In our previous article in this series on Social Media Marketing, we gave an overview of Social Media and the important part it plays in being found ahead of your competitors. We particularly looked at LinkedIn as a platform for growing a network and building a sustainable pot of contacts which can generate leads.
This article aims to run through some important features of your LinkedIn profile which you should be making use of. An incomplete profile can turn potential customers off and result in missed opportunities. So how can you maximise the effectiveness of your LinkedIn profile?
- Upload a Profile Photo - This is an important part of your professional profile. It allows potential customers or employers to put a face to the name. It encourages trust and shows you to be a “real” person who takes networking and new opportunities seriously. Uploading a company logo is acceptable but really you should be using LinkedIn to forge personal relationships which can lead to new business opportunities. Admittedly, I’ve been guilty of resorting to using the Acuras logo instead of my mug-shot. This is definitely on my list of to-dos to change! LinkedIn has a whole section devoted to companies so your company logo and details can be added here instead of your personal profile.
- Include an informative “Professional Headline” - Explain what you do (and where you do it). As an example, “Internet Marketing Consultant in High Wycombe” could be classed as a good description. Sure, it could be tweaked or added to, but it gets the message across and will benefit you when people search for “Internet Marketing in High Wycombe”. A poor example of a personal tagline would be “MD of Acuras” all on its own. This doesn’t tell viewers of your profile anything about what you do or where you do it.
- Make use of your extended description. In the “Summary” section of your profile you can add in more details about what you do and what services you offer. Make sure you cover all of your main offerings, again, to avoid any missed opportunities. Don’t miss out your “Specialties” either.
- Fill in details of your past experience - You should add previous jobs and experience to your profile in order to build a more complete profile. Relevant jobs and experience are preferable as they show potential buyers / employers what experience you have relevant to their needs.
- Fill in details of your Education (past & present) - Professional qualifications can boost your personal image, and show you as academically accomplished. It can also be a nice way to build common ground with potential customers if they have been to the same schools or universities as you. You’d be amazed at how such a simple thing can act as a great starting point for a conversation and open up new opportunities.
- Get personal recommendations - Last time I checked, getting 100% profile completion according to LinkedIn requires at least 2 recommendations from other LinkedIn members. Obviously the LinkedIn “Profile Completeness” guage isn’t the be all and end all, but it’s a nice indicator. And just to be clear, once you get to 100% completeness according to LinkedIn, don’t stop requesting recommendations! So how do you get recommendations on LinkedIn? A good way is to recommend other professionals you know and who you feel deserve a recommendation (worthwhile clarifying this!) and likely they will reciprocate. Requesting recommendations from a few key clients with polite covering notes explaining the reason for the request can also be beneficial.
- Integrate your LinkedIn profile with your Twitter account & Blog - Remember that an important part of Internet Marketing is about being seen and in front of your prospects on a regular basis. Keeping your profile up to date with regular status updates and Blog posts etc… is an unobtrusive way of staying in front of those who check their LinkedIn network activity (either by email or on the LinkedIn website for example).
In the last point above I mentioned Twitter, so how exactly should Twitter play a part in your Social Media Marketing strategy. Tune in next time for Part 3 of this series to find out! Nothing quite like a cliff-hanger to end an article! I hope you enjoyed the read and you’ll pop back again soon…
Interested in learning more? Talk to us!
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Email: info@acuras.co.uk
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