So you have a
LinkedIn profile.
Everything is set
up, yet you’re having trouble getting clients.
What gives?
Take a look at
your connections and ask yourself, how many of these professionals have I
actually interacted with after connecting with them?
Many believe
LinkedIn is all about pressing the connect button, but this is only part of the
process.
The key is to actively connect with other LinkedIn
members.
You might be
wondering how to actively connect with Linkedin members.
In this post,
we’ll cover what this process looks like while answering the following
questions:
- How can I make my LinkedIn profile look professional?
- Are there other ways to engage with LinkedIn members without cold pitching?
- How do I get more involved in the LinkedIn community?
How
do I actively connect with LinkedIn professionals?
First, understand
the difference between a LinkedIn profile and an optimized LinkedIn profile.
A LinkedIn
profile means your page is filled out like a resume. You list your experience
and contact info in a passive voice, and your brand isn’t incorporated into
your profile.
An optimized
LinkedIn profile is set up for your future clients. Your brand is implemented
throughout the page and your copy tells clients what you can do for them and
how they can contact you.
Once you’ve
optimized your page, what’s next?
Boost your social activity and increase your social proof.
Social proof is a
form of trust – if clients see others recommending your services and engaging
with your content, they’ll be inclined to reach out.
Building your social proof means posting content, engaging with other professionals, and sharing your knowledge about your business niche.
Now, let’s take a look at how to optimize your LinkedIn profile and how to kickstart the networking process…
Step
1: Optimize your LinkedIn profile (above the fold)
There are 2
factors to consider when you optimize your LinkedIn page.
First, tailor
your profile to your ideal client. The point of LinkedIn is to market yourself
as a quality employee. Create a “client persona” and answer the following
questions:
What skills are
important to my employer? How much experience do they want to see? What
keywords will stand out to them?
Keep these
answers handy as you optimize your profile.
Secondly, allow
your personality to shine on your LinkedIn page. While clients look for certain
criteria on your profile, they also want to hire someone who brings something
unique to the table.
Do you have past experience that stands out from other candidates? Does your header express yourself? How can you write a professional profile using your own voice?
Think through
these answers as they will help you accurately represent your brand on your
page.
How
can I optimize my LinkedIn profile, above the fold?
Above the fold is
the first section of your profile available to view as soon as the page loads.
It’s crucial to optimize this section and lead clients below the fold, or the
section of your profile that requires scrolling.
There are 3
important components located above the fold:
Your
profile picture
Can your profile
picture make or break your business?
A study showed that professionally-taken profile photos were 36 times more likely to receive a message.
To sum up this
question, yes, a profile photo affects your chances of being reached out to.
Think of your
LinkedIn photo as the first impression with a future client. You want to look
professional, confident, and approachable.
In other words,
avoid casual selfies and opt for a professionally-taken photo instead.
3 things you
should consider when taking a photo are:
1. High-resolution
Use a photo with
good lighting and avoid blurry uploads. A 400 x 400-pixel photo is the sweet
spot.
2. A simple background
The point of your
profile picture is to focus on your face. Take your photo in front of a solid
background and upload a photo that only shows your face and shoulders.
3. Your facial expression
Choose a photo
where you are genuinely smiling to look more approachable.
Looking for an
example?
Olga Andrienko fits all three characteristics in her profile photo.
- Olga’s photo uses great lighting to create a clear, high-resolution photo.
- The background is distraction-free and her face takes up the majority of the photo.
- Olga’s facial expression is natural. She looks approachable and friendly.
Something else to
consider when you choose a profile photo is your brand.
Jorden Roper uses her colored hair as a staple throughout her brand. While colored hair isn’t always seen as “professional,” she does a great job of using her hair to show her personality and deepen her brand.
Don’t be afraid
to express yourself as long as it meshes well with your brand and audience.
Your headline
The headline of
your profile is located under your name and tells clients what you do.
Make sure your
headline is:
1. Direct
Avoid “fluff” and
state your services clearly.
2. Concise
Write your
headline in a sentence or less.
3. Keyword-friendly
Implement
keywords tailored to your client. If you own a travel blog, use keywords such
as “writer for hire” and add a link to your site.
Here’s an example
of a lengthy headline:
I am an aspiring writer for hire who enjoys writing about
travel and lifestyle. I’ve traveled to 20+ countries and therefore have the
experience to write amazing content. Check out my website here:
www.lifestyleabroad.com.
While this
headline explains what you do and includes keywords, it’s long and indirect.
This info is better off in the about section.
Here’s an example
of the same headline using quick and concise copy:
Travel and lifestyle writer for hire –
lifestyleabroad.com
This headline
directly states what you do in only a few words and uses proper keywords. As
stated above, it meets the criteria of being direct, concise, and key-word
friendly.
Your
header
Your Linkedin
header is a secret weapon when it comes to optimization. It’s a perfect spot to
display key info about your business and show off your brand.
3 Important Parts
of a LinkedIn header Are As Follows:
1. Your logo or photo
Implement your
brand and place your logo or photo of yourself in the header. This will help
viewers connect your services with your brand.
2. A call-to-action
Direct your
client to your services with a short CTA. This can be an eye-catching phrase or
question.
3. Brand colors
Deepen your brand
with colors you use for your website, logo, and other social channels.
Donna Serdula uses all three components of an optimized header.
- Donna uses a photo of herself so clients can instantly put a face to her brand.
- The CTA, “Transform Your Future Today” leaves her visitors wanting more info.
- Her brand colors are added to the design without being too messy.
Notice how Donna
added her services at the bottom. This is a useful addition because clients can
see her brand and services all in one photo.
Start building
your header with a free graphic design platform such as Canva.
Step
2: Get social on LinkedIn
Once your
LinkedIn profile is optimized, you’ll be ready to show off your page and start
networking.
There are 2
tactics to keep in mind as you socialize with professionals.
First, share your
knowledge about your niche. Write statuses, share articles, and keep your
profile up-to-date.
Second, expand
your professional bubble. If you stick to one type of client, you’ll miss out
on other opportunities. With that in mind, take initiative and follow
well-known influencers, fellow professionals, and other business owners you can
work with.
For example, if
you’re starting a B2B marketing company and want to implement a blog, it would
be beneficial to connect with B2B writers.
Here are three ways to share your knowledge and expand your professional bubble:
Warm pitch
You may have
heard of a cold-pitch, but what about a warm-pitch?
Unlike
cold-pitching, where you reach out to strangers, warm-pitching is establishing
a relationship before you reach out.
You can
warm-pitch on LinkedIn by:
1. Following company pages
Show your
interest and follow their company page. Keep tabs on the posts they create and
share as well as other employees listed on their page.
2. Interacting with their content
Did your client
post something note-worthy? Leave a comment and let them know. Do you think
your followers would find value in their post? Share it to your feed.
These interactions
open the door to a relationship with your client. They’ll notice your interest
and may take note of your business.
The next steps
are as follows:
3. Connect with their profile
You’ve shared
their content and left comments and likes – take the initiative and connect
with them. This way, they can see the content you post and how you relate to
their niche.
4. Send a pitch
Now that you’ve
built a relationship, send them your best pitch and win over a new client!
Why
is warm pitching beneficial on LinkedIn?
Most employers
receive a ton of messages and don’t have the time to sift through them all.
Warm-pitching gives you the opportunity to show your clients interest without
filling up their inbox.
Join
LinkedIn groups
LinkedIn groups
are communities of like-minded professionals who share ideas, post questions,
and ask for feedback.
You’ll get the
most value out of a LinkedIn Group by learning helpful skills from other
members and sharing your own insight.
How
do I join a LinkedIn group?
At the dropdown
menu of the search bar, click on Groups and begin searching. Search for phrases
and keywords that match your criteria.
If you’re a
small-business owner, type in a phrase like, “entrepreneur small business” to
find groups within that niche.
I
joined a group, now what?
Once you join a
LinkedIn Group, post a brief introduction about yourself. Include your name,
what you do, and why you joined the group.
You can write
something along these lines:
Hello everyone. My name is Jessica Pereira and I’m a
Digital Marketing freelance writer. I joined this group in hopes to learn more
about how to help others grow their business. I’m excited to learn from you
all!
The point of
writing an introduction is to let others know your name, what you do, and why
you joined the group.
Feel free to
throw in a fun fact about yourself to show other interests you have.
LinkedIn
group etiquette
As you begin to
join LinkedIn Groups, you’ll notice how most emphasize the “No spamming” rule.
Groups are not meant to advertise your business. In fact, they’re made to get
away from that area of business.
Be mindful of
this rule and get to know your fellow group members instead. Participate in
discussions, share content you’ve created, and give feedback. The goal is to
expand your network by sharing information that is useful for others.
Although
advertising is a big no-no, LinkedIn Groups are still a great way to reach out
to clients by warm-pitching.
As you continue
to interact with members, you’ll most likely find a few potential clients along
the way. Get to know them, read the content they share, and take note of how
you can help their business.
Once you’ve
established a relationship, reach out to them (outside of the group) and pitch
your services.
Post
articles
You post content on
your website, social media channels, and blog, why not LinkedIn?
Studies show that 70% of customers feel more connected to companies who post custom content. This means your clients will feel more confident in connecting with someone who readily shares content.
Post articles to
share your knowledge about your niche and engage with your connections
organically.
How
can I start?
The best part
about sharing content on LinkedIn is you don’t have to create new content but
instead can repurpose old content from your blog.
You can repurpose
your content using these 2 steps:
1. Look through your long-form content
Read through old
blog posts and choose a section that’ll reach out to your LinkedIn community.
Consider sections
you want future clients to see. Form your repurposed content into a
thought-provoking and engaging post.
2. Add a call-to-action at the end of your post
Direct followers
to your website or to your emailing list using a CTA image or link.
Once your article
is ready to share, utilize hashtags to reach members outside of your network.
Make sure your hashtags are relevant to your post and targeted audience.
Check
your analytics
Once you’ve
posted an article, go to the left-hand side of your feed and click on “Views of
your Post” to check out your analytics.
LinkedIn
categorizes who has viewed your post by company, job title, and location.
Notice what audience you’re reaching out to.
Are they within
your business niche? Did anyone outside of your connections read your post?
Take these stats
and tweak your next post to further reach out to your targeted audience.
To wrap
up
LinkedIn is a powerful tool that allows you to expand your business and brand amongst other professionals. While there are many different ways to improve your LinkedIn profile, the best thing you can do is think about your clients as you navigate through this platform.
There are thousands of employers out there who are waiting to hire someone like you. Take this opportunity and reach out to them using an optimized LinkedIn page and social presence.
Related Reading:
- What To Post On LinkedIn: 15 LinkedIn Post Ideas And Examples
