Let’s Connect: The Real Estate Pro’s Guide to Starting on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an essential tool for networking, sales prospecting, job hunting, and more.

Ah, LinkedIn...the buttoned-up businessperson of the social media world. LinkedIn has grown into an essential tool for networking, sales prospecting, and job hunting. While having a presence on platforms like Facebook and Instagram is important for growing your brand, LinkedIn is the key tool for building your personal reputation and network.

LinkedIn also has a daunting number of features and options, which can make it feel overwhelming to the new or casual user. So today we’re taking a look at the best way to set up and get started with your personal profile. 

Put your best (virtual) foot forward.

If you don’t have an account yet, you can head here to get started with creating one. Once you’ve signed up for LinkedIn, building out your profile is the main focus. There are several key features you need to be sure to include to set yourself up for success:

1. A professional headshot - You should use a professional headshot on all your accounts, but it’s especially important on LinkedIn. Steer clear of selfies or candids; this is the first impression of you as a professional that people will have. Size: 400 by 400 pixels or larger (square aspect ratio).

2. A complementary header photo - LinkedIn’s header section differs from other networks. It’s a smaller space and as such should be kept fairly simple. Think of it as a nicely painted wall, rather than loud and overbearing wallpaper. Pro tip: use these tools to create a custom, professional banner image!
   Size: 1584 wide by 396 high.

3. A killer headline - This refers to the 100-character intro that sits at the top of your profile, right below your name. It’s also what people will see when searching, before choosing to click to your full profile. Most users list their title, company, professional certifications, etc. You want to keep this short, clean, and straightforward.

4. A strong summary - Your summary is like a cover letter. It’s the short overview of who you are and what you do. If it’s interesting enough, people will keep scrolling down to your full list of experience, skills, and other highlights. You can find some great examples and tips for writing both your summary and headline here.

5. Your experience - This is the body of your profile. It’s also a kind of digital resume. List your current and past employers, projects, skills, education, volunteer work, and so on. LinkedIn has a ton of options to make this space fit your unique mix of experience. 

These are the absolute minimum basics you should have on your profile. If you’re looking for more ways to up your LinkedIn game, check out these tips for beginners, intermediate, and advanced users.

There are also a few other features to keep in mind. When you’re inputting your experience, be sure to link to your employer’s business page (if they don’t have one, send them this). Listing the company name without properly attaching it helps no one. Interested connections can’t learn more about your company and your company won’t have an accurate portrayal of their list of employees.

Another feature worth mentioning is the option to upgrade to a premium profile. There are four types of premium profiles: Premium Career, Premium Business, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter Lite. Premium profiles cost between $29.99-$99.95 per month, depending on the type and features included. We’d recommend doing some research and learning to use all of LinkedIn’s free features before considering a premium upgrade. You can learn more about these profiles here.

Network like a pro...not a bot.

One of the most debated aspects of using LinkedIn is connections. Some feel you should connect with as many people as possible to have the widest network you can. But...stop and think about that. LinkedIn is a digital representation of your professional network. As a real estate pro, would you show up at a fashion industry networking event? Probably not, unless you personally knew someone and were explicitly invited. It’s the same idea. Connections should be people who you know, work with, hope to work with, are in your region, etc.  

While other platforms benefit from larger followings, focus on quality instead of quantity. Having a lot of followers is great on Instagram, but you’re better to focus on high-quality connections that can speak to your professional skills and reputation on LinkedIn. So when you’re networking on LinkedIn, remember to consider the following:

Stop and think before sending that connection request.

Why are you interested in connecting with this person? What is the benefit to you (and to them)? Once you’re sure you’re ready to connect, take an extra 30 second to personalize the request message. Again, think about if this was a real-life networking event. You would introduce yourself. You might explain why you want to connect. You might mention how you know each other or what you have in common that would justify starting a conversation. Personalizing your request has the same effect.

Not sure what to say? Remember this quote from The Princess Bride: “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” Start with a polite greeting, introduce yourself, explain your personal connection, and then explain what they should expect by connecting with you (something more peaceful, we hope).

Don’t go creeping…

LinkedIn has one major standout difference from any other social platform that users either love or hate. When you view someone's profile, they get an alert. This means that you can’t casually peruse the way you would on Facebook because every profile you view will be alerted that you were looking. 

You do have options for how this browsing info works as well. If you go to the “Settings and Privacy” page of your account and scroll down to the “How others see your LinkedIn activity” heading, there’s a setting labeled “Profile viewing options.” There are three different options:

• Your name and headline (i.e. full info)

• Private profile characteristics (i.e. your generalized title, industry, and location)

• Private mode (no info)

But before you go and switch to private mode, keep in mind that whatever mode you chose to display is also how you will receive notifications. In other words, if you’re browsing in private mode then when others look at your profile you’ll only get an alert that says “someone viewed your profile.” If you’re browsing in full info mode, then you’ll get alerts with full info on who looked at your profile. This keeps the browsing game fair. There’s no right or wrong option either - it’s a matter of personal preference and how you plan to use your account. This also only applies to individual profiles. You can view business pages in the same manner you would on any other network.

Ask yourself: do they really know you?

Another reason to connect with reasonable caution? When you send a request, the recipient has the option to deny it and select “I don’t know this person.” If too many users flag your requests, you can get restricted from sending them in the future. So before hitting send, think about whether or not this person has a good enough reason to accept.

These are the basics; if you’re curious about more dos and don’t for LinkedIn connecting, you check out more etiquette tips here.

Post like your boss is watching.

One major thing to remember when posting on LinkedIn: it’s a professional network. These are your peers, potential employees or employers, and yes, customers. In other words, don’t post something you wouldn’t share in the office, in front of clients, or out at a networking event. 

Using LinkedIn for political rants? That’s a no. Trying to find a date? Also a no. Complaining about your boss? Seriously, bad idea. Using it to share relevant real estate market news, new listings, or insightful content? Yes! 

You should avoid controversial posts on all social media in general (you can check out our safe posting guidelines for more dos and don’ts on all platforms). But LinkedIn is one to be particularly cautious on. Showcasing your personality is fine. Just remember that your LinkedIn profile should be a kind of extension of your in-office behavior.

Bottom Line

Some social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are great for promoting your brand to the public. But LinkedIn is a unique network that’s great for building your professional reputation. Whether you’re looking for new opportunities, hoping to grow your network, or want to highlight your experience and industry knowledge, LinkedIn can help you build your professional presence in a way no other platform can.