7 Simple Steps To Authenticate & Optimise Your LinkedIn Profile

When you receive a new connection request on LinkedIn from someone you don’t know, do you blindly accept without assessing authenticity? With fake profiles and scammers on the rise, we are constantly on the look-out for red flags online. Minimal profile information, zero posts and few connections are common warning signs. However, these characteristics are also common in newly created profiles by people without the skills or knowledge to build their page effectively. If you want to connect with industry heavy-weights you’ll need to ensure your profile hits the mark. We will walk you through how to authenticate and optimise your LinkedIn profile by showing you how Forestlyn founder, Lucy Lin, established her own page using the following techniques. 

  1. Complete Information 

Your profile should closely reflect your resume by including current occupation, past positions, industry, location, and education. It is important to note that a profile picture and an industry-relevant cover photo is one of the most important aspects of a great LinkedIn profile as people like to connect with other people. A profile that has ticked all the boxes will receive an All-Star badge, so make sure you have one too!

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2. Friendly URL

When you sign up with LinkedIn you will be automatically assigned a URL that usually features a bunch of random numbers and hyphens. Nothing screams robot like a randomly generated URL. Make it easier for others to find your profile and optimise SEO by simplifying your URL within Settings.

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3. Add Accomplishments

So you’ve listed your experience and skills for everyone to see, but what about giving some evidence to show you can do everything you say you can. In Profile Settings, you can add sections to your profile for publications, patents, courses, projects, honors and awards, test scores, languages, and organisations to create a robust and unique profile. 

4. Post Content Regularly & Engage 

Establish yourself as someone to watch by posting original, engaging and informative content to your page. LinkedIn is a hot spot for thought leadership and personal branding among industry leaders so participating in the conversation is a great way to demonstrate your expertise.

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5. Glowing Recommendations 

Currently, there is no process to authenticate the information people choose to put on their LinkedIn profiles. As a result, word-of-mouth references are a great way of giving your profile legitimacy. Including written recommendations on your page is a surefire way to give your experience credibility and added value.

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6. Showcase Skills 

People can list whichever skills they choose on their profile whether they possess those skills or not. Want to authenticate your profile? Be sure to include endorsements from employers and colleagues to legitimise your skillset.

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7. Join Groups 

A great way of making more connections and building your online reputation is to join groups of like-minded professionals. Being part of an online group comes with a heightened sense of community and trust which allows users to communicate more freely and focus on their industry niche.

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Once you’ve checked off these steps, you can be assured your profile will stand out to recruiters, managers, customers, and like-minded professionals. Now you can begin to increase your network, build your personal brand and generate leads with a strong profile representing you. If you are looking for an expertly curated profile, Forestlyn offers LinkedIn outreach and optimisation services so that you can get results in no time. Contact us today and book your complimentary consultation here. 

👉 Want to know how to reach out to partners, vendors, suppliers, clients and customers? Read how we can help you automate your LinkedIn outreach activities on our previous blog LinkedIn Outreach: Connect & Grow With Your Target Audience Online

👉 Want to increase your LinkedIn knowhow, overcome fake news and be more LinkedIn savvy? Read our next blog How To Spot Fake Profiles and Avoid Scams on LinkedIn

How Forestlyn Can Help You

We are technology marketing experts with a passion for innovation. With a deep understanding of the emerging technologies space, we create your marketing strategies and de-jargon your communications to help you bridge the gap between the early adopters and the mainstream audience. Whether you are a corporate organisation, small-medium size business or startup, we formulate high growth tactics for outsourced marketing, strategic direction, marketing implementation and educational workshops.  

Talk to us today to find out more about how we can help you. Book a consultation here.