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How to Build a LinkedIn Profile to Get Rapid Results
An optimized LinkedIn profile can help establish a successful professional brand
that will quickly stand out from the crowd, a leading North Texas social media
marketing trainer and speaker told the IABC Fort Worth meeting in June.
Terry Sullivan, a certified LinkedIn expert and founder/owner of BuzzPro, emphasized that a LinkedIn profile should proclaim “your personality, your voice, your interests, your habits — everything about you that you want people to know.” To start the process, he recommended writing down “every adjective and noun you can think of, no matter how far out or weird it may
seem,” that describes your brand. “It may just spur another idea that actually does fit.” List in hand, circle the five most relevant words that best describe you. These
are the keywords you’ll use frequently in your profile. Other tips:
Picture. Use a simple headshot, white background, 400 by 400 pixels. File name should
include first and last name and three to five words that best describe your
current job or position.
Name field. Only your first name, last name and “advanced degrees or certifications” are allowed. No e-mail addresses, phone numbers or job titles.
Headline. In 120 characters tell viewers what you can do for them and the goal of your
profile. For example: “Let’s connect.” For SEO select two or three of those keywords that best describe your brand.
Summary. In 2,000 characters employ a conversational tone to state who you are, what you’re passionate about, how you can help and how your connections can help you.
Include an overview, a call to action and contact information.
Skills and expertise. Up to 50 allowed. Remember to use words relevant to your brand, such as “executive communications,” “press releases,” “media relations.”
Experience. For multiple positions at one company list the highest-ranking title first.
For multiple positions in different divisions, list highest title first and the
others in chronological order. Note the way things sound. “Marketing manager” ranks higher in search results than “marketing specialist.”
Education. Include all relevant (business training, technical training), not just
college. List activities and societies with words and short phrases separated
by commas: Delta Sigma Society, American Management Association.
Websites. List three URLs. If the homepage of a site isn’t relevant to you, use the URL of a relevant subpage. For SEO, rename the label
with keywords.
Interests. Professional, personal. For SEO, create links by listing topics and activities
with words and short phrases separated by commas. Example: blogging, feature
writing, editing, brand strategy, and so on.
Groups, associations. This is not for LinkedIn groups. List industry, professional and social
organizations with affiliations.
LinkedIn groups and subgroups. Up to 50 are permitted; join at least 25.
Recommendations. From five to 15 from customers and bosses. For SEO, send your keywords to those
who recommend you to include in their write-up.
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PEOPLE & PLACES
Michelle Clark was recognized at the PRSA luncheon June 12 for having become Accredited in
Public Relations (APR). ...
UTA Shorthorn ex Reese Dunklin is half of a Dallas Morning News team (with Sue Goetinck Ambrose) honored recently with the Nancy Monson Spirit of FOI Award. The reporters
uncovered the lavish and questionable spending of Dr. Kern Wildenthal, then-president of UT Southwestern Medical Center, through a lengthy
investigation using records obtained under the Texas Public Information Act.
Wildenthal ultimately resigned his university positions and was asked to repay
some of the expenses. The award is named for the FOI Foundation of Texas’ former executive director, a longtime advocate for open government and the
First Amendment.
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GET A JOB
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NEW AND RETURNING MEMBERS
SPJ ... John Harden, Denton Record-Chronicle ... Todd Unger, WFAA-TV ... Joe Gomez, KRLD ... Terry Minami, Hardin-Simmons University
PRSA ... Cynthia Bottrell, Accenture ... Kelli Couch ... Rick Dardenne, Cash America ... Darcy Koch, J.O. ... Christine Pearcey, National Pawnbrokers Association ... MaryMargaret Rangel, UNT Health Science Center ... Anthony Spangler, Open Channels Group ... Lauren Cockerell, Consuro ... Karen Giles, Approach Resources
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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
Chris Smith, Greater Fort Worth PRSA
We’re taking July off! Regular schedule resumes Aug. 14. Hope you get to enjoy a
nice summer vacation.
Speaking of which, a new poll shows that 54 percent of U.S. adults are expected by their bosses to “stay connected” during their time away from the workplace, although 51 percent would prefer a
root canal. I loathe working while on vacation. It’s supposed to be down time, time for recreational diversion. Our hectic
lifestyles and information-overloaded brains need rebooting. Didn’t Newton’s theory on gravitation came to him while he was taking a break and saw an apple
fall from a tree?
On the other hand, crises might be averted and important questions answered if
we stay on social media call. Huge missed opportunities could cause regret
later, which is partly why I arranged two work meetings while on vacation this
year. These are overseas meetings and a rare chance to meet clients and
colleagues face to face. Plus, it’s just two days out of 15, so no pity party needed.
Things used to be different. Vacation was down time and work was work time. But
as a Forbes contributor wrote: “Maybe we need to accept the fact that the sharp demarcation between work and
home is a thing of the past, and that the new normal is a life that integrates
home and work more seamlessly.” This concept is something we independent consultants know well, having our own
love-hate relationship with the ever-blurring dividing lines.
So what’s your policy? Do you check e-mails while on vacation? Do you take media calls?
Why or why not? We’ll be asking this question on our Facebook page and look forward to hearing your responses.
’Til August, carpe solem!
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OVER & OUT
John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ
Whatever you’re doing Saturday evening, July 13, we’ve got a better deal for you — SPJ’s summer fling, this year at Kristin Sullivan’s new digs in the elegant Berkeley Place enclave. Come one, come all, have a
ball. ...
Thanks, UTA sharpshooters Richard Hoang and Michael Magnus, for the just-posted video record of our 10th annual First Amendment Awards and Scholarship Dinner. Between them
and Arlington photo chronicler Paul Knudsen, even if you weren’t there, you know how grand everything looked. ...
Congratulations, Linda P. Campbell, new communications director for the Tulane Law School in New Orleans. She
worked in newspapers 33 years. Another big loss at the Star-Telegram. And more
congratulations, Beth Francesco Currie, new UTA Student Publications director. What’s the thread here? Both worked at, excelled at, the UTA Shorthorn.
Caught my eye. The government knows everything you’ve ever done online. ... Obama's trade nominee stashes cash in offshore tax haven. ... High-capacity flash charger can juice up an electric bus in under 15 seconds. ... Nissan LEAF owner drove 78,000 electric miles, fully charging twice a day. ... Texas won't allow Tesla to sell electric cars directly.
Closing words: “I hear all the time the expression ‘the good old days.’ Well, the good old days, we forget they have been good for some, but they weren’t good for everybody. You can’t go back, you can’t live in the past. It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right
are always calling people back ... for blacks to be back in the back of the
bus, for women to be back in the kitchen, for gays to be in the closet and for
immigrants to be on their side of the border.” — Dr.
Luis Leon, the pastor who delivered the benediction at Barack Obama’s second inauguration, during the Easter service attended by the president and
his family at St. John’s Episcopal Church near the White House
the LaRocque Family catalog ...
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