A well thought-out and polished-looking LinkedIn profile will make a positive impression on your clients and prospects. The key is include the right doses of business and personality.

“Think about what is going to be relevant to the people you want to get to know on LinkedIn and to do business with,” says Jay Palter, principal with Palter Social Media Strategies in Edmonton. People will decide whether to do business with you based in part on how carefully and thoughtfully your profile is put together.

Follow these tips to create an impressive LinkedIn profile:

> Promote yourself
Show your expertise by creating links to relevant publications that include your work.

If you write for magazines, newspapers or websites, Palter says, add links to those articles on your profile. It’s important for your marketing strategy that the articles are visible and the content is accessible for clients and prospects.

> Show a little personality
Let people get to know you by putting some of your personality into your LinkedIn profile.

“People have a tendency to keep [LinkedIn] very ‘businessy’,” Palter says. “In a social-media context, my advice is that a little bit of personality goes a long way.”

List some of your interests on your LinkedIn profile. For example, you could mention charitable work you do or your favourite sports.

> Get recommendations
Boost your credibility on LinkedIn with the help of your allies, Palter says.

Ask a handful of your best clients to recommend you on LinkedIn, he says. Just be sure to keep the number small: quality is more important than quantity.

> Post updates regularly
Stay top of mind with clients and prospects with regular updates on your profile.

Share a good article on your area of expertise a few times a week, Palter says. Be sure to explain why the article is of interest.

Avoid re-posting messages from Twitter, however, Palter says, because these could look disorganized and confusing to visitors who are not used to that format.

This is the second instalment in a two-part series on creating a LinkedIn profile.