3 Great Reasons to Refresh Your LinkedIn Profile
How's that LinkedIn profile looking? Are you an expert who's recently changed jobs or pivoted your business? If you answered "yes" it's probably time for a LinkedIn profile refresh!
One of the online places we often overlook or neglect to update when we make a career shift or rework our business objectives is our LinkedIn profile.
Many of us immediately make a note to update our websites, but did you know that MOST people's LinkedIn profiles will pop up in a Google search before that website?
That means if you're LinkedIn profile doesn't match the "latest and greatest" version of you as an expert, you might immediately confuse your target audience when they look you up or miss out on all those inbound leads!
In this next episode of Mondays with Mindi, let's talk about a few ways to know if (and when) you need to update your LinkedIn profile, so you can more easily attract the right opportunities and grow your business -- without having to do all that outreach!
“My Profile is Good Enough”
If you have heard me talk about LinkedIn AT ALL in the past, you’ve probably heard me say something along the lines of “it all starts with your LinkedIn profile.”
That’s so true! Many people try to jump into LinkedIn from a number of different angles because that’s how it works on other social channels… they are just not effective unless you’re posting copious amounts of really entertaining content.
(Ahem, Instagram and TikTok, anyone?)
Not many people actually take the time to look through your Instagram bio FIRST before they come across your content.
The exact opposite is true on LinkedIn.
Most people will Google search you or get a referral from a friend and SEARCH for your LinkedIn profile directly before they ever see a piece of your LinkedIn content.
Your LinkedIn headline, profile picture and header area make up their first impression of you.
The funny thing is that many of them could care less about the content you’ve posted on LinkedIn until they scan through your LinkedIn profile first to determine if your content is something they’re even interested in.
Think about that for a moment.
Have you been spending a LOT of time trying to send connection invitations, create content for LinkedIn, or research your ideal prospects there… and you’ve yet to optimize your LinkedIn profile?
The experts who get the most out of LinkedIn are usually not the “chatty” ones who appear to be really popular because their posts get a ton of reactions, rather they are the ones with the best-looking profile that attracts the attention of their intended audience.
You will never see the boatloads of connection invitations and messages they receive because it happens behind closed doors. That’s where the power of LinkedIn is -- to be honest, the LinkedIn game is not really about becoming an influencer here -- it’s about building a network.
So, let’s talk about some great reasons to update your profile, when a refresh makes sense, and what you can do to make the most of the refresh if you are on LinkedIn to attract more opportunities or deepen your professional relationships!
When To Update Your LinkedIn Profile
So I recently re-read a book called, The Power of When, by Dr. Michael Breus.
If you check out my podcast about sleep chronotypes (shameless plug for The Mango Effect Podcast!) you can hear me talk more about it.
Plus, you’ll get to find out what MY chronotype is, if you’re curious. I have been asking EVERYONE to tell me their sleep chronotype lately, so be prepared…
Anyhow, there’s something especially powerful about asking the WHEN question because that implies there’s a reason behind the timing of the update - whether it’s sleep or LinkedIn - knowing WHEN to do something matters a lot.
Recently, one of my fellow virtual surfer friends who lived on Oahu for many years, reached out to me to ask about his LinkedIn profile and if now was a good time to work on his headline.
He had made a job change in the past year and was just a little bit unsure what to do with his profile. Let’s take a look.
The mistake that a lot of people make when it comes to when they should update their profile is that they ONLY think it’s necessary when they are actively job seeking, looking to get board opportunities, or trying to prospect.
Those are all great times to update your profile, but they are not the ONLY reasons to update your LinkedIn profile.
If you’re an expert who wants to always be attracting the right opportunities and building new professional relationships using LinkedIn, there is really no better time to update your profile than NOW.
If it’s been more than six months since you really looked at your profile, you’re already overdue.
On LinkedIn, we expect that other professionals keep their LinkedIn profiles up-to-date whenever there’s a significant professional accomplishment or change -- it’s one of the unwritten rules of the platform.
I want you to change your thinking about WHEN to update your profile -- it’s not only during a critical time period when you’re scrambling to get it done -- it’s any time that you make a noteworthy change or shift.
The first thing you update is your LinkedIn profile, every time.
Your LinkedIn Profile is Your First Impression
As we talked about earlier, your LinkedIn profile sets the stage for everything that is to come in your professional interaction with a potential new connection, hiring manager, board member or peer in the space.
Paying attention to the details on your LinkedIn profile matters more than you might assume.
Think about the last time you came across someone via word of mouth, hearing them on a podcast, mentioned online by an influential person you trust.
When you look them up, you expect to find an updated profile where all of their current information is updated, matches across channels, and feels like attention was paid to the details.
If you look them up and find an outdated website, land on a broken link in one of their posts, or see that they haven’t updated their job history since that day job a few years ago, your trust in them immediately comes into question.
Whether you are conscious of this process or not, you already begin asking questions like, “Are they to be trusted? Why don’t they pay attention to their personal brand? Are they just outsourcing everything? Is this personal real and legitimate? If they don’t pay attention to the importance of their brand, are they also not paying attention to their clients or customers?”
First impressions matter, no matter how many times we try to give people a second chance, that first impression is hard to dismantle.
Research shows that a first impression can happen anywhere from 1/10th of a second up to 7 seconds - maybe you’ll get as much time as 27 seconds if you’re lucky.
That’s not much time at all. It’s your job as an expert to make that initial impression count.
Experts on LinkedIn know that this impression can either make or break their success on the channel, and they pay VERY close attention to all the details that comprise the impression.
And, the truth is it doesn’t take a ton of work to maintain a good-looking profile once you’ve done the work upfront.
So now you know your profile needs to be awesome, that it’s important to determine when you’re going to update it, and the goal is to make a good impression.
Let’s talk about three great reasons to update your profile!
3 Reasons to Refresh Your Profile Now
When to update your profile is very personal to you and where you are in your career or business as an expert. Many of you have already transitioned and know where you’re headed next, and these three reasons to refresh your profile will resonate.
Caveat: If you’re still unclear about your next step with your business or career, you will want to WAIT to refresh your LinkedIn profile until you get clear on your niche. (What Mindi? You’re a LinkedIn expert telling me not to refresh my LinkedIn profile yet?! Yes!)
If you’re still unclear on your niche and really want to figure that out first, I would highly recommend checking out this Nail Your Niche Guide by my business coach and mentor, James Wedmore. It’s critical that you have a very clear understanding of WHERE you’re going before you update your profile.
Okay, now that you’re ready to learn more about some great reasons to update your profile, let’s dive in!
#1 - Pivoting Your Career or Business
If you’ve recently switched career directions or have already decided you are making a shift, this is one of the best times to update your profile. You’re eager about your new direction and you have clarity on how you want to use LinkedIn.
Channel all of that passion and momentum into your LinkedIn profile, so your existing connections know what you’re doing next and can celebrate your new direction with you.
You also may have done a lot of inner work, business or career coaching, and loads of marketing persona exercises that will help you to refresh your LinkedIn profile easily.
Don’t wait to update your profile! Get on it with those fresh eyes and take advantage of your inspiration in the moment.
Example: Mark Mears - writing a book and starting the next chapter of his business
#2 - It’s Been A While (or you’re brand new!)
Maybe you’ve been on LinkedIn for eons, and it’s just time for a fresh start. You haven’t done much with your LinkedIn profile in that time since you left that day job or focused on other social channels.
You’re planning to just update it to ensure your brand looks great across all online platforms, and you may or may not use it aggressively to get new leads or opportunities.
But you’d like to have this channel updated and open just in case something interesting comes along, because you just never know!
You also might be brand new to LinkedIn and have no idea where to start. This is a really good time to spend those initial “getting to know LinkedIn” moments before you start trying to grow your network, attract new business or put yourself out there with content.
Example: Dani Glaeser - took action right after my workshop and create a profile, now doing LinkedIn events!
#3 - Increase # of Connections or Leads
If you’re on LinkedIn, like many B2B experts I know, then you are here with the intention to get more leads and start professional relationships that lead to business opportunities and collaborations for you.
Before you start actively trying to grow your network or reach out to prospects, it’s critical that your profile matches your outreach messaging. I’ve seen a lot of “eager LinkedIn’ers” start connecting prematurely, and it can backfire if your profile is out of sync with your messaging.
Expect people to want to check out your profile before they connect or respond, so it should be completely in alignment with your messaging.
Example: Maria Kauffman - reaching out to grow her network to hit the 500+ mark and getting her first prospect call
Let’s recap what you need to get clear on starting out with LinkedIn groups:
Pivoting your career or business
It’s been a while (or you’re new)
Increase # of connections or leads
If you’re ready to get started with LinkedIn and take the next step to optimize your profile once and for all, so you can start growing your network on the regular or land your next opportunity, join me inside The LinkedIn Accelerator program which is opening the doors next week!
Have questions about whether or not you need a LinkedIn profile refresh? I'm happy to take a look at your profile -- feel free to pop your link into the comments below 👇🏽
