LinkedIn is a great platform; we can all agree on this. But how can we get the best out of it?
Knowing how to optimise your LinkedIn profile can take your profile from being good to great!
In a previous blog, we discussed the importance of having a strong LinkedIn profile and how it can benefit B2B Lead Generation. Now we will explain the best ways to optimise your LinkedIn profile.
So, let’s start with what we mean by optimising. Optimising is when you make the most effective use of a situation or a resource. By optimising your LinkedIn profile, you will increase your exposure and be more visible to prospects.
When optimising your LinkedIn profile, you should ask yourself the following questions:
Is my profile professional?
Is my LinkedIn persona approachable?
Do I have my company logo clearly displayed?
All of these can affect the performance of your LinkedIn page. Below we will explain how you can enhance your profile to achieve better use of this resource.
Profile Picture:
Your profile picture needs to clearly show you!
You need to look friendly. Smiling in your profile picture makes you more approachable and helps you appear more trustworthy. Dressing smartly allows you to be seen as reliable, professional, and gives a positive first impression of you and your company.
It is also a good idea to have a professional background. Having a simple background in your profile picture, or a picture that shows you at work, can add to your professional credibility.
The Banner
Your banner is the photo behind your profile picture. The banner is there as another way to showcase your brand, it is there to grab the attention of the prospect and make them want to engage with you.
The banner should clearly showcase your company logo, it should be eye-catching, it can display your company contact details, and by adding a short, powerful statement it can attract the prospect even more.
Headline:
The headline is there to tell your profile visitor what you do, it should be short and sweet.
Make it concise and compelling, it should reflect your role and skills, highlighting your strengths.
The headline should showcase what it is that you can help the prospects with. Similarly, to the banner, you want the headline to grab the attention of the prospect at first glance. You want them to be able to see what you do without much effort on their part.
Bio:
Your bio is where you can showcase your expertise.
Within your bio you want to use keywords that relate to your industry, this allows you to appear in more search results on LinkedIn.
You want to showcase your personal achievements as well as any within your company.
Using ‘I’ and only speaking about your personal accomplishments can give the impression that you are looking for a new job, and it will appear as if you are unhappy with your current position. This is a common mistake we see a lot of business owners making!
Try using we instead of I in your bio, it shows you are proud to be part of your company.
Your experience:
It is good to make sure that all your work experience is up to date and correct.
It can be misleading to prospects if your experience is not up to date or if it is different from what is said in your headline. You want your profile to be seamless and to have all the relevant information in all areas.
Having any relevant education and certificates on your LinkedIn profile will add to your professional credibility and build trust for the prospects looking through your LinkedIn profile. Following on from this, it is a good idea to include any awards you or your business have achieved or any published articles you have written.
Custom URL:
Creating a custom URL for your LinkedIn profile that includes your name, company, and job makes it easier for prospects to find you.
Having a custom LinkedIn URL adds to your credibility, it shows you are detail orientated and professional.
It is also a good idea to add your LinkedIn URL to any of your promotional and contact materials as another touch point for prospects and clients. For example, adding it to your website, putting it on any social media content you make, and displaying it on your business cards.
How to customise Your LinkedIn URL:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile.
- Click edit where it says public profile & URL (located to your right)
- This will open a new tab.
- To the right of the new page, it should say edit your custom URL, click here and you can change your URL.
There are also plenty of easy-to-follow videos online to help.
Engaging and networking:
On LinkedIn, it is important to actively engage with content and within relevant communities.
What do we mean by this?
Actively engaging means a person is committed to the success of their mission. To engage successfully on LinkedIn, you need to like and comment on other professionals’ posts, you need to join in on relevant discussions and show interest.
Actively Engaging shows that you are an approachable, friendly individual who supports other like-minded individuals and their companies. It shows that you are an active member of the LinkedIn community, and this can open doors for you professionally. Liking and commenting on other’s posts gets you and your businesses name out there, whilst keeping you in your prospect’s and client’s minds.
Posting regularly on your own LinkedIn profile and your business page will boost your exposure to a larger audience. The more you post the more likely your connections will engage with your content, allowing their connections to also see your post.
By doing this it keeps you active in the mind of the prospect, it gives a positive impression of you and your business as well as boosting your professional credibility.
Combining all the points above will optimise your LinkedIn profile and boost your LinkedIn connections. It will enable prospects and clients to see more about your business. Allowing them to get an insight into who you are and who you work with.
Have you optimised your LinkedIn to its full potential?
For more tips and tricks on LinkedIn and engaging with prospects, get in touch with us.
