Richard: Can you have it say something else instead?

Lynda: Yes, you can put the name of your website there. Instead of just clicking the generic word “website,” you have the name of your website there. That gives you more of a branding opportunity. Just to let you know, you do not have to take the default. You can click on that and put your website there.

Richard: You can even make it a call to action, such as: ‘Get your free report here.’ Yes?

Lynda: Absolutely.

Another thing I want to add is it is really important to have a nice business photograph. I see a lot of mistakes. Some people put a picture of themselves in the distance, with their dog or their family. You cannot even see what they look like.

Some people don’t bother to put a picture, and so they put this generic head shape. I always say that is like going to a networking event with a bag on your head. Why would you want to do that?

People relate to other human beings. That is why you are building relationships on this kind of social network. It is really important that you have a good picture where your face is visible, and hopefully you are smiling.

Richard: For instance, an attorney wouldn’t want to put a picture of handcuffs or a gavel. It would be much better to have a nice head shot, in clear view.

Lynda: Absolutely. If you put a generic gavel or something like that, there is no personal connection. In this day and age, everything is so personal. We are all looking for some kind of personal connection, where we can actually see somebody and connect with them. I think it is really important. I never answer the email on LinkedIn if I don’t see a face. I feel strongly about it.

Richard: I feel kind of the same way. I might answer it but I wonder, “Who is this person?” I understand what you are saying.

Lynda: Yes, it feels kind of creepy. It feels like they are not a real person who you can relate to.

Richard: That’s true.

Lynda: The next part of the profile, that is really important, is skills. This is something new. You can add your skills but they should really be keywords. Now, there is this whole aspect where you endorse people for their skills. The more skills you have and once you start getting connections, people will start endorsing you. Then, you can start endorsing other people.

This is good because if you look at the endorsing skills section you see little pictures of people. Click on them and you’ll say, “Oh, there’s that person. I forgot about her or him. I’ll go check their profile or I’ll connect with them again.” It is a very good way for you to show up on all kinds of other people’s profiles.

Richard: Besides that, what do the endorsements do? What if I have ten endorsements as an Internet marketer or five as a copywriter? Is there any threshold where things are going to happen for me?

Lynda: I think it looks good when you are endorsed for a lot of things. My top is copywriting, and I have quite a lot of endorsements. It just shows that people are endorsing my copywriting skills. They’ve seen my skills; they’ve hired me or they understand what I do. It looks good.

It is also good for you to show up on other people’s profiles. It’s fun. If you hover over the face of the person, then their profile will show up. It says “send a message” or “view profile.” It just keeps you on top of the minds of other people when you endorse them as well.

Richard: What did you notice as you built your profile on LinkedIn? When did it first occur to you that it is worthwhile to spend your time there versus Twitter and Facebook?

Lynda: I think it started turning when I started getting clients. It did take a little while. I’m not saying it happened right away. I would say three to four months of working at it; although not working at it for hours each day.

I worked on it for 10-15 minutes, maybe three times a week. That is not all that much. It does take a little work; like anything. Any kind of marketing is going to take some kind of work.

Richard: Tell me what that work is. You have your profile. Make it complete, put in keywords and make it searchable. Then, having connections obviously is an important thing to do. Let’s talk about that and a few other things that constitute work in those 15 minutes.

Lynda: Sure. The last thing I just want to mention is recommendations. If you have done work for people, you can ask them for recommendations. People look at that a lot if they are going to hire a professional. That is the last thing I want to mention about completing your profile.