If you’re like many professionals, you created a LinkedIn profile but — alas — it’s still a work in progress, creating a less-than-impressionable first impression.

“If we’re looking for information about somebody, if we’re thinking about doing business with somebody or thinking about hiring somebody, we’re Googling their name,” says Melonie Dodaro, bestselling author of The LinkedIn Code and founder/CEO of Top Dog Social Media in B.C.

“Your LinkedIn profile usually shows up at the very top of search results because LinkedIn has great Google search rankings so it’s very often the first thing people will click on to learn more about you … Your LinkedIn profile is often your very first online impression. What kind of impression are you currently making?”

Step one: Getting found

Before using LinkedIn to reach out to potential prospects or strategic alliance partners, lay the foundation to success with a stellar profile that will help people searching for someone who offers your product or service find you. “If you’re not showing up in their search, it’s a lost opportunity,” Dodaro says. “You want to get found by choosing the right key words that describe what you do.”

A common mistake made by business owners, for example, is writing “owner and founder” in their headline. “Most people aren’t looking for an owner or founder unless they’re a salesperson,” she says. Instead, think about what your ideal clients are looking for. If you’re the owner and founder of a website design and development company, list “website designer and developer” in your headline.

Step two: Focus on the needs of potential clients

Listen to the language your ideal clients use to describe their challenges and problems. Think about how you can solve those challenges and problems when creating your profile. “This is completely counter-intuitive to what people think a LinkedIn profile should be,” Dodaro says. “They think it’s about their resumé or professional bio and that’s fine if you’re looking for a job.”

But using your LinkedIn profile to generate business requires a more strategic approach. “The reality is, nobody cares about you or me; they only care about what we can do for them so your profile needs to speak to that … They need to see themselves and their problems in your profile. It needs to resonate with them in order for them to take action and reach out to you.”

Step three: Stand out

“Social media is noisy and LinkedIn is no different but there are a few really simple things you can do to stand out,” says Dodaro. Here they are:

• Complete your profile.
• Post a professional headshot.
• Visually enhance your profile by adding multi-media, such as videos, SlideShare presentations and PDF documents.“Those things will improve the visual elements of your profile and also allow people to learn more about you and get a better feel for who you are.”

Though it’s not all about the numbers, there is a definite advantage to growing your network, Dodaro advises. “If somebody is searching for somebody who offers what you offer, you only show up if you’re part of their first, second or third-level network or a member of the same groups, which means your opportunities are limited to the size of your network,” she says.

“If you’re using LinkedIn as a lead generation tool and want to connect with prospects, you can’t find them unless they’re part of your network. So every single person you connect with is a win-win: you expand their network, they expand your network. “Having said that, quality is important,” she says.

That’s why she never connects with LIONs: LinkedIn Open Networkers who accept all connection requests. “That means they have a very low quality network.”

Power of testimonials

For many LinkedIn members, recommendations serve as important testimonials to your work and/or products or services when working with potential customers or clients. Unlike testimonials on a website, they hyperlink back to the writer’s profile so you know they’re legitimate, LinkedIn expert Melonie Dodaro explains.

When requesting a recommendation, don’t send out a generic text. Rather, make it personal: explain why you’d like a recommendation and even suggest what they could include in the recommendation. “Don’t ask someone you don’t know,” she says. “Otherwise, it’s useless because it’s just fluff.”