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While everyone and their dog seems to be offering training on how to use Facebook ads and Instagram, LinkedIn seems to go under the radar with a lot of business owners - but you would be completely surprised by the insane amount of power an optimised LinkedIn profile has.
Is your target audience even on LinkedIn?
Before you start running off to create a LinkedIn profile and conquering the world, it's probably a good idea to get an idea if the people you want to reach are active on LinkedIn. Chances are, if you're a business-to-business professional you can be pretty much guaranteed that you will have an audience on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is a 'business networking/relationship building platform' - If you're a marketer, you can be pretty sure that your target audience is there for you to develop relationships with; more on this further down this article.
If you're a business-to-business professional you can be confident that you will have an audience on LinkedIn. After all, LinkedIn is a 'business networking platform' - If you're a marketer, you can be pretty sure that your target audience is there for you to develop relationships with; more on this further down this article.
Like with all advertising, you need to use the platform which is going to reach your intended buyers...if you're selling the latest bikini or mankini...is LinkedIn going to be the best place for you to advertise your product? It's doubtful...
How to create a LinkedIn profile
So, you have established that your target audience is hanging out on LinkedIn...creating a profile on LinkedIn is easy enough to do...i'm not evening going to bother going through that because it would be patronising...and I don't want to come across that way! Creating an optimised profile is something most people who register do not do.
LinkedIn is a high-authority site...Google loves those!
When creating a profile, you really need to start thinking of LinkedIn like a search engine....like google! LinkedIn is a high-authority website on the big G and because of that, you should use that authority to your advantage. An optimised LinkedIn profile will rank high in both LinkedIn and Google for your keywords on your profile. (as on the image above)
When you are creating a profile, you should think of it like a landing page or homepage of your own website. Give your target audience a reason for reading on. Give them a short excerpt from the bigger picture on how you can help them achieve [insert desire here]. Failure to capture their attention quickly will resort to them losing interest.
One of my other businesses is connecting ultra-wealthy homes across North America and Europe with elite domestic professionals such as butlers, estate managers and so on. My LinkedIn profile is more geared towards this rather than digital marketing. My profile picture is not fantastic and something I am looking to change shortly: I recommend a professional shoot or find someone to take a photo of you on a neutral background. Even with that photo, I have close to 9,000 followers...not bad!
Use your name placeholder to further cement your expertise in a specific area and use your 'headline' to affirm how you can assist a visiting LinkedIn member; this includes 1st, 2nd and 3rd connections.
Spend time connecting with your audience, spend time nurturing your connections and don't waste time connecting for the sake of it! #LinkedIn #LeadCobra.com
Make your LinkedIn intro content easy to read!
The next section of your profile allows you to really dial in what you actually do, how you do it, where you do it and who you have done it for in nice, easy to read segments. I find using emoji symbols quite effective in getting your points across nice and easily, instead of presenting a wall of text which is really off putting, particularly if your visitor is using a mobile device to scope you out.
Even though LinkedIn gives you a dedicated 'recommendations' section, it's important you instantly give some credibility to your services by adding a couple of testimonials to the main bulk of your profile introduction. These testimonials will create engagement and encourage further scrolling.
Once you have filled out the bulk of your introductory profile as above, you can then include some links to relevant Facebook groups you run or your landing page to get them into your funnel sequence.
Aim to build relationships instead of sales off the bat
Now when I talk about 'funnels' I am not talking about the super cheesy sales pitches you see bandied about across Facebook, LinkedIn is a completely different animal to other social media channels such as Facebook, the audience there tends to be business professionals who are experienced in advertising or being advertised to, and they will probably be turned off by these sales pages, video sales letters, sleazy product/service pitches and cold email outreaches, which instantly try and go for the jugular.
LinkedIn should be about professional relationship building and using tailored messaging and nurturing to really get to the bottom of your target audience pains and business desires. your message sequences need to be crafted in such a way which allows you to really get to know the person you are messaging and build professional rapport.
Don't treat your 'experience' section like a resumé, treat them like gateways to your offers and invitations to your services
LinkedIn really allows you to dial in exactly what you do. Don't start listing the job you did when you left school...nobody really cares about that. Instead, start showcasing the problem solving solutions you can offer your audience.
Make sure you claim your vanity Linked URL. This will help rank you higher in Google and other search engines for certain searches based on your profile keywording
LinkedIn Connection Quality Vs Quantity
LinkedIn requires more 'work' than Facebook, As mentioned previously, you need to focus on relationship building in the long-term over making a quick buck in the short term. Focus on quality, relevant connections over the quantity/reach.
Like Facebook, LinkedIn has an algorithm which means your posts will be seen by a certain percentage of your connection-base, so you really need to make sure those connections count.
When connecting with LinkedIn members, you should really think about your idea customer. Where do they live? What do they do? LinkedIn has excellent search facility which allows you to begin relationship building with 1st, 2nd and 3rd connections, meeting certain prerequisites.
When requesting to connect, don't just click 'Connect', you will have the opportunity to write a connection message which will allow you to instantly try to build rapport. You can write a cookie-cutter template out which you can then copy/paste into the message connection box. This should of course be tailored towards the person you are requesting to connect with
Making the most of your network's reach
A quality network will ensure a higher quality reach. Each time a member of your network 'likes' or 'comments' on a post you make, their activity will show on their profile section, as well as in the news feed, so with quality posts may come connection requests and business from your 1st connections network.
So to summarise this article in a nutshell:
While this is a not a post where I am looking to 'sell you something', If you feel you want some extra assistance in getting your LinkedIn profile optimised for conversions, feel free to get in touch with me.