This article is an excerpt from my book, The LinkedIn Guide for Financial Advisors.
A complete LinkedIn profile is great for illustrating who you are and supporting credibility. But if you want to take it to the next level, a supercharged profile acts like your own LinkedIn interactive website, where people can learn exactly what you do, see samples of your work, watch videos, click through your presentations, read your publications, and get to know you better.
The goals of building out your profile are similar to the goals of an effective website:
- Keep people on your profile longer
- Get them to interact with your content
- Invite them to take the next step
Here are three simple steps you can take today to supercharge your profile:
Step #1: Get a Custom URL
The litmus test for whether someone is an amateur LinkedIn user is whether they have a “Custom URL,” which means that instead of your LinkedIn profile link being:
www.linkedin.com/in/ronhechtsb145243757, it will read www.linkedin.com/in/yourname.
A custom URL is free and takes less than 30 seconds to create. Go to “Edit Profile,” then click the little tiny gear symbol next to your existing URL, which is under your photo.
You will be redirected to the “Edit My Public Profile Screen.” From here, you’ll want to click the small pencil button next to “Your Public Profile URL” to edit your URL. This will allow you to create a vanity URL with your name, as long as no one has already taken it. If you have a common name, you may need to put your last name first or add your middle name.
Once you have a custom URL, list it on your website, marketing collateral, and email signature to invite folks to connect with you.
Step #2: Add Multimedia Content
The ability to add multimedia content to your profile is relatively new, but growing quickly. Profiles with multimedia content are given preferential treatment and can actually help with the SEO of your website if you link back to content you have hosted there.
The types of content I recommend adding to your static profile are:
- Videos
- Slideshows
- Documents
- Websites
- Brochures
- Infographics
You can add content in two ways — by linking to a website where your content resides or by uploading a file. If you link to a website, LinkedIn will create a thumbnail that visitors can click on to go to that site. Below are the types of files supported that you may upload directly.
I’ve seen advisors take advantage of multimedia content by uploading presentations, whitepapers, brochures, marketing collateral, infographics, team photos, and more. Any item that will help people get to know your firm is helpful. If you have other interests, such as a non-business related blog, you can list it here for some color.
I recommend adding the following to your summary:
- Your business website
- Any business-related videos
- Any compliance-approved presentations that explain what you do
Then, add one or two other multimedia items to each job within your “Experience” sections if you can. More than anything, these items add variety and interest to a profile that is otherwise text-based.
Step #3: Reorder Your Profile
Most advanced LinkedIn users do not know that you can choose the order in which your main profile sections appear. This strategy will allow you to have a truly custom profile. If you’re an author, you likely want to put “Publications” first. If you are seeking a job, you’ll want to put experience and skills first. The order depends on your unique profile, but it’s worth considering which parts of your profile are strongest and listing them in that order.
All else being equal, I recommend the following order for an average advisor who has been at their own firm for over 10 years (and so experience is less important):
- Summary
- Education
- Certifications
- Experience
- Volunteer
- Publications
However, if you are a prolific volunteer, or you have impressive publications, you’ll want to reorder those sections accordingly.
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