New to LinkedIn? Already have a profile but never put much thought into it? Stay and read awhile because this article was written specifically for you! LinkedIn is a great resource for professional networking and for building a strong online brand presence. Especially in a time where most networking has shifted online, having an online foundation for your personal and professional brand is crucial. When creating or revamping your profile keep in mind that your page should be sophisticated and professional, but also engaging so viewers don’t scroll past it. Now that you understand the importance, here are five awesome tips to make your LinkedIn profile stand out amongst the hundreds of thousands of users:

They say a picture’s worth 1,000 words so with that being said, make sure you choose the right profile picture! This is the first impression any LinkedIn user will have of you, and in today’s world, first impressions are everything. The first thing you should consider when choosing your profile picture is the quality of the photo: is it clear, am I the focal point of the shot, is the background distracting? Secondly, think through the level of professionalism you want to give off: am I sitting on the beach in a casual outfit or am I in a business suit with a corporate background? Pick whichever makes sense for your professional brand! Before anyone has a conversation with you, they often consider your profile photo to be a reflection of who you are and how you run a business.

Think of your headline as the hook to your profile, you want to make it inviting and enticing to the reader! This means that your headline should be more than just your job title. There are many ways you can choose to structure your headline, here are a few things to think about when writing yours: why you do what you do, or a description of what you do within the company you work for. There are so many opportunities to show people more about yourself through this headline. Too often we see headlines that read CEO… CEO of what? Why did you want to be a CEO? What do you do as CEO for this specific company that makes it unique? Use your headline as an opportunity to set yourself apart from other people with the same role as you for their respective company; it could make the difference in securing a client or potential job offer and watching one walk away.

In today’s world, sometimes it is not about what you know, but who you know. The first way to start growing your network is by linking your LinkedIn profile to your email contact list. This way, everyone who you have contacted via email can also connect with you on LinkedIn. LinkedIn also uses your address book to suggest potential people you should connect with based on your previous connections. Don’t stop there! Have conversations with people you connect with, establish a foundation so that a future opportunity would not think twice about choosing you for the services you provide or for a position at their company!

The Featured Posts section on LinkedIn is a new feature that allows you to highlight specific posts. These posts should be the aspects of your profile that you are most proud of or something your audience should know right away. For example, an award you won or a job opening you are recruiting for. Featured posts allow your more important posts to rise above the clutter since your profile automatically uses the activity tab to showcase your posts from the last 45 days in order of recency. Utilize this Featured Posts tab to give attention to the most relevant posts on your profile!

There is a special feature on LinkedIn where you can take a skills assessment test online, and if you pass the test you are able to receive a Verified Skills Badge on your LinkedIn profile. This will show your potential clients that you are legitimately skilled at what you do: which would make them more inclined to choose or hire you over someone who has not shown they have the skills to carry out the service. It can only strengthen your brand to show that you have proof of your capabilities. There’s also unlimited attempts on the test, so don’t worry if you slip up the first time, you can definitely redeem yourself!

These are five of our favorite tips and tricks and believe these are the most important for building an impactful LinkedIn profile. Truly, we could go on and on giving out more advice. We hope you can utilize these tips on your own LinkedIn profile and see substantial results!