Polish Your LinkedIn Presense

Your professional biography is more important than you might think. As marketing techniques keep changing, it’s a necessity for your business to have a presence on social media and this is usually embraced readily by companies, especially start-ups and SMEs.  However, a personal online presence is often overlooked and as someone in a position of power, you need to have the online version of yourself polished and out there working for you.

LinkedIn is the professional’s network. You probably have one, (and hopefully you use it, as it really is an invaluable tool), but you may find that your biography page needs to be reviewed to drive engagement. Confidence in you as an individual will increase confidence in your business and a strong LinkedIn page is like a well-tailored suit, it’s a subtle difference but people notice…and people like it.

Too often, users create a very bland or uninteresting personal page in order to set up a company page. It is viewed as a necessity by the website that can be done quickly then forgotten, but these two pages are connected so people seeing your business are seeing your personal page too. If there are errors or if it is lacking information, you instantly give the viewer a negative impression of your business.

Your business LinkedIn is an extension of your website. Your personal LinkedIn is much more, it is your CV, and your business card – it is showcasing you and when you sell yourself, you sell your company.

Here are our top tips for creating a strong LinkedIn ‘personality’, and flawless biography.

It seems abstract to say, but even though it is your profile in this setting it should be focused on your business. We suggest opening with some information about your company, the industry you work in and a little bit of history. Only then should you introduce your role within the business and what that entails. Finally, a snippet of personal information, so people get an insight into you as an individual.

If you have several members of your team on LinkedIn, we advise you make all of your biographies similar. Anyone representing your business should say the same things about your company, the only difference on their biography should be their job description. We also suggest branded profile pictures for further consistency.

This is also applicable to other social networks – the more you say the same things about your company, the more it will be remembered. It’s a really simple way to help build your brand identity.

You should consider LinkedIn to be an extension of your CV. You want to come across professional and authoritative, but you also want to sound like a human being. Try to inject some personality into your biography, for example you could include some of your favourite aspects of your role, or a few career highlights – just don’t start talking about your dog or what you like to do at the weekend! Save these for a more appropriate platform. (We will happily look at all your Dog photos!)

It is so tempting to pad out your profile with buzzwords to tell the reader about your work ethic; but everyone is ‘hardworking’, ‘motivated’, and ‘passionate’. If you’re saying the same as everyone else, how will you stand out from the crowd?​​

Rather than say “I am”, try to describe your job. For example, replace “I am hardworking, dedicated and work well under pressure” with “with understanding of the fast paced nature of my industry, I often find late night and early starts are a must – something I never shy away from”. You’re saying the same thing, but your statement is much more powerful.

The most effective profiles are backed up my evidence. So before you even begin, take some time to think about what you want to say and how you can prove it.

Points to consider include: