Inbound Marketing University

Most professionals are using LinkedIn as their professional and permanent resume today, but most are not taking advantage of some very simple ways to maximize their exposure in LinkedIn.

Here are 5 simple steps you can take to modify your LinkedIn profile for maximum impact:

1. Add a picture

• Having a picture in your profile is a simple way to let people visualize you or remember you, and it adds a personal touch to the profile.

2. Update your status

• You should frequently update your status so people who visit your profile can see what you’re up to. The status update also appears in the Network Updates stream for your contacts.

3. Get recommended

• I always like to see profiles with recommendations and generally read them as it gives me a broader and more complete picture of a person. Profiles with recommendations show that you have current or former colleagues that care enough about you to take the time to add a profile. Go to the Recommendations tab on your profile to request recommendations from your connections…and remember that you should likely reply in kind with a recommendation too.

4. Update websites

• LinkedIn lets you add up to 3 links to your profile. Many people add their company website and/or blog. The trick is to select the Other option because this lets you label your link instead of using the default name provided by LinkedIn. You can get more visibility for your website by customizing with your name instead of the default “My Website”.

5. Get your name in your public profile

• LinkedIn will provide you with a generic public profile link, but I recommend that you chose one that has your name in it. This makes it easier to provide your LinkedIn profile to others as it adds a personal touch to the link.

These 5 simple steps will go a long way to update your LinkedIn profile. I have copiedmy profile below so you can visualize the changes.

Originally posted to my Social Media Musings blog in July 2008.