“Lost on LinkedIn? Most Entrepreneurs are and it’s not your fault,” says Marketing Strategist, Diana M. Needham. “You likely have been taught to view LinkedIn as the place for job seekers and your profile content reads like a resume.” As the largest professional network in the world, LinkedIn now boasts 300 million users across 200 countries. These are all professionals looking to network, to find partners, and to grow their businesses.
The site is considered an authority site by Google, so if someone has only your name and does a Google search, your LinkedIn profile comes up generally on the first page of the search results.” The question is: Do you feel good about what they are seeing?
Needham shares her top 7 tips for boosting your online reputation by leveraging your LinkedIn profile page.
(1) Use a professional headshot; not something cropped from a family vacation photo or a picture that is over 10 years old.
(2) Leverage those 120 characters in your title as your attention-getting headline. Use a keyword that is being searched for what you offer, so that your profile comes up in the search results when someone is looking for that offer.
(3) Craft your summary so it speaks to your ideal client, their problems, and how you can help them. The biggest mistake you can make is to focus your summary on you, your credentials and awards, rather than your prospect or client.
(4) Tell your profile visitors what to do next in your summary. Do you want them to call you? Connect with you on LinkedIn? Go to your website and get your free report/checklist/video/.pdf that will really help them? Be explicit in what action you want them to take next.
(5) Gather and exhibit social proof of your work and how you help clients. Solicit written recommendations from past or current clients to showcase your expertise. Select the top skills you want to be known for and secure endorsements.
(6) Build your network to 500+ connections as quickly as you can. Consider all the people you know who are professionals and send customized connection requests. The requests can be just a few sentences; always make the note customized. Baffled about who to invite to connect with you? Consider friends, family, social connections, current clients, previous clients, past managers and colleagues, connections with groups and clubs, and your professional circles. Why? Having 500+ connections is proof that you are not only well connected; you have visibility and credibility.
(7) Share your knowledge and expertise with your groups and connections. Post valuable content and engage in discussions where you can add value to your LinkedIn community.
To connect with Diana Neddham and learn more, go to: http://www.DianaMNeedhamMarketing.com.