The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success (Second Edition - Entirely Revised), Wayne Breitbarth [book recommendations website txt] 📗

office furniture. So I changed my headline to “President, M&M Office Interiors, where we have served the office furniture market for over 50 yrs, and LinkedIn Trainer.” It didn’t incorporate my business’s tagline, but it better described me as a business professional. Unless you work for a multinational corporation that is a household name, you cannot assume the readers of your profile will know what type of products or services you provide. It is imperative for your headline to clearly express what your company does and/or what your business proposition is.

If you have multiple jobs or a primary job and a secondary job, be sure to list all positions you hold. Currently my primary position is social media trainer, speaker, and consultant, but I am also still affiliated with the furniture company I previously owned, and thus I have listed both positions as part of my headline. If you are looking for a job, your headline should clearly state that you are a job seeker looking for a position as an IT professional in the food manufacturing/distribution business, for example. If you do not enter a customized headline, LinkedIn will use your most recent job title and company name as your descriptive headline. But do take time to create a powerful headline; it could be the deciding factor in someone’s choice to connect with you or look at the details in your full profile.

I personally prefer a narrative-type headline, but a popular alternative is a style that consists of keywords separated by the pipe symbol. To get the pipe symbol, use the shift key together with the backslash key. Some people choose this option because LinkedIn’s current search ranking formula gives extra weight to the words in your headline. Because you only have 120 characters available for your headline, using the pipe symbol will allow you to put more keywords in your headline. I currently have three positions I want to include in my headline, and thus I’ve found it necessary to switch to the pipe key option, and my headline looks like this:

Social Media Trainer Speaker & Consultant | Author, THE POWER FORMULA FOR LINKEDIN SUCCESS | Office Furniture Consultant

 

Whichever option you choose, include your most important keywords, so that when people search for the keywords you included, they will find you—and not your competitor who didn’t think to put keywords in his headline.

In summary, I cannot overemphasize the importance of your 10-second bumper sticker. It will travel with you and be your identifier throughout LinkedIn. Be sure it is thorough and correct. If you do not have a photograph or a complete headline, you may cause someone to question your credibility or fail to thoroughly understand your business. As a result, he or she may choose to do business with someone else. Follow the steps I have outlined, and you will be on your way not only to a great 10-second bumper sticker but also to a terrific LinkedIn profile.

Applying the Power Formula

Your goal with the headline is to create a compelling marketing statement about your unique experience in just 120 characters, while also including some critical keywords. Create a few drafts of your statement, and then ask several of your closest connections for a critique of what you have written.

Do not use an outdated photo of yourself. You are attempting to demonstrate your unique experience, and experience comes with age. People need to see you in that photo and put that picture together with the person they just met or are going to meet.

 

Wayne Breitbarth was once a skeptic but is now an outspoken proponent of LinkedIn. He has combined his diverse, thirty-year professional background and pragmatic business approach to help more than 40,000 business professionals—from entry level to CEO—access the full power of LinkedIn for their companies and their careers. Wayne is a CPA and received an MBA from Marquette University.

 

Learn more at www.powerformula.net.

 

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Publication Date: 05-01-2013

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