5 Ways To Boost Your Visibility On LinkedIn

Professional networking can give you a leg up in business. The great news is, it’s possible to do some without leaving your desk. With more than 260 million monthly active users, LinkedIn is far and away the most widely used professional network, whether you’re looking for a new role or hoping to build connections and generate leads for your current one.

It’s not rocket science to create a profile, log in once in a while, and simply be on LinkedIn. It’s another ballgame entirely to wield it like the powerful opportunity-generating tool it is. Here are five ways to see and be seen on the platform — without eating up too much time.

1. Make Your Profile Eye-Catching And Searchable

On LinkedIn, as with any marketing, you can go out and find people, and you can make it easier for people to find you. Let’s start with inbound — amping up your profile so it is optimized for search and more likely to stand out to those who find it.

Per LinkedIn, “the top part of your profile is called your introduction card, and it’s the first thing that people see when they view your profile.” Made up of your “headline,” your profile image and your cover image, here you can slot in just a few words about who you are and what you do. 

If you choose the right few words, you may appear in the search results of other users, and you may sound like someone they’d like to learn more about. For example:“Founder and Managing Partner, [XYZ CRE firm]” or “Commercial Real Estate Specialist and Relationship Building Entrepreneur” or “Commercial Real Estate Agent / GlobeSt 50 Under 40” are all headlines you might see in the commercial real estate space.

There are many other elements to the profile — the summary, which can boost your presence in searches, your work history and your affiliations. Don’t be afraid to look for inspiration on the LinkedIn profiles of your managers or industry idols to see how they use their digital real estate.

2. Browse For Possible Connections

By connecting with other LinkedIn users, you join their first-degree contacts, and automatically, all the connections they have — your second-degree contacts — will now see you in search results. Whether you're just getting started or you've been on LinkedIn for years, now is a good time to browse the platform and see who you know.

To help build your connections, leave colleagues positive recommendations to increase your visibility. Check out your university or graduate program’s alumni network, and connect with whomever you recognize. Feeling really motivated to expand your network? Did you read an industry-relevant magazine article that inspired you? Look up the writer and include a note on what you liked about their article in your request to connect.

3. Sign On To LinkedIn’s CRE Groups

The bigger your network of LinkedIn connections, the more easily you’ll be found in search, but another good way to make yourself more visible on the platform is to join some targeted groups. There are more than 2 million active groups on LinkedIn, and there are dozens of CRE groups to choose from: The Workplace Community, The Commercial Real Estate Network, Technology for Commercial Real Estate and others.

The benefits of joining groups go beyond the content. For example, Corporate Real Estate/ Facilities Management Professionals has 26,000 members. Once your request to join is approved, your profile will be visible in search to all of them. And posting or engaging in group conversations is yet another way to be visible to others.

If you’re looking to generate leads rather than drum up new work opportunities, consider joining groups that your potential clients might belong to. 

4. Share Status Updates In The News Feed

Remember Facebook? The LinkedIn newsfeed is just like that, but with far less politics and a lot more useful stuff — business lit, professional development advice and industry news articles. A great way to boost your visibility on the platform is to share updates pertinent to your work and professional interests. When your connections comment on or like something you’ve shared, it will become visible to their contacts as well. 

As with Twitter and Instagram, you can use hashtags to help boost the visibility of your posts outside your immediate network. Tagging a post with #CRE or #proptech or, heck, #retaildisruption will help you reach the right readers.

5. Don’t Forget About LinkedIn Publisher

Have a little downtime, or an idea for an article that’s burning a hole in your brain? Put it to digital paper in LinkedIn Publisher. Articles you post to LinkedIn’s publishing platform can help up your exposure and establish your credibility and experience in your niches of expertise. 

If you’ve been on LinkedIn but you haven’t seen your network grow, try a few of the above; time invested will yield returns.