Thursday 21 July 2016

A Linkedin Strategy: Setting Up Your Profile So It Sells For You

Posted by Unknown at 13:04
By Jeff McCombe


I need a LinkedIn strategy for my profile? Isn't there enough information in it already? Probably not.

When you target potential clients or customers on LinkedIn, the first place they usually go is your profile. You need to give them something catchy that grabs their attention at a single glance. If they stay, you need to lead them into reading your profile where you have a chance to present your value proposition. This is worth its weight in gold if you do it correctly.

Your LinkedIn strategy should be to attract lots of profile visitors and generate as many discovery calls as possible with the least amount of work. This takes some skill and preparation. Here are some techniques to get you on your way:

Most people have an uninviting or unprofessional image. Just throwing up a photo from 10 years ago when you had hair (or worse a mullet) is a bad move. People do bizarre things with their photos, which really gives a lousy first impression. There's only one rule to follow here: Get a professional photo in appropriate work attire done every three to five years.

A professional photograph that makes eye contact with the viewer is important. Smiling is important as well -- who wants to do business with a grumpy bore? Statistics show that smiling has a big impact on perceptions of success. You are looking for potential customers to connect with you.

The Summary is your place to shine. It's where you tell your value story. What differentiates you from your competitors? What types of customers do you work with? What disqualifies a potential candidate from working with you? Is there a quote you particularly like that represents what you're all about? This is your chance to make a great impression, so state things clearly and use up as much room as you need and the keywords that people search for to find you.

Publishing Posts is one of the most important things you can do. These are essentially blog posts on topics where you have expertise. Do you sell engineering services? Then an article on the top 10 questions to ask before settling on an engineering service is a high value Post. Comparisons, how to articles, case studies, personal stories about successes you've brought about. All of these are good Posts to publish. These help establish you as an industry authority and get you found in searches.

Recommendations are very important. Recommendations from past colleagues, clients and customers, etc. are all critical for social proof. This supports why a potential customer might want to do business with you. They are like mini case studies that create momentum for prospects to engage with you.

Getting solid recommendations is an essential part of a strong LinkedIn strategy. Ideally these should be in the words of your clients. Three to five recommendations is a good range.

If you have published online or offline, the publications section is the place to list these. Publishing is important in many circles (law or science, for example), and it is good to list papers, articles, films, interviews and other content you've originated or co-authored.

For an effective LinkedIn strategy aimed at selling to ideal customers, you need to have a strong profile. Hopefully, these suggestions will help you optimize your profile and generate more business.




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