Is LinkedIn’s ‘Featured’ part in your profile extra necessary than the ‘About’ part?
A South Carolina-based video advertising and marketing supplier, Danny DelVecchio, says it’s. In specific, ‘About’ is so “overrated” that LinkedIn customers ought to simply “stop” placing time into About and as a substitute use their time to create a “dope” Featured part. How South Carolina!
If you learn the submit as a contractor right here in the UK, you may be questioning should you’ve gone unsuitable by even utilizing the About part (“buried” and ‘barely even locatable’), writes Matt Craven founder of The CV & Interview Advisors.
Do your LinkedIn posts have visible attraction?
First off, let’s take a look at the submit itself (which I’ve reproduced, at the finish of this text).
Well, Danny is clearly practising what he preaches as he’s created three photographs with hyperlinks behind them to promote some of his free and paid-for content material.
This is definitely an incredible concept (not simply the practising what you preach half!), as utilizing emoticons and hyperlinks on this manner provides visible attraction to your profile whereas selling some services.
It’s an easy-win that contractors down on their LinkedIn luck might think about making!
Horses for programs
However, this particular linking-LinkedIn approach is extra acceptable for people who’re promoting services, than a company contractor in search of a three-month contract or a normally direct-to-client interim, looking for a 14-week task.
I’m huge on encouraging contractors to assume of themselves as companies promoting companies to shoppers, however there’s a delicate distinction between a restricted firm contractor and advertising and marketing marketing consultant promoting video-related companies.
It is consequently that I’m not 100% sure {that a} recruiter or shopper — events who scout contractors on LinkedIn — could be participating with ‘Featured’ in the identical manner that Danny suggests utilizing it.
That stated, if there’s one thing super-duper or new and glossy out of your firm to promote, then completely Featured is a helpful part on LinkedIn.
How ‘Featured’ on LinkedIn works properly for me
For instance, I’ve {a photograph} of me being awarded the Best Contractor Product or Service Award at the Contracting Awards 2022, in my LinkedIn profile’s Featured part. For me, this on-line actual property is extremely helpful, particularly if a contractor was to land on my profile looking for CV Writing Services.
Interestingly although, the visiting contractor may not instantly know that I promote CV Writing Services and even specialize in the contractor market, if it wasn’t for the ‘Headline.’ So arguably, possibly LinkedIn’s ‘Headline’ part is the most necessary part of a enterprise consumer’s profile.
If you’re a contractor or restricted firm proprietor believing that your ‘Featured’ part isn’t pulling its weight, ask your self in case you have something to add to Featured that may trump About, in phrases of significance. In many instances, I’d suspect contractors might be hard-pressed to give you one thing instantly compelling.
A price proposition stays your must-have as contractor
Nonetheless, I’m inclined to agree with the OP. It is moderately odd that LinkedIn solely shows a couple of strains of your ‘About’ (4 strains should you’re fortunate). And that restriction does considerably diminish the worth of About.
While we are able to all ask why LinkedIn does this, the trick stays the identical — and it’s to get somebody’s consideration inside these first few strains, in order that they resolve to learn the relaxation of your About.
This is why I like to recommend contractors use a ‘worth proposition.’ A price proposition in your About is essential as a result of it immediately explains the worth you might be proposing to supply your audience, and encourages them to learn on.
Clutter
If you will get your LinkedIn profile guests to learn your About, then it’s of nice worth as a result of I’d nonetheless say it’s in all probability the point of interest of most individuals’s LinkedIn profile.
But in case you have taken benefit of Featured and written a quantity of posts, one might argue that About does get moderately buried in a sea of different issues. In brief on LinkedIn, issues can get moderately cluttered, particularly should you’ve bought quite a bit of expertise you want to convey.
When doubtful fill them all out
Yet should you don’t use Featured, and also you aren’t terribly proactive with writing posts or comparable, then About does stay moderately seen and due to this fact must be given your full consideration.
Perhaps the sensible possibility is to be sure that each part on LinkedIn has been optimised.
Debates over which sections are extra necessary will run and run.
But for the sake of a couple of hundred quid paying a copywriter, or some painful Sunday afternoons having-a-go your self, most self-respecting contractors ought to get each part spot on.
LinkedIn search engine optimization
What we all additionally want to think about is the LinkedIn algorithm, and ensuring your LinkedIn profile is optimised to seem excessive in the search outcomes. It’s what we’d name ‘LinkedIn search engine optimization.’
If you had been to neglect About, and due to this fact omit content material and key phrases that may set off your look in search outcomes, it will render you much less seen to potential shoppers and recruiters. It’s irritating that a lot of About’s content material is hidden till the reader clicks “See More.” But for contractors not less than, that content material nonetheless performs an necessary position in your LinkedIn profile’s visibility.
Further assist
If you’ve realised how highly effective LinkedIn will be in serving to you win extra work and develop your contractor enterprise, you may want to register for our upcoming webinar – The anatomy of a contract-winning LinkedIn profile – formulation for inside and outdoors IR35 roles. It’s on Thursday twenty eighth Sep at 12 noon and you may register right here https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5674726179330114399
You may request a free and confidential 1-2-1 LinkedIn profile assessment by utilizing this hyperlink: https://cvandinterviewadvisors.co.uk/companions/contractor-uk
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Danny DelVecchio posted:
The most 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 characteristic of LinkedIn is… The ‘About’ Section 👎 – It’s buried. You can barely even discover it. – If you do discover it, the preview is 2 strains. – If you do click on on it, you actually gonna learn it? The most 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄 characteristic of LinkedIn is… The ‘Featured’ Section 👍 – It’s really easy to discover. (simpler with photographs) – It’s a free area to promote your high CTAs. – It’s straightforward to regulate when your priorities change. My Two Cents 💡 – Quit placing time into your ‘About’ part – Use that point to create a dope ‘Featured’ part 🚨 Very curious to know, do you learn ‘About’ sections?
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https://www.contractoruk.com/information/0016076linkedin_battle_about_v_featured_simply_prime_all_sections_avoid_defeat.html
