LinkedIn isn’t as fast-paced as Twitter, or as interactive as Facebook. It’s also noticeably missing all the cat pictures and funny memes.
That’s because LinkedIn is like the super professional cousin of the social media family, and you should absolutely be using it for networking in your real estate career.
Let’s go over the basics of setting up your profile!
Start With Professional Images
After you sign up for your profile, the first thing you need to do is upload a professional headshot. Leave the photos from your neighborhood Christmas party over on Facebook. Your headshot is the first thing anyone is going to see, and you know what they say about first impressions!
You’ll also need a professional-looking banner image for your header. Choose something that is attractive and not too busy. Some great options might be a photo of the local market you work in, a photo of one of your signs out front of a listing, or even a stock photo with real estate-related text added.
It needs to be high quality and not pixelated.
Filling Out Your Profile
Now that you’ve got the images covered, it’s time to move on to the information. This is really important stuff! You need to write a compelling bio of yourself. Talk about your approach to real estate, give details about the firm you work for, list any prestigious awards you may have received, and any other relevant details.
Potential leads are going to be researching you, so you need to make sure that you completely fill out your work experience, skills, accomplishments, and education. Let them know that you completed extra classes to earn a special certification, or that you specialize in first-time home buying.
You really want to showcase your abilities, as this is an effective way of building your brand and engaging your network. While being creative and keeping your summary, job descriptions, and titles interesting, remember to keep NAR and local regulations on advertising in mind.
Ask for Skill Endorsements and Recommendations
To make your profile stronger and more professional, reach out to your former clients and colleagues to see if they will provide recommendations for you. You can then accept the recommendation, and it will display on your profile so that potential clients can see them.
They will be more likely to choose to work with you if they see that you have been recommended! Your connections can also endorse the skills you have listed on your profile, or suggest other skills that you have not listed.
Especially when these come from someone else in the same field, this can help boost your credibility. Always consider leaving positive feedback to encourage further endorsements and recommendations!
