This blog post is for those that do not yet have a LinkedIn profile page and are not sure where to start. This is a simple step by step guide to setting up and using LinkedIn, starting at the very beginning! 

LinkedIn is the largest and most dominant professional social media platform and is completely different to other social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook. Users of LinkedIn will use it to maintain a professional persona, to look for a job, to recruit new staff, generate sales leads, increase brand awareness and share business news.

It’s completely free to use LinkedIn at the basic level and unless you are recruiter you’ll be fine on the basic level of LinkedIn for a while. Sign up on the website and add all relevant personal information that is asked for and then click the ‘Join LinkedIn’ button.

When creating your profile bear in mind that it is a condensed picture of how the professional world sees you so make sure you give detailed descriptions of what you do and what you have done because thin or outdated profiles give the impression of someone that doesn’t care or can’t be bothered. The LinkedIn wizard will take you through the steps to complete your LinkedIn profile.

You will then be asked to confirm the email account you used to create the profile, by doing this you will be given a list of your friends, family, work colleagues and clients who are also on LinkedIn. This will give you a chance to connect with them. You can opt to skip this step but it may be worthwhile selecting a few to get you started on creating your social network on LinkedIn.

By entering previous employment details you will continue to build your profile, then you need to complete a headline – this needs to be a brief overview of who you are and what you do, including keywords that you want to be found for. This could be the job role you do, what you sell or the industry you work in.

Next you will need to upload a profile photograph; this must be professional and not you at the pub, on a night out with friends or pulling a funny face. Ideally it should be a photo of you at a desk, in your office or presenting, aim for a traditional and standard head and shoulders shot where possible.

Then you need to add specialities to your profile, things you specialise in, special skills or a service you can provide. These will help users find you more easily. Then make sure you add the company name, website and your other social media platform links so people can access more information about you.

That’s it – you’re all set up! If you are struggling with setting up or using your own social media accounts then why not give us a call for social media training or even social media management – we can take the stress away for you.