Making the Best of Your LinkedIn Account

LinkedIn is a great place to market your expertise, explore career opportunities and  network with others. As the world’s largest professional networking platform, it’s imperative you have a strong presence on this site.  In order to optimize your LinkedIn profile, there are a few things you want to do:

SET-UP YOUR PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Fill out all areas  of your professional profile including past, current experience, educational training, summary, etc. This is also a great place to insert keywords. Try to implement keywords in your headline because it’s the first thing people see besides your name.  Remember to list keywords in the “summary” section as well because LinkedIn draws upon that information whenever a search is being conducted. Think about the things a potential client, customer, employer may be searching for. Are you the one for the job? Make sure that’s listed!

POST STATUS UPDATES ON A CONSISTENT  BASIS:

The tendency for many on LinkedIn is to “set it and forget it.” This is basically when people leave a profile unattended for an extended period of time, allowing things to become out of date. But no one wants yesterdays news!  Since this might be the first impression someone has of you, make sure it’s current so people don’t have to question whether or not your “still in business.” Any information about your field of expertise, or even things you would share on other social media sites could work well with LinkedIn. Just remember, keep it professional.

RECOMMENDATIONS/TESTIMONIALS:

90% of people “Google” Realtors before they decide whether you want to work with them. One of the very first things that can appear on the search results is your LinkedIn profile. Recommendations and testimonials are a great way to build your credibility on LinkedIn. Want to know how to get testimonials? Katie Lance says it best in her video  LinkedIn Recommendations:  “You have to give to get.”  Start by recommending others. The client you worked with last week who did an amazing job– why not tell others about it? Chances are, if you  endorse enough people, someone will return the favor.

LinkedIn is a very powerful tool for any professional and definitely worth some attention. If you implement the steps listed, you’ll be on your way to a stronger online profile.

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Charde' Henderson

Born and raised In the San Francisco Bay Area, Charde' Henderson developed an appreciation for the real estate industry at an early age. Her father, a real estate investor, would take her around every Sunday to visit homesin luxury home markets such as Blackhawk, Danville, Alamo and Diablo. It was there her understanding of the housing industry began. After high school, Charde' studied real estate, and later on received a Bachelors Degree in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley. She has worked with some of the leading pioneers in social media marketing, and uses her educational and professional training to act as HomeFolio Media's Content Strategist& S.E.O Manager. Charde' currently resides in Pleasanton, CA.

Latest posts by Charde' Henderson (see all)

• Proof a Fish is Smarter Than Your Audience - January 29, 2015
• How to Write Successful Real Estate Headlines for Increased Sales - September 30, 2014
• 16 Blogging Mistakes Realtors Can Avoid to Improve SEO - August 21, 2014