By Karen Yankovich
AMA New York Chapter Member

LinkedIn is a powerful platform to brand yourself. Maybe you’re already active on LinkedIn, along with 500 million other smart users worldwide – but do you know how to stand out in this growing crowd?

To brand yourself on LinkedIn, you’ve got to start by having your basic foundations done:

• A professional summary that tells a story and your business ‘why’
• An effective headline that uses all character spaces
• A fully fleshed-out experience section covering all relevant details

Once you have those foundations, build on them to ensure you maximize attention. Here are three specific ways to stand out in the crowd on LinkedIn:

1. Niche your profile: Speak to a very specific group of people.

Just like knowing your ideal client, knowing it on LinkedIn is just as important. This could mean understanding the size of business you want to work with, what headline and experience to search for when connecting, as well as location and activity level on LinkedIn. From there use that information to bolster your profile to speak to that subset.

• Add a few words to your headline, ie) assisting small 1-2 person businesses succeed
• Add media or a link to your summary section that shows your experience working with this group of prospects.
• Add a project or publication (this can be a blog post) that directly relates to what this subset desires to achieve that you can expertly provide.

2. Use multimedia: Give your posts depth and a way for visitors to interact with you and “see” you in real life.

I’ve got a few videos on my profile currently and I am always looking to add more. Attached to my summary I showcase in one video who I am and why I am in business speaking directly to my prospects. Just below that I have a free training video to collect opt-ins and immediately add value to my prospects by giving away a portion of my social media knowledge. Being visible adds trust and educating adds expert status, two highly important pieces of the puzzle when you want to stand out in a busy crowd!

3. Contribute content: Take the time to create at least 3 long form posts on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn has a “built in blog” feature that is extremely easy to use. All you need is an idea that speaks to your niche and with a few clicks you have a post that engages readers, entices more followers, and establishes your presence. I bet you’re thinking, “I can’t possibly come up with another idea to write about between newsletters, my blog posts, arrgh!” Well you’re not alone. But you ARE on LinkedIn which is the perfect spot to find out exactly what your prospective clients want to hear. Where to find that? Go to your groups! Scroll through a few discussions and I guarantee you will find something to talk about. The best part, you can then go back and post the link to your long form post as an answer to the group’s or member’s question!

Your profile will showcase your 3 most recent posts at the top above your summary. These additions to your profile add real power that brands yourself:

• Adds a very professional look when you make sure to attach an image to each post
• Directs your viewers to content that is expressly yours, content that also has a call to action for them to do that leads them closer to becoming a client.
• Shows again that you are active on this platform, you are an expert in your field, and have quality information to share and to say.

So I challenge you today, pick just one of the above ideas and start on your mission to brand yourself and stand out in the LinkedIn crowd.

Can I help you get started? Grab my free video series “The First Three Things to do on LinkedIn”