How I Upgraded My LinkedIn Status and Why You Should Too
Not very long ago the main question I had about LinkedIn was this,
“Is it spelled Linked In or LinkedIn? What’s the deal with the spacing on this word here.”
Like most people, I thought LinkedIn was sort of a virtual HR warehouse. Job seekers were able to create online resumés (aka profiles) and find connections to hiring managers. While HR professionals could search through those resumés and reach out to candidates directly.
However, in terms of social media marketing, I wasn’t LinkedIn’s biggest fan. I thought the platform was the online version of a boring networking event. You know the one where you spend the majority of your time making awkward conversation over tiny hors d’oeuvres plates of fruit and cheese.
So yeah, I just didn’t get it.
Then I talked to my online business manager, a couple of digital strategists, some social media marketers, and most of my online business friends (I may or may not be a bit stubborn sometimes), who all told me the same thing. If you want to build your brand, make connections, and generate leads, you need to include LinkedIn as part of your social strategy.
I finally listened and discovered that those experts were right. According to the 2018 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, LinkedIn is the second most important social media platform for marketers in the business to business space. So I decided to up my social media game on LinkedIn.
Here’s what I did to turn my LinkedIn profile into a social media marketing engine, and what you can do too.
Make Your Profile Summary Count
Instead of just copying and pasting the executive summary from my resumé to my profile, I actually invested time in writing a summary that explained my story and mission and was readable and interesting. Basically, I introduced myself to the LinkedIn community in an authentic way that encouraged connection.
If you plan to use LinkedIn for marketing, it’s essential that you use this approach too. The summary is the perfect opportunity for you to show your expertise and personality. Don’t waste the space on something meant for a job interview.
Add A Company Profile Page
If you are a business owner, it’s important to create a company page for your LinkedIn profile too. Your company page should include:
- a header and profile image (usually your company logo),
- a completed About Us section, and
- Key business info like your URL, address, industry, and company size.
According to LinkedIn, company pages with photos receive twice as many views as those without them. So at the very least make sure you have a couple of pictures on your page.
And the best part is once you complete your company page, you can link it to your personal profile. Then your company logo will appear next to your company name in the experience section of your profile. (I know, fancy right?)
Add Photos
Luckily, I already had pictures on my page, so my profile wasn’t just a bunch of words with a silhouette of a man in blue. However, I see profiles without photos all the time. I know some people are apprehensive about adding pictures online, but you can’t skip this step. Photos add personality to your page and tell other users that you are a real person with whom they can connect.
Make Use of Your LinkedIn Headline
Directly below your profile photo, LinkedIn gives you space to include a headline. Many people use this space just to list a job title like Immigration Attorney, but by limiting your headline to a title, you miss an important marketing opportunity.
Instead of listing your job title, try summing up what you do and who you help in about 100 characters or less. You’ll be glad you did. In addition to showing up on your profile, your headline appears right next to your name every time you post or comment. That’s added marketing value for free.
Post And Engage
Like all social media platforms, you have to post regularly and engage with other people to make it work for you. Luckily, LinkedIn isn’t as demanding on your time as some other platforms. You can post a couple times per week or even weekly and still see results. No matter how often you do it, just be sure to make an effort to be social.
Get Support
In the past, I would have tried to develop a LinkedIn strategy on my own. Am I capable of doing it? I’d like to think so. But I know that if I didn’t get support, I probably would still be “working on” my profile instead of using it.
I know spending money can be hard (it still is for me), but if you want your business to grow quickly, getting support is worth the investment. Right, Chrissie Wywrot? She is the brilliant LinkedIn strategist that helped me. If you need help, you can contact her using that link too.
Now it’s your turn. What are you going to do to upgrade your profile and status on LinkedIn? Let me know in the comments below.