More and more professionals are using LinkedIn as a sales tool in today's market. It is proving to be a more effective way to get in touch with decision makers. By being able to directly search for and connect with the right people, in the right companies, it is saving time and money and letting you contact more people than ever before.

With this in mind, you want to be able to stand out from the crowd, so I am going to share with you 3 valuable tips to improve your LinkedIn profile that will help you stand out from the crowd and be near the top of the list when people are searching for someone in your industry.

 

Ideally you want a picture that connects with people. A neat, professional head-shot from the torso up, looking directly at the camera. You want to have a picture with no/minimal background where the focus is on you. TOP TIP - NO SELFIES!

 

This is the area that will help you rise to the top of searches and it will also give people an actual idea of what you do. How many profiles do you come across where their job title say "CEO" or "Managing Director"? It doesn't actually give you an idea of what the person does. You have a chance here to add some keywords regarding your industry and also give people a better understanding of what you do. You know the attention span these days isn't what it used to be, so the more information you can provide in a small space the better.

 

Probably the area where most people fall down when targeting potential connections. Too many people just trot out the standard "I'd like to add you to my professional network". This message is quite impersonal and can come across as lazy to somebody that you have never met. Taking the time to personalise this message, even just the minimum by adding a "Dear Stanley" at the beginning gives the target something to relate to. Ideally, by using the 300 allowed characters, you can construct an informative blurb that introduces yourself and the benefits that you can offer your new connection.