Growing your network has always been an advantage when it comes to a successful business. But today, growing your online network has become even more important; especially on LinkedIn. While other social networks like Facebook let you show your unprofessional or more laid-back side to colleagues, LinkedIn gives you the chance to introduce yourself as a professional while still allowing you to showcase your own style. Having a complete, fully optimized LinkedIn profile is vital if you want to keep growing your business network, and knowing how to use it to gather sales leads can lead to incredible company growth, as well. Here are a few tips for optimizing LinkedIn and using it to your advantage.
Write a good headline
The headline part of the LinkedIn page gives you a great opportunity to make an instant impression on profile viewers. However, it can be tough to know exactly what to write to make it engaging while still telling your network what you do. Here are a few tips for writing a great headline:
- Say what you are
- Say who you help
- Say how you make their life/work better
- Give proof that you are credible
Your LinkedIn headline is valuable real estate and maybe the only part of your profile that a recruiter or hiring manager actually looks at. Don’t do what everyone else does and just use your title/employer for your LinkedIn headline. Use your LinkedIn headline to show undeniable proof that you are credible and unique in a good way.
Write an engaging and concise summary
The most crucial part of your LinkedIn profile is the summary, simply because people can use it to learn more about you and get a first impression of your profession and skills. The summary will also help make your profile visible in search results, and LinkedIn even offers its Premium users a keyword optimization tool for this section.
When writing, look for the best keywords for your sector and write your summary with them in mind. Use all (or close to) the 2,000 characters that LinkedIn allows you, and use it to talk about your skills, recent successes, and professional strengths.
Start creating original content
Once you’ve fully optimized your LinkedIn profile, it’s time to start using it to gather sales leads. Regularly creating engaging posts that establish you as an influencer within your industry will help make you more of a go-to source when potential leads decide to seek out information on products and services like the ones you offer. It’s also a great way to connect with old clients or prospects that can get a firsthand example of how you are relevant and can help them in their new role or industry.
Run paid campaigns to get your profile noticed
LinkedIn offers a number of ways for you to reach out to potential sales leads who are not already connections, including via the use of sponsored content, ads, or InMail direct message campaigns. Regardless of which form of paid placement you use, it’s usually best to target prospects who are already familiar with you or your company.
One method is by using LinkedIn to serve retargeting ads to your recent website visitors. You can also upload a list of your own customers or qualified prospects. If you decide to prospect more broadly, consider targeting people who may not know your company but who are at least familiar with your upcoming trade show. By using a combination of organic, manual, and paid reach, you can continually grow your circle of influence and reach out to core prospects before or after important trade shows.
Track website visitors
LinkedIn is a great tool to manually track down hot sales prospects. One of the best ways to do this is to monitor the companies that have recently visited your website. If you’re using a Customer Relationship Management tool such as Hubspot or SalesForce, you can typically see these company visits within the software’s interface. A quick check of the company employee roster on LinkedIn can reveal a list of key staff, one of whom might be the person who recently visited your website. A few well-placed calls, InMails, and LinkedIn connection requests can get your name and contact information in front of key personnel at this critical sales conversion point.
Once you start optimizing LinkedIn and using it to generate sales, you’ll realize how essential it is to growing your business!