Creating your LinkedIn account is just the first step you have taken to develop your personal brand or company page. Now you need to make your LinkedIn profile stand by uploading a good quality, professional, relevant background photo and profile picture. It should reflect your brand or represent your company’s values and industry. It should create a pleasing impression and be relevant to your profession or business. Select a photo that is clear, well-lit, and focuses on your face when finishing your profile.

Before you upload your LinkedIn banner, there are some things that can help your profile stand out and make it look professional. By communicating the right message, you can boost your company’s performance. If your LinkedIn banner stands out, you could be able to communicate your message effectively and improve your professional profile.  Thus, your lead generation and cold outreach campaigns will have a better impact. If you are looking to expand your business, your LinkedIn outreach Automation Platform like LeadConnect will be able to provide the results you want only if your LinkedIn profile can create an excellent impression on your prospects.

Tips for creating a professional profile

Before going into details regarding the LinkedIn background banner, here are some other aspects to keep in mind if you want to have a professional profile.

Craft a professional Headline

To capture the attention of your intended audience, your profile headline must be captivating. Highlight your abilities, expertise, or distinctive selling points. It is often the first thing potential connections will notice while reviewing your profile. Therefore, use wording that is easily comprehensible to them.

Write a persuasive Summary

Expand on your education, experience, talents, past work, and any other applicable details. Incorporate essential keywords to ensure that your target audience can readily find you.

Fill in the Experience and Skills sections

Elaborate on your background thoroughly. Discuss your accomplishments and success stories. Additionally, include all relevant skills you possess. You may also kindly request colleagues and clients to endorse your skills and provide recommendations.

Update details whenever required

 After setting up your profile, it’s crucial to keep it updated as needed. Include your most recent achievements, experiences, skills, projects, and certifications. This demonstrates your engagement on LinkedIn.

Participate actively

It’s crucial to make use of your profile regularly after it has every necessary detail provided and is complete. By frequently communicating with your coworkers, bosses, clients, and other people in your field., you could benefit greatly from your LinkedIn network. Connecting with people, joining relevant groups, sharing and commenting on others’ content, taking part in conversations, and submitting your content are all ways to do this.

Create an exceptional first impression

Choose the right image

Choose a picture of the best possible quality to represent your brand or business. It may be a picture that shows your area of expertise, your industry, or the mission, vision, and goals of your company. Ensure it looks pleasing to the eye and can grab attention.

Use the proper banner dimensions

Before you start to work on your profile banner, you must know about the correct banner size. LinkedIn recommends using an image with dimensions of 1584 x 396 pixels. This size makes sure that your background image looks excellent on every kind of device and screen resolution. The image might not have the intended impact if it is too tiny or grainy. Additionally, your image may get distorted or cropped if the final file size for your LinkedIn background image is incorrect.

If you already have a consistent visual theme across your other social media platforms or website, try to maintain the same look and feel in your LinkedIn banner as well. This helps in brand recognition and cohesion. Hence, take care that when you choose your banner image, make sure that it is consistent with the overall theme of your LinkedIn profile. It looks quite professional and aesthetically pleasing.

Avoid clutter

Keep your banner clean and uncluttered. Make sure the main focal point is clear and not overshadowed by too many elements. A cluttered background may distract from your profile information and message.

Include your branding elements

 If you have a company logo or slogan, consider incorporating them subtly to maximize the impact you’re trying to create. This helps reinforce your brand identity and makes your profile more memorable.

Test different options

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different images and designs. You can upload and preview different banners on LinkedIn to see which one suits your profile best. Ask for feedback from colleagues, friends, or mentors to help you choose the most effective option.

Remember, LinkedIn is a professional networking platform, and your background photo should reflect that professionalism. By creating an impactful and relevant banner, you can enhance your brand or company’s visibility and make a memorable impression on potential connections, clients, and partners.

Tools to create a LinkedIn background banner

If you wish to create a LinkedIn banner, use free tools. Even if you don’t possess the required design skills to create images, you can either create a professional photo or get one made by a freelancer.

Designing and Photo editing tools

If you want to stand out from the crowd, you can make use of these free tools for designing and editing your cover image. You can unlock more features if you buy the paid version such as more templates, advanced editing tools, and premium assets. Consider going for the paid versions when you want to build upon your design capabilities further. Which one would be the best tool for your task will depend on your specific requirements and your comfort level with the interface. Here are a few free tools you might want to use.

Canva

Canva is the perfect place to start when making your LinkedIn banner because it offers lots of free templates, stock photos, and images You can either choose an image available on the tool or upload your images. Bring out your creativity and create a banner that catches everyone’s attention. 

Adobe

You have the option of starting from fresh or utilizing one of the ready-made banner designs to create your cover photo using Adobe. Due to the tool’s variety of templates and choices, you can immediately start making your banner even if you don’t have any design expertise. It enables you to effortlessly design your cover picture and produce beautiful photos. Access premium features and templates by upgrading to a paid version. 

Fotor

Use this AI photo editor to convert your LinkedIn banner ideas into reality. You can access various editing options and templates. Personalize your design by adding text, effects, filters, and stickers using its user-friendly interface. Fotor also offers a paid version with advanced features and additional templates.

Pixlr

Pixlr is a free online photo editing application that allows you to alter and customize your backdrop image. You may use high-resolution photos and backdrops for free. Moreover, it has a lot of incredible options that will assist you in creating a fabulous banner. Take advantage of the variety of editing tools, filters, and effects available to you to enhance the quality. You can get access to more sophisticated features and tools in its paid version.

PicMonkey

PicMonkey is a free online tool that offers a range of editing options for designing your background photo on Linkedin. It offers a variety of tools, including text options, overlays, filters, and effects, to help you create a distinctive design. The premium version of PicMonkey is also available which provides you access to additional tools and designs.

These are just a few examples of free tools for creating and modifying background images that are going to improve your professional image beyond your network. Try out various tools until you find the one that most effectively fits your requirements and tastes. Before deciding on a course of action, keep in mind your unique requirements and degree of comfort with the interface. Keep it straightforward and clutter-free when designing your banner. Make use of high-quality pictures and color schemes that go well with your profile.

Your banner should be a reflection of your personal brand or professional identity. You can include your logo or company name, as well as images that represent your industry or expertise. Remember to resize and optimize your banner for different devices, as LinkedIn is accessed on various screen sizes.
Finally, regularly update your banner to keep your profile fresh and relevant. This could include showcasing recent achievements, promotions, or new projects.By following these guidelines, you can create an eye-catching and professional LinkedIn banner that enhances your profile and helps you stand out in the network.

Photo Download

You might occasionally want to use online images. You can be confident that there won’t be any copyright problems when you download photographs from these websites.

Pixabay

Select from a wide selection of royalty-free images, vectors, illustrations, and other media on Pixabay to make a banner for your LinkedIn profile

Unsplash

Use images from Unsplash for either non-commercial or commercial purposes without the need to obtain permission. However, you can give credit to the creators and acknowledge their contribution.

Pexels

Use free, premium stock images from Pexels for your banner. You are free to use them as you want to without needing to provide any credit because these images have been released under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license, 

Freepik

Freepik provides a vast selection of free pictures, vectors, icons, PSD files, and more. It also offers premium services even though the majority of its content is available for use for free with attribution.

Burst by Shopify

Burst by Shopify provides free stock photos for commercial use. Without worrying about copyright issues, you may look through their collection and download high-resolution pictures.

You can choose from a variety of options on these websites for your banners without having to worry about copyright violations. To make sure you adhere to any particular requirements for attribution or usage restrictions, it’s crucial to read the license terms and conditions of each website.

Freelancing websites

If you want to get a graphic designer to design your LinkedIn banner, you can find freelancers who specialize in design services, including creating LinkedIn background photos. By browsing through their portfolios, reading client reviews, and selecting a freelancer within your budget, you can find a professional designer to create your LinkedIn banner. If you wish to get a professional designer to create your banner on LinkedIn, you choose to hire a freelancer from any of these websites

Upwork

You can find a freelancer on Upwork who can work on creating your LinkedIn banner within your budget. 

Fiverr

Access the best talented freelancers on Fiverr to hire to create a LinkedIn banner

Freelancer

Now you can engage the services of a skilled designer for designing your LinkedIn banner through Freelancer

99designs

99designs is a website that focuses on creating a global creative platform for designers. 

Toptal 

Toptal is a highly prestigious network that consists of the most talented and skilled freelance professionals including designers from around the world

You can hire a freelancer for your design work including your LinkedIn cover from any of these online platforms.  Just provide them with the necessary information, such as your logo, color scheme, and any other details you wish to share with them.  Then, with their skills and imagination, they will build a polished and arresting banner for your LinkedIn profile. These independent contractors can make a unique design that complements your personal or business identity because they have experience in graphic design. When you hire a freelancer from one of these websites, you will get high-quality work at a reasonable price.

Conclusion

If you take a few actions to help you distinguish your profile and create a LinkedIn banner that exudes professionalism, uploading a background photo on your LinkedIn profile will bring the desired results. By creating a strong first impression, you can significantly enhance your business and ensure your Automated Personalized Invitations and Followups sent through LeadConnect get responses. This can greatly amplify the effectiveness of your lead generation and cold outreach efforts.