Your LinkedIn profile is likely the first impression that will be made by recruiters, clients and business partners. While users do spend time in creating a good profile image and writing a proper headline, they fail themselves by forgetting to create a professional banner. You are highly encouraged to gain access to cross-promote your personal branding, skillset that you have, and stand out the profile via a thoughtfully built banner. However, even with LinkedIn, a banner maker can not resolve many common problems faced by many users which weaken their profile. This guide discusses the 10 most prevalent mistakes people make when creating a banner, and how you can avoid them so you can create a banner that makes you look professional and helps you advance your career.
1. Ignoring the Recommended Banner Dimensions
The most common mistake is creating a banner that does not meet the required dimensions. You might be upscaling an image too small that makes it look blurry. Not properly cropped means it might be too big or the composition out of balance, thus losing important details. When starting the design, always refer to the recommended banner size before designing. A good LinkedIn banner maker will offer a number of templates featuring the right proportions that will ensure your banner appears properly on all devices.
2. Using Low-Quality Images
Your banner speaks a sentence of professionalism about you. Using a pixelated or stretched avatar may create an impression on your profile visitors. High quality, professional images that are clear and high-resolution. Whether you go with city skyline, workspace, an image of part of the industryscape or some abstract image, make it crisp and polished.
3. You shouldn’t add too much text
Many of the users attempt to have all of their services, achievements and contact information in their banner. This results in clutter of the picture and it becomes hard to read. Rather, maintain a message to the point. Typically, a short slogan, professional job title or brand statement will suffice. An excellent LinkedIn banner creator enables you to utilize text and images with each other in a tidy and appealing way.
4. Selecting Color that is in Disagreement
Colour forms an inseparable element of form around visual communication. If your colours clash and this bright then it may confuse the reader and make your banner seem less professional. Follow a colour scheme which is in keeping with your own or your company’s identity. Using neutral colors with neutral accents can create a sophisticated look, while still ensuring readability.
5. Forgetting Mobile Users
A lot of professionals check out LinkedIn profiles on their cellphones and tablets. A banner which is nice to view on the computer screen may not appear nice on small screens. Test your design on multiple devices, if available. Content – text and graphics – must be visible at all sizes.
6. Covering Important Areas
In LinkedIn, your profile picture covers the upper section of the banner. Common Mistake #6: logos, text or graphics placed behind the profile pic. When designing, leave some blank space in the space that will be covered by the profile picture so that it can be finalized. Most templates in a LinkedIn banner maker take into account this spot, assisting you to stay clear of awkward overlaps.
7. Using Inconsistent Branding
Having a banner with some other type of font, color, or style than your website or other social media accounts can cause your brand to seem disjointed.Use the same branding on all business related platforms. Consistency helps to establish recognition and develop the image to be more trustworthy and reliable.
8. Overusing Decorative Elements
If there are too many icons, shapes, animations or background effects, they will overwhelm the viewer. These elements do not capture the attention of your message, they could be distracting. Make sure to keep your banner tidy and neat. White space makes sense in terms of usability as it can make the text easier to read and helps highlight significant content.
9. Don’t forget to update your Banner!
Your career is constantly changing and so should your banner. The design may contain references to older roles, out-of-date certifications or branding. Look at your banner from time to time and refresh it as you move through different points in your career, open a new business, get accredited or change gear in terms of your personal brand. The best thing about using a contemporary Linkedin banner maker is that you can change your banner design anytime with ease and speed.
10. Not targeting their audience
Your banner should be able to reach the audience you wish to reach. If your creative side is more inclined, you might want to go with more dramatic pictures, but if you’re a financial advisor, you should go with a more conservative design. Consider the people that will be checking out your profile and what visual impression you want them to take away from it. You will make a good impression when you make a banner your audience can relate to and promote professionalism.
The following are some tips for creating an effective LinkedIn Banner
Here are a couple of good practices to consider when creating a banner that will stand out:
- Use high-resolution images.
- Simplify and make the design uncluttered.
- Choose professional fonts.
- Match colours to match your brand.
- Don’t forget to leave room for the profile photo.
- Try out the banner on a desktop and mobile.
- Change the banner as often as your progress, making it the most up-to-date.
- By adhering to these tips, you can enhance the overall look of your LinkedIn profile.
Conclusion
LinkedIn banners are not just any background image, it is an opportunity to stand out, to establish your personal brand and prove your expertise. Avoid these common pitfalls when designing a banner to make sure you have a professional and effective one. Whether you are a job hunter, business owner, freelancer or an ambitious corporate leader, a good LinkedIn banner maker can take the hassle out of designing and deliver great looking results. A properly designed banner can help to make a substantial impact in the way that others view your professional profile if a little extra effort is put in to make the right banner.
