This is part 2 of a 2 part series written by Janet Slack. See Part 1 by clicking here.
Today we are looking at strategies that will make your LinkedIn (LI) profile a true asset for your business. You want it to be a great place for people to learn more about you and we covered the basics of that in a previous LinkedIn post. Now here are five key ways to put your profile to work for you to grow your business.
Complete that profile. LinkedIn will begin to highlight you and suggest you to others as a person to connect with only if they consider your profile complete.
You won’t want to miss the opportunity to be discovered by prospective clients, customers and business partners. LinkedIn requires the following items for completion:
- Picture
- Current Position
- Previous Position
- Summary Section
- Specialties Section
- 3 Recommendations
Collect recommendations. Speaking of recommendations, they matter and the more the better. Given the choice between seemingly similar individuals, most people will chose to do business with the one who has more positive things being said about him or her. The most valuable recommendations relate to your most recent accomplishments. If you get a lot of them in a particular business category, you can become listed as a service provider in that category in the LI directory. The simplest way to get recommendations is to send a specific request for them directly to other LinkedIn members. The Request Recommendations tool is simple to use, but make sure to edit the default message by tailoring it for your audience.
Include Search Engine Optimization. Before doing any internet marketing, you should be clear on the keywords that prospects use when trying to find someone like you. These words and phrases need to have prominent placement in your profile. Make sure those keywords are included in these sections:
- Professional Headline
- Current work experience
- Past work experience
- Summary section
- Specialties section
As you edit your profile, LI asks you to decide the visibility of certain profile settings. In order to maximize use of your profile for search engine optimization, you will want to make all parts of your profile public.
Encourage connection with you elsewhere. It is essential to add your email address to your profile since LI has left a place for that out of the profile format – perhaps in an effort to encourage you to message people inside of LI. Your goal is to get to know people more deeply outside of the LI platform to connect them more strongly to your business. Popular places to include it are the bottom of the summary section or at the end of the profile in the contact information. In that spot you will have to create a spot for it.
LI does a great job of connecting your Twitter account because of tight integration between the two platforms. You can easily add you Twitter name and a direct link to your Twitter profile from your LinkedIn profile. Visitors to your LI profile can now even chose to without leaving LI.
Stand out. Two important ways to have profile that stands out are to spend time creating your summary section and to add applications. The summary section may be the most read section of your profile and you want it to focus on WHY you do what you do. Think of this as telling your story in a way that will interest others. This is your chance to tell people who you really are and include the human element. Yes, include your keywords including your full name here, but write the section for the reader not the search engines. Don’t worry about length – the section expands!
Include a call to action in your summary section. Make sure to tell people what site they should go to for more information, what number to call to get a free consultation, or the best way to email you. Don’t let people drift away from your profile, give them a place to go next and a reason to go there.
There are a variety of applications on LI that will make your profile more interesting. Consider connecting the feed from your blog. You may want to include a power point presentation you have made, include travel plans or list books that have impacted you. LinkedIn also allows you to add sections to your profile such as Awards, Publications, and Skills. Think about your target audience and what would be interesting to them and include it on your profile to stand out.
Success on LI or any social media site requires you to be strategic and plan how that site fits in to your overall marketing plan. The Social Media News Flash program combines both how-to’s and strategic why’s in order to help you do just that. Don’t spend time on social media without results, join the News Flash and be both effective and up to date so that you have business growth from your social media marketing efforts.
Your takeaway from this post…
Once again, Janet brings home some tips that are often overlooked. You may not like it, but search engine optimization is/should be a part of everyone’s life if you are marketing yourself or your business on the web. But little tips like that can get your bio and your business seen that much more often!
The other part that I think Janet brings out well is the need for recommendations. You are known by the company you keep and the folks who will vouch for you! Janet told you they were important. I am going to ratchet that up a notch and tell you they are vital. Often times when things are close, recommendations can make the difference in you getting a call or an email from a prospect.
Janet Slack is owner of Life Adventure Coaching and Solopreneur.Biz. She is a coach and consultant for small businesses and solo entrepreneurs and an expert in business growth for new and developing businesses. With a background in management of both non-profit and for-profit businesses and two decades in the helping professions, she is able to assist her clients to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, develop business systems and marketing plans, and gain visibility and income for their businesses. Janet has a great program called Social Media News Flash that you should check out!
If you are looking for free tips or advice on how to approach your social media, go to Social Media Dudes and subscribe to your newsletter in the upper left hand corner!
Still not convinced that social media is right for your business? Read this and get our F.R.E.E. report on the 7 Myths of Social Media!
Or follow our tweets on Twitter at twitter.com/johnpanico
Finally, those are my thoughts from high atop my 2nd floor office above my garage.
What I want to hear are YOUR comments. Please leave one now.
If you are looking for free tips or advice on how to approach your social media, go to Social Media Dudesand subscribe to your newsletter in the upper left hand corner! Still not convinced that social media is right for your business? Read this and get our F.R.E.E. report on the 7 Myths of Social Media! Or follow our tweets on Twitter at twitter.com/johnpanico Finally, those are my thoughts from high atop my 2nd floor office above my garage. What I want to hear are YOUR comments. Please leave one now.
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