LinkedIn is a social media platform for working professionals. Just like any other social media platform, there is a major visual component to it. With this understanding, there are a few steps you can take to make sure that your LinkedIn profile turns into the best it can be.

Perfect the Profile

Make sure your profile is filled out with the right information and a captivating profile picture. Your profile picture should be a great headshot that captures who you are as a professional. Additionally, location, years in operation and employee number are all good descriptions to include when you’re referring to a company. If writing isn’t one of your strengths, hire a copywriter to adequately craft and proofread a work description for you. Since this is an individual’s first impression of you and your company, it’s best to make sure the profile reflects you in the most positive light.

Offer Updated Content

LinkedIn Publisher allows you to share updates regarding what’s going in your company. Certain companies, like Nu Skin (as shown on their LinkedIn account) have done an excellent job of taking advantage of this section to share news and tips through the platform. Treat it like a blog. Add great commentary as well as really beautiful, high-quality pictures. Video content is the next best thing. So, if possible, record a video where you share more and upload that to this section. People love consuming video content so that’ll be a great way to customize your experience even more and stand out from the crowd.

Make the Right Connections

Take a look at what your company offers and what it needs. With that knowledge, create a list of potential people to begin connecting with. If you’re the editor of a political magazine and you’re building a brand on LinkedIn, you’ll want to reach out to the public relations representatives for congressmen, congresswomen, staffers and other political figureheads. These are the people that will help you build more content through interviews. After all, these are typically the people who political editors talk about. On the other side, it’s also important to connect with people who love to read and are political buffs. Another great and extremely vital group to connect with as a political editor would be potential advertisers as they will pump money into the editorial in exchange for ad space. With LinkedIn, it’s oftentimes a numbers game. To make the right connections, you’ll often have to connect with a few second and third connections before you can connect directly with the one you’re seeking out. Just be persistent and take ten to fifteen minutes out of each day to send connection requests and messages to various people who fall under those various umbrellas.

Consume the Right Content

You also have to consider yourself a consumer because you are. As you continue to consume tons of information, don’t be surprised if information overload sets in. As this happens pretty often, there are ways to avoid it. The best approach involves consuming the right content. It’s best to be picky about what’s on your timeline or LinkedIn feed because if it’s always a ton of junk, you’ll get tired of logging in and will eventually dread the process. If you get to a point where you dread getting on LinkedIn, you won’t want to work on building your brand there. Pay attention to the people you’re following on your timeline. If it doesn’t feel relevant to what you need to see, it’s okay to delete them. While you want lots of connections, it’s best to have meaningful, fruitful and beneficial connections that don’t drain you as soon as you log on.

LinkedIn is such a great platform to use for brand growth. It’s the one platform that encourages you to brag relentlessly about stats, connections and credentials without fear of too much of a show-off. Whether you’re looking for new people to hire, new companies to invest in your brand or new customers, LinkedIn can really help you push your agenda farther and you’ll see wonderful results.