I set up my LinkedIn profile in February. Behind the eight-ball right? However, over the past two weeks I have seen a huge spike in connections. I had approximately 70 connections at the end of June, I now have 222. This is not out of no-where. I have actually been very focused on building my profile lately.Although 222 connections may not be much when compared to some profiles, I believe it is a pretty good result for a 2 week effort! That’s over a 300% increase, and my LinkedIn ranking has improved by 70% in the past 30-days.The initial point of LinkedIn is to present you professionally to others. It of course has other benefits such as networking that can increase your brand awareness and drive traffic to your site (if you have a company page), and my favourite – learning from others. I think it’s about time to launch into ‘Linkey’.So, what did I do differently?I went for it. I sat down and dedicated a good few hours to LinkedIn.I opened up my resume, I found my certificates and transcripts from university, and I went through my old references, found copies of all my professional accomplishments and sat down and dedicated time to it.I checked through each section and made sure it was well-written, engaging, interesting, and contained all the information I wanted my connections to know about me.I checked out people with similar profiles to get ideas of how to write a great summary, and I simply Googled how to write a great one. Then I collated the information and wrote from the heart. I find that when I do this I get the best results. Hey, it’s how I scored the best job ever!I also sat down and had a look at all my friends on other social media networks. I punched their name into LinkedIn and added the people whom I thought would make valuable connections. I had never actually focused on adding anyone before this, so this will be a huge reason to why my network has grown so much too. I have made quite a few very valuable connections from people requesting me in this time too.The steps I took: I think the summary is the MOST important part of the LinkedIn profile. It’s the first thing someone will read when they view you so make sure you make an impact and be personal. Don’t just roll it out like a generic resume.Next, I dug up the dates of when I was at every previous job and summarised the points on my resume. Don’t overdo it as not many people want to be swamped with a huge block of text to read.Then I followed each section and added all of my publications, honours and awards, any volunteer work, and certifications. LinkedIn makes it pretty easy to sort these out. I found I spent the most time finding dates and digging up certificates and qualifications and then writing my summary properly.The skills and endorsements section lets you get a lot of feedback from people very quickly. Some people will come straight in and endorse you, but if you want a particular person to endorse you, you may have to ask. To which I would suggest perhaps endorsing them for something you know they do well back.I have not received any written recommendations yet, but I am sure they will come with time and with a larger network from people I have worked with. I know some people ask for them, which I don’t think is a bad idea at all – much like asking for a reference from former employers.So, my main tips:

1. Do your research – on yourself and others in your field so your profile stands up and out against theirs
2. Expect it to take time, it will definitely take a few hours to clean it up and write about your jobs and experience thoroughly and accurately
3. Update your profile with new skills and jobs, it will pop up in your connections updates and they might go in and check out your profile. It is also wise to keep your work and experience up to date if you are looking for new job opportunities
4. Be genuine and personal. Your writing on LinkedIn should be more casual than your resume. It is your opportunity to show people how passionate you are about what you do, so tell them!
5. Get involved. Follow companies that interest you. Read, like, and comment on articles that you like (or dislike!) and join groups. At the moment I am watching groups before I dive in to them.
6. Watch your profile grow. Look at who has viewed your profile. Maybe you can connect and form a valuable connection?

LinkedIn also has analytics features and a marketing score (you may have noticed on the right hand side) giving you hints to follow, or like certain influencers and companies to boost your ranking. The features help tell you how well your content is doing so you can choose posts to increase engagement. Use the tools LinkedIn offers to help boost your profile, but stay on track with what you believe in.LinkedIn in a world of give and take. Give it your time and you will be able to take so much away from it. I have learnt so much from the articles popping up in my updates and made some very valuable connections. I am very excited about where this is going to take me!Creating a strong relationship with your connections is important if you are trying to increase you online presence. If you need help with your LinkedIn marketing strategy, contact Bang Online today and our online experts will be happy to help you.