6 TIPS CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS MUST USE TO ENHANCE THEIR LINKEDIN PROFILE AND BUILD THEIR PERSONAL AND COMPANY BRAND

In a recent survey conducted by Construction Marketing Blog, 91.2% of surveyed construction professionals use LinkedIn. The platform is powerful. It sends a clear, consistent message about who you are, what you have to offer, and what your company has to offer.

The question is, “Are construction professionals using LinkedIn to its maximum potential to help build their personal and company brand?” Several construction professionals struggle to find ways in which they can highlight their own personal brand as well as promote the company brand on their profile. Below are some simple tips geared towards our industry you may not have thought of to help you beef up your profile.

LINKEDIN for the Project Manager, Assistant Project Manager, Engineer, Foreman, Laborer and Field Interns

Tip 1: Create a summary worth reading that ANY viewer can understand.

Every construction professional should have a summary that describes who they are, what industry they work in and what they do. Keep in mind, not everyone that views your LinkedIn profile is in the construction industry. Vague statements and industry jargon might be too complicated to understand and a potential opportunity could be lost.

Bad Example: I am a project manager.

You could be a project manager in the computer software, financial services, information technology or non-profit industries. Be specific. Express for whom, A GC, Subcontractor or Vendor? Which trade? In Commercial, Residential or Both? Using simple terms allows viewers to get a better sense of what your work entails. Familiar words stick in viewers’ minds and can then even lead to referrals.

Good Example:

Tip 2:  Include projects you worked/are working on.

What is a common question asked at a typical construction networking event?

Answer: What projects are you currently working on?

This question comes up again and again, which is why you should refer to your company’s website and answer this in your summary. Almost every construction company lists their projects in their “portfolio” or “project” section on their website. Locate the project you worked on or are currently working on and copy and paste the link in your summary.

First, this allows viewers to see key information about the project, giving you and the company you work for more credibility. Second, it drives traffic back to the company website which indirectly promotes the company.  

Tip 3:  Add video to your profile.

Not everyone is a reader. Video is essential for your profile. Again, visit your company’s website, and also check out their YouTube page. What video can you use to help the viewer understand what services your company provides? What video can you use on your profile that helps describe your mission, vision and values?

Tip 4:  One of the projects you worked on received an award. Now What?

Again, visit your company’s website. Do you see a pattern here? Most construction companies list out the awards they have won by year on their websites under the award, resources or news sections.  Awards can include recognition for craftsmanship, safety, quality control, community service, project of the year etc. If you see a project you worked on, link it to your page. You also may want to conduct a google search on the name of your project to see if the award was announced in a press release on another website or in an industry publication. Again, it adds credibility to your profile, and drives traffic back to the company website.

Finally, include any in-house company awards you won as well such as “Employee of the Month 2015 or Best Team/Vision Award.”

Tip 5: Don’t have a great profile that stays stagnant. Use Status Updates.

In order for you and your company to get noticed, you need to put yourself out there! To gain more views, connections, and gain potential leads, update your status regularly. Keep your updates professional and relevant to your job, your company and the industry in which you work in, in order to build trust with your connections.

Status Updates = FREE ADVERTISING.  It’s a no brainer. People check their newsfeed. Are you popping up as a reminder?

Don’t know what to post about? Pictures and videos in status updates receive the most views. To maximize the effectiveness of posting pictures, employees can incorporate text with the status update that explains what the picture entails. What can you post about? Here are a few examples:

• Construction projects and their status (e.g. ground-breaking, ribbon cutting, percent complete.)
• Any special awards or recognition received in relevance to yourself or the company.
• Any community service you or the company is involved with.
• What networking or training events you are attending.
• Industry related blog, magazine, or newsletter articles. Think about what information your customers might need answers to as it relates to your job, and post those articles you find helpful.
• Share YouTube videos, again related to your profession or industry.

Tip 6: Become an influencer. Use Pulse.

Another way for you and your company to get noticed is to utilize the Pulse feature. Pulse gives you the opportunity to blog about what you are an expert in. The Golden Rule of Content Marketing is: They ask. You answer. Pulse is a great tool for you to use so that your connections understand your personal and company brand message. Here are some ideas on what you can blog about as it relates to construction:

• Current, relevant, and exciting articles you read in construction industry newsletters or magazines.
• Discuss industry problems and offer a solution.
• Compare various product and/or service options to help people make informed decisions.
• Case studies of projects you or your company worked on.
• Gather key points from a networking, training or seminar you attended and share what you learned.

Remember while LinkedIn’s search tool is helpful to build connections, opportunities and leads, a strong profile with status updates and a presence on pulse can let the leads come to you, build your personal brand and raise awareness of your company brand.