7 Ways to Improve your Presence on LinkedIn

May 13, 2021

What is one way to improve your presence on LinkedIn? 

To help you improve your presence on LinkedIn, we asked PR experts and business leaders this question for their best advice. From engaging with your network to being authentically you, here are seven ways to improve your presence on LinkedIn: 

  • Engage with Your Network

  • Complete Your Profile

  • Use Consistent Personal Branding

  • Make Connections Using LinkedIn Features

  • Share Helpful Content

  • Request Recommendations from Peers

  • Be Authentically You

Engage with Your Network

A lot of people think the key to performing well on LinkedIn is posting, but the only way to really increase your presence is to interact with your first and second degree connections. By liking, commenting and sharing their posts, you can appear on more peoples’ timelines and receive more connection requests over time.

Carey Wilbur, Charter Capital 

Complete Your Profile 

Too many times, I see profiles missing education, work history or even a photo. Take the time to fill out as many of the LinkedIn areas as possible. Not only will you appear better in searches, but LinkedIn will favor your profile over others when applying to jobs, cold messaging people and in the search bar.

Layton Cox ’13 BSBA (Accounting) ’20 MBA, Senior Associate Consultant, PwC

Use Consistent Personal Branding 

Intentionally cultivating your virtual professional persona is of heightened importance given the shift to remote work, collaboration and presentations. There are a few things you can do to improve your presence on LinkedIn. First, be mindful of the connections you make, as they have the potential to enhance or damage your credibility through association. Second, consider how you want to be perceived and ensure that your profile and posts (images, word choice and tone) align with that narrative. Finally, focus on richness rather than reach—if your posts add value to your curated connections, they will necessarily have a greater impact. With these considerations, you can truly connect with others in meaningful ways beyond the little blue button.

Amber Owens, Lecturer, Business Communications, Eller College

Make Connections Using LinkedIn Features

“Who viewed your profile” is a LinkedIn feature that displays users who recently visited your personal profile. Often, these profile visits come without a message or a connection request, which always leaves me wondering what inspired someone to initially visit the profile. Simply reaching out to profile viewers to initiate conversations can lead to meaningful connections, new business opportunities or can allow you to keep a pulse on an industry. Initiating contact may not be for everyone, but the more you engage with native LinkedIn features, the more you’ll improve your presence. 

Brett Farmiloe ’06 BSBA (Accounting), CEO and Founder of Markitors

Share Helpful Content

LinkedIn is a powerful tool to help you build your digital presence. It's all about providing content that is useful for your audience and engaging in meaningful discussions. To boost your presence on LinkedIn, it's important to share helpful and engaging content with your audience. You can share articles, videos, images and more to provide insightful information to your followers and keep them engaged with your personal brand. In addition, another important factor is making sure to engage with other people's content. Comment, share and interact with posts from your connections to help boost their presence and share your thoughts and feedback related to the content they are posting as well. It's all about engagement and being active and present on the platform to help build your presence.

Elyse Flynn Meyer ’07 BSBA (Marketing and International Business), President and Founder of Prism Global Marketing Solutions

Request Recommendations from Peers

One great way to improve your LinkedIn presence is to request recommendations. Recommendations are powerful because they allow people to take a quick look at your profile and see that you don’t just talk the talk—you walk the walk! I highly recommend taking the time to reach out to people you have worked with in the past who can vouch for your skills and personalize your request for a recommendation. The more personal the message, the more likely they are to write you a great piece.

Denise Gredler, BestCompaniesAZ

Be Authentically You

Complete your profile by showcasing a picture that is a positive reflection of who you are and how you want to show up. Authentically portray your experience, skills and talents. Make connections! LinkedIn is all about networking. Join some groups, make some connections and contribute in a meaningful way, whether that is penning something original, giving a thumbs-up to that article you enjoyed or commenting on another post.

Melanie Waldron ’07 BSBA (Business Management), Head of Global Total Rewards at NortonLifeLock

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