In the 21st century, your business needs an online presence. But so do you. People are going to search for your business online and so it should be present in their searches and newsfeeds. But as a LinkedIn business profile can act as a 'business card' for your organization, so can winning LinkedIn profiles act for you as a professional PPC marketer, digital marketer, or business owner.

According to LinkedIn itself, the platform currently has 722 million members. Out of these members, around 40 million use the platform to search for jobs every week and 4 new hires are made every minute. But LinkedIn is not only about new hires - the platform has 15x more content impressions than job postings. The platform has therefore grown from being 'just' a recruitment platform to being a professional network, where people interact and connect.

The Marks of All Winning LinkedIn Profiles 

As a business professional, you probably already have a presence on LinkedIn. But if you have just set up your profile and forgotten about it, you should reconsider. 

A complete and well-written LinkedIn profile can help you grow your personal brand, but also promote your business. Especially if you are a PPC marketer, a LinkedIn profile is a great place to showcase your work and experience. 

In order for that to happen, you will have to make it professional and relevant. For example, LinkedIn statistics show that members who include a profile photo receive 21x more profile views and up to 36x more messages. At the same time, members with 5 or more skills listed are contacted up to 33x more and receive up to 17x more profile views.

So what does a winning LinkedIn profile look like? Here are some things to consider when evaluating and 'upgrading' your LinkedIn profile:'

Make sure your profile is complete'

LinkedIn offers a lot of opportunities to showcase your personality, professional experience, career goals, but also your business goals. An incomplete profile is not a winning LinkedIn profile. Take advantage of all the features that LinkedIn offers - this will both make you look professional, and allow you to present yourself thoroughly and convincingly.

Use photos that look professional

As a PPC marketer, you might be a creative person. While it is all right to show that in how you present yourself, try to keep your profile picture professional. Use a close-up, on a neutral background. You may enjoy hiking on the weekends, but that is not something you want people to remember you for on LinkedIn. Your profile picture should be there to put a face to your name and experience. 

And speaking of pictures - don't forget to get a relevant cover photo. Many people ignore this space, but this can be a place where you share what you are good at: make the profile relevant for work, either through text or through a relevant image. 

Be active on LinkedIn

Again, don't just set it up and forget about it. It is a SOCIAL network after all. Share your thoughts on industry topics, share relevant studies or articles, publish your own articles if that is something you are comfortable with, but also don't forget to engage with like-minded accounts. This will show that you are a professional who is genuinely interested in his/her field.

No typos. No grammar errors''

It seems like obvious advice, but so many people overlook it. You wouldn't run a PPC campaign with typos in it, would you? Then you shouldn't allow any grammar mistakes in your winning LinkedIn profile either. You can check your text for errors and inconsistencies with a tool like Grammarly, for example. 

3 Examples of Winning LinkedIn Profiles 

What makes a LinkedIn profile a winning LinkedIn profile? Usually, you just have to see one to recognize it. Just like the business website will reflect the brand and everything it stands for, a LinkedIn profile will reflect your profile as a PPC marketer, digital marketing professional, or business owner. 

Now let's have a look at some real examples of LinkedIn profiles that stand out, even according to LinkedIn. These profiles are simple, yet comprehensive:'

Why do we like Bruce's profile? His profile is thorough and he takes advantage of all the sections LinkedIn offers - the pictures, summary, headline. The headline is what really stands out - it states the job title and the employer name, but it gives some nice and fun insight into Bruce's career.''

The profile of Gijo Mathew is a winning LinkedIn profile because it is so 'clean', professional and representative of Gijo. The best part about this profile is the 'about' section, which is used to highlight in a very concise way, all his skills and experience.'

Katie's LinkedIn profile stands out because she has really used it to showcase her job, her personality, and the passion she has for her job. Her headline is unusual but appropriate and in her 'summary' section she is really 'selling' herself as a real estate professional. This profile is original, without being unprofessional.   

5 Things You Need to Include in Your LinkedIn Profile if You Work in Marketing

All right, now that we've covered the basics of what every winning LinkedIn profile should cover, let's dive into some more specific tips. How can you 'optimize' your profile to share your story and at the same time brand yourself as a professional PPC marketer or business owner?'

Add an interesting headline to your LinkedIn profile

Your profile picture and your headline are the first things anyone will see when looking at your profile. So you'd better make sure you make the right impression.

Use your headline to define yourself as a professional - sure, you can put 'PPC Marketer' or 'business owner' there. But you can also take the chance to share a bit more about yourself. How much experience do you have? What motivates you? How can you help another business? If someone can answer this at first glance, you have an all-winning LinkedIn profile. 

Share your story on Linkedin; the 'summary' section is a good place to do that

As a PPC marketer, you know stories are important. For every business you work with, you try to identify who they are and what their story is. So why not do that for your personal brand?

A section that is often overlooked on LinkedIn is the 'summary' section. But this offers a great opportunity for you to share your background, your skills, but also your most recent results. What makes you as a business owner special? What does your experience as a PPC marketer look like? The 'summary' section on your LinkedIn profile is a good place to answer these questions. 

List all your certificates and achievements'

Yes, all of them. Do you have a Google Ads certification? List that. Do you have another digital marketing certificate? List that too. As a PPC marketer, you should list all the achievements that make you a good professional. And that includes all your skills, marketing-related or otherwise. For example, if you speak a foreign language, make sure that you list. Knowing a foreign language can help you better understand a culture and that is an advantage when doing marketing internationally. 

Get endorsements and recommendations'

Your profile should definitely list your skills: digital marketing, Google Ads, business strategy, etc. But to better highlight these skills, reach out to your connections and ask them to endorse you. Return the favor and endorse them back. The 'skills' section of your LinkedIn profile is a great place to highlight what you do best. 

And speaking of endorsements - don't be shy and ask colleagues and customers for recommendations. Have you worked particularly well with a certain customer? Ask him/her to write a recommendation describing your collaboration. People love social proof and having recommendations from co-workers will make you look both professional, and human. 

Use the right keywords'

PPC marketers understand the importance of keywords in PPC campaigns. But keywords matter all over the internet. Your all-winning LinkedIn profile is no exception. Searches on LinkedIn work pretty much in the same way as the rest of the internet: you search for different (key)words and get the results that are more relevant for a certain search. To showcase your experience, use relevant keywords to describe your achievements.

When it comes to building a winning LinkedIn profile as a PPC marketer or as a business owner, every detail matters. With so many options to customize your profile, it would be a shame not to take advantage of them. Follow our tips, pay attention to details and use it as a SOCIAL network, and we are sure your profile will power your brand!