Profile tip no. 1: don't use a family photo!(LINKING TO LINKEDIN)

• Author: Cook, Mark

DURING THE LAST TWO YEARS, I have advised hundreds of bankers, wealth advisers, and C-level bank executives on how to leverage LinkedIn to gain more business.

LinkedIn's mission is to connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful. Because LinkedIn is a platform that can help build your referral network and make you both more productive and more successful, doing so requires a solid foundation--your profile.

Think of what happens when you meet a prospective client at a Chamber of Commerce or Rotary Club meeting. Chances are you walk up to that prospective client, shake hands, introduce yourself, exchange a bit of small talk, and then pass along your business card. I'd ask you to look at your LinkedIn profile as a representation of what you want someone to know the first time you shake hands with them, and keep this frame of mind throughout the next few "tips."

Tip 1: The Photo

Take a moment to answer these three questions:

* At that event, would you wear a mask?

* Would you bring your whole family, including the family dog, with you to the event?

* Would you ever invite your family to come with you and then suddenly cut them out of your plans upon arriving?

I would hope that the answers to those questions are all a resounding "no." You should treat your LinkedIn profile picture the same. Make sure you're sending the right message--no family photos, no "selfies," and don't go cropping your spouse out of a picture from the latest formal event you attended. I doubt they would feel good about being cut out!

Tip 2: The headline

Keeping in line with our theme, how would you introduce yourself? It's doubtful you would say, "My name is Mark, and I'm a banker." At the top of your LinkedIn...