Are you a thought leader? Or do you wish to be one? If so, then LinkedIn is the most suitable platform for you. Why? Having a strong LinkedIn profile as a thought leader is key to building a robust professional network, establishing their personal brand, and advancing their career.
Let us start by listing why it is important to have a good LinkedIn profile.
- Drive professional visibility- LinkedIn has emerged as a key platform for professionals belonging to different sectors to come and interact on a common platform. Possessing a well-crafted profile will allow you to showcase your skills, achievements to potential employers, or clients. Further, it will help you establish a robust professional reputation.
- Building connections- LinkedIn will provide you with the opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals, such as colleagues, mentors, employers, clients and industry stalwarts. A fabulous profile can help you build a strong network that further helps you get a dream job or increase chances of purposeful collaborations.
- Showcase your potential- LinkedIn has a number of short certification tests on its platform. This allows you to take part in the test, answer a few questions, and rewards you with a certificate in the form of a badge which can be spotted on your profile.
From the above, it may be conferred that creating a strong LinkedIn profile especially as a thought leader is necessary and takes into account certain key elements. These include:
- A catchy headline- Be creative! While writing a headline, try making it informative, indicating your area of expertise while making it creative to attract people to your page. Try writing beyond just job roles and mention what other best-suited characteristics you possess. Remember, this is one of the first things people will see after your name. What do you want them to see?
- Profile photo- Don’t leave the profile photo space blank, instead upload a professional and friendly picture with a subtle background. Needless to say, the picture must be high in quality and in line with your personal brand. A pro-tip here: avoid using a full length picture, instead highlight your face, let it be seen for easier recognition by your colleagues, potential employers, and don’t forget to smile!
- Concise summary- The summary section of a LinkedIn page basically summarizes all your professional achievements, and highlights your achievements, skills, and accomplishments. As the segment suggests, make it short and crisp, do not drag what you wish to say.
In addition to this, don’t forget to include your educational achievements, your professional skills, and any awards and recognitions. Do mention any cause you have been associated with, in your profile, as this will be a great way of knowing about your social and environmental beliefs. - Engage- Along with being active on the platform it is also important to engage with your audience. Regularly comment on posts uploaded by your connections, and share whenever possible along with your own thoughts.It is also important to stay active in groups that you are part of and regularly comment or ask questions to showcase your presence.This will not only improve your relationship with your connections but help you establish yourself as an authority in your field.
- Stay Active- It is a given that you must have an active LinkedIn profile to build a strong profile. You must post valuable content regularly- it could be your personal thoughts or a piece of content you found somewhere else.It is best if you update content related to your business/ line of work as this will help your connections understand your work better.
In summary, building a strong LinkedIn profile as a thought leader requires a mix of compelling personal brand, engaging content, along with consistent engagement with other thought leaders in your sector.
To keep learning about ways you can improve your visibility on LinkedIn and expand your connection reach, follow us on Linkedin. If you would like your Linkedin account managed for you so as to achieve your goals, book a 30 minutes- FREE consultation slot with us here.
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