For the savvy executive, LinkedIn can be the foundation of a thriving personal brand. It helps professionals across industries and verticals to influence consumers, establish professional relationships, and gain name recognition in their fields. But with 8.2 million C-level executives on LinkedIn, simply showing up is not enough. Leverage these strategies to stand out from the competition and create a vibrant, authoritative executive profile on LinkedIn.

3 LinkedIn Best Practices for Executives

Develop a Consistent Brand

Studies show that profiles with photos get 21x more views and 36x more messages than unbranded profiles. To optimize your executive brand on LinkedIn, focus your efforts on creating a profile that’s authentic, engaging, and consistent across all platforms.

Profile Picture

Choose an image with clean lines, fresh colors, and a minimum of background noise.

Background Picture

Background images set the tone for your profile, allowing you to simply and effectively convey a message about your executive brand.

Headline

Don’t fall back on the default headline of your current job title. Instead, customize your profile to communicate not only where your career is, but also where it’s going.

Summary

Your LinkedIn summary is a condensed version of your executive resume. Utilize keywords to show up in searches for your ideal career.

Search Smarter, Build a Better Network

Instead of making more connections, focus your efforts on making the right connections. Use LinkedIn’s targeted search tool to find trends in your industry, top leaders in your field, and better job openings.

Search “Content”

Refine your LinkedIn search to find useful, timely content within your industry. By researching pertinent keywords, you can keep your finger on the pulse of your vertical, giving you an edge over the competition.

Search “Jobs”

Once you’ve siphoned the most relevant keywords from your content searches, it’s time to put them to good use. Instead of searching for job titles, do a “job” search using industry keywords and pertinent skills. You’ll limit your competition while elevating your job opportunities.

Search “People”

The “people” search tool on LinkedIn helps you network more effectively by finding hiring managers, learning more about the employees at specific companies, and leveraging your existing network to get warm introductions to influential leaders.

Become a Visible Expert in Your Industry

Every week, LinkedIn feeds get 9 billion content impressions. 45% of those views come from C-level decision-makers. And yet, only .2% of LinkedIn users have published an article on the platform. Creating original content is one of the most effective ways to build credibility, expand your network, and place yourself at the center of the conversation for relevant topics in your industry. To increase engagement on your LinkedIn content, write longer articles, publish lists and how-tos, and add multiple images to each post.

When it comes to building an executive presence on LinkedIn, you need a strong foundation. Does your profile need a professional touch? Executive Resumes Atlanta has years of experience tailoring LinkedIn profiles to help executives elevate their careers. Contact us today for a professional assessment of your LinkedIn profile.