Do you think LinkedIn is boring?

For years I’ve heard over and over:

  • LinkedIn is boring
  • LinkedIn looks too corporate
  • LinkedIn doesn’t serve creatives

But last year that all changed and LinkedIn really stepped up their game! There are many ways we can visually improve our profiles, one such way is spending a little bit of time on your header image.

[Tweet “A fantastic LinkedIn profile will speak to your clients and tell a story about your brand.”]

Steps to Create a Fantastic LinkedIn Header Image

A fantastic header image will speak to your clients and tell a story about your brand.

First step: Get the layout and size right.
Your header image must be 1400 x 425 pixels and a file no larger than 4mb or LinkedIn will not let you upload it. Make sure it is a high resolution image because if not it will upload blurry. Be aware of the “blocked section”. The top of your profile page will cover almost half of the image you upload. This creates a nice headboard effect, but can also be a little tricky in figuring out what and how to create your image.

A few ideas to get around this:

  • Use one recognizable background image that speaks to your brand or business clientele. One client of mine used a panoramic of New York, she was a journalist and this spoke to her base of operations and showcased very well known ‘of the moment’ city.
  • Place specific text that will show up in the top 1/3- 1/2 of your photo. Maybe it’s a product that is evergreen or one that is your most popular. It could also simply be your web page address or contact info. You could even do a call to action that points viewers to an opt-in for email capture.
  • Use a second profile picture that was taken in a powerful way to add more trust and connection with your viewers. The photo displayed might just show your eyes, or another pose of you off to the side that tells a story about a different part of your personality.

Here is a shot of my header. I chose to use a mixture of the ideas above.

LinkedIn Header

 

Second step: Update your header image every so often.
You may want to keep the same image for awhile once you have your heart set on one but here are a few ideas why you might want to create a few header images at once and rotate them as your move through your business year.

  • You are launching a new product or service, why not point to it and bring attention to it by adding some new text to your header or possibly a small image that describes it.
  • You decide to have a sale or host an event and your LinkedIn header would be a great place to promote that is a soft easy way to get some eyes on it.
  • Add more value by writing a few quick “tips”, one for each header image, you can rotate through that will speak to your customer base and help them out. For example I could write a tip about how many times to post on Twitter to be most effective, or I could write a short tip on creating a great header image from this blog post.


Third step: Send people to your LinkedIn profile!
This may seem obvious but many people work hard to set up their profile page and never direct people to it. One quick tip – put your LInkedIn URL on your business card and show it everywhere you can. Not sure how to do that? Join me in my LinkedIn challenge it’s going on now! 30 days to clean up your profile and get it ready to shine. We even have a Facebook group to help with all the little extra questions along the way.

Finally, if the layout, pixels, adding text and images to your header all seems too much you must check out Cheryl at www.cherylfinbow.com or Jackie at Custom Fan Page Designs. Tell them Karen sent ya!