AGM CEO Julbert Abraham is known as “The Linkedin Guy,” and he says now is the perfect time to refresh your Linkedin profile. He identifies four “starter tips” that may need attention:
· Start with uploading a professional headshot photograph.
· Add a background image to the default blue at the top of your profile page that helps amplify your story.
· Take a “deep dive” into the summary, and focus on value of “skills and capabilities” you offer others.
· Seek recommendations from your social network.
Linkedin is more than an online resume. It has become a publishing site for blogs, photographs and video.
Why should college students and professionals take the time?
“Oh, it’s very simple,” Abraham says. “If they’re planning on getting a job, or getting internships or getting mentorships, Linkedin is the place to go.”
Employers combine a Google search with a Linkedin check “before they do anything,” Abraham says. That’s why establishing a personal brand online is so important for employees and entrepreneurs.
As with other social media, it’s important to have a Linkedin plan developed with clear goals backed by measureable outcomes.
Small businesses, for example, use Linkedin to look for new talent, Abraham says. It also is useful in social networking and development of business opportunities, or even partnerships.
It begins with a Linkedin “refresher” to start the year.
“If you haven’t been using Linkedin a lot, maybe go online, look up some YouTube videos, learn exactly… what changes are happening on Linkedin and update your profile. And, also even look through your network, and maybe follow-up with some people that you haven’t spoken to in awhile.”
Abraham recommends developing three-month plans with specific goals for each quarter of the year. While Facebook and Instagram users focus on friends, family and entertainment, it should be all business on Linkedin.
Some Linkedin users are looking for work. Or, you may want to know what’s new with others. The Microsoft acquisition of Linkedin in 2016 for $26 billion signals further development of the platform in the months ahead, Abraham says. Native video, for example, is a response to the current “age of video” across online sites.
As with other sites, Linkedin offers data to “measure your success,” Abraham says. “You know what’s working because you’re getting feedback.” Abraham anticipates that video advertising will be coming in the next wave of development. Linkedin is likely to make it easier in 2018 to target paid message strategy.
Even though Linkedin was one of the earliest social media sites, its slow evolution might turn out to be core strength. Established businesses tend to be cautious in adopting new tools, and Linkedin is still gaining traction in the marketplace.
“I see it as how can I leverage some of these technologies,” Abraham says, “to solve problems that we have in our world right now.” This translates into “business opportunities.”