part everyone sees when you comment on posts or the first thing people see when they visit your profile, it’s vital to get it right.

I often see people wasting this precious part of their profile with a description that is not punchy. Instead of writing an essay about what you do, change it to keywords that are associated with what you do.

For example, if you are an accountant, you could say the following:

Accountant I Tax Agent I CPA I Xero I MYOB

Bear in mind that you only have 120 characters, so use them wisely.

Here are some symbols that you can use to separate your keywords. Simply copy and paste them into your profile.

✦ ✧ • ⛧⦿

Updating your profile picture

Is your profile picture 10 years old?

Well, then it might be time to change it. I know, we would like to stay young forever but…

Here are some tips that will help you to pick the right picture.

1. Use a recent photo
2. Use a good quality photo
3. Use a picture where you only see your face
4. Choose the right expression
5. Be you – Wear something that you wear at work

If you would like to go a step further and completely renovate your LinkedIn profile, reach out to Tom Etherington from Connect Content.

I hope this blog post helped you make your LinkedIn profile stand out. If you would like to find out how to create a LinkedIn company page, click here.