Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
If we were to tell you that LinkedIn has been around longer than Facebook, Twitter and Instagram you probably wouldn’t believe us.
Since 2002 LinkedIn has grown to 575+ Million registered members across 200 countries. Based on these numbers, it’s safe to say that having a great LinkedIn profile is pretty significant in the modern business world.
In the past, LinkedIn has been one of the leading ways companies recruit new hires, but in 2019 it’s also used by individuals or companies to grow their business by connecting with, and engaging prospective customers. If this is the reason, you want to use LinkedIn, having an optimized profile is vital.
By following a few simple LinkedIn profile tips, your new online first impression can be upgraded in no time.
But before letting you in on some top LinkedIn secrets.
Meet Geoff… Geoff is a Financial Advisor looking to use LinkedIn to grow his book of business for his financial firm Push Finance.
Geoff has one major problem which is holding him back. His LinkedIn profile is incomplete, and he hasn’t been getting a great response so far in his attempts to look for new clients.
Disheartened, Geoff asks his friend John for some advice. John has successfully gained new business through LinkedIn in the past because he followed the CoPilot AI LinkedIn profile tips... 😉
So Geoff gathers John is a bit of a LinkedIn guru… Geoff asks John for his uncensored opinion on his profile. Immediately, John tells Geoff in no uncertain terms:
Geoff appreciates the advice, even if John’s delivery is not the most subtle. Imagine for a minute Geoff has sent you an invitation to connect on LinkedIn. You’ve received a message from him asking you to connect. Intrigued, you click on Geoff’s profile interested to know what he does.
You see Geoff’s title and summary, but his title doesn’t convey what he does and simply reads ‘FA at Push Finance,’ and his summary just mentions his previous jobs. Your immediate thought, upon receiving Geoff’s request is…“Why are you connecting with me”? On this basis, you reject Geoff’s connection request.
(Breaking Geoff’s heart…cue the violins)
Geoff’s LinkedIn profile is that it reads like an online resume.
(Booooriiiiiiiiiiiiiing….)
Think about it, if Geoff sent you a connection request and was looking to do business with you, would you really be concerned with where he worked in 2006? Or would you be interested in what problem Geoff can help you solve, based on his experience and expertise?
If someone can’t tell within 10 seconds of looking at your profile what it is you do or what service you’re providing, then the chances of them wanting to talk to you are significantly reduced, and your LinkedIn profile needs some work.
So let’s look at some ways to help out Geoff with his profile with our LinkedIn profile tips hopefully, mending that broken heart and simultaneously help out your LinkedIn profile in the process.
We're going to assume that everyone reading this has a LinkedIn profile (if not get your head in the game).
So, step one is having a LinkedIn profile.
Step two is upgrading it with our LinkedIn profile tips to make it fully effective to do business.
Here is what to consider:
According to LinkedIn’s own statistics, users who have a profile photo receive 21 times more profile views and 9 times more connection requests. No one is going to connect with a faceless ghoul.
So even if you ignore all of our tremendous advice that we've given, at least have a profile photo!
A professional looking picture taken in a well lit bright environment will no doubt boost these numbers further. Ask yourself, who would you rather work with; someone with a well-lit photo and a professional looking demeanor, or someone with a dimly lit gloomy looking picture?
(Think Voldemort from Harry Potter…would you really want to work with him? The answer is hopefully pretty obvious). Some easy to follow tips:
• Make sure your photo is taken in a well-lit environment.
• Smile! Believe it or not, people prefer working with a smiley, happy person.
• Be Professional: If your working in a professional field, it’s essential to establish yourself as someone who takes their job seriously. Dress for success.
When crafting your headline, it’s important to keep in mind what you want your LinkedIn profile to convey. For example, are you looking for new opportunities? Or are you simply looking to let people know what you do? Base your headline on your own personal objectives.
Back to Geoff… Geoff wants to make his headline professional yet straightforward, so new connections and potential clients know what he does.
After some advice from John (A.K.A The LinkedIn Guru) he updates his headline to: ‘Financial Advisor at Push Finance — Helping Clients Safeguard Their Financial Future.’
Geoff trial runs this new headline by sending a few connection requests to people he wants to reach out to. The response is excellent, and Geoff’s new connections are intrigued by what he does and what services he has to offer.
Geoff is ecstatic with these new results and thanks to John for the advice. So, what’s changed?
By making these changes, Geoff’s headline is now concise and to the point, but also it’s creative in describing what he does. By changing ‘FA at Push Finance’ to ‘Financial Advisor at Push Finance,’ it’s now much clearer to people who aren’t familiar with Geoff as to what he does.
Also, by using the phrase: ‘Helping Clients Safeguard Their Financial Future.’ Geoff is showing that he brings that all important financial security to clients and his headline now piques interest and leaves people wanting to know more.
Imagine you had 30 seconds to tell someone the most important things about your career or profession…
What would you say?
(Hint, cut the fluff)
Your summary acts as a short, concise elevator pitch about yourself. So be sure to include 3–5 sentences that describe:
Your years of experience in your industry.
Your area of expertise.
The types of organizations you’ve worked with.
What you’re most known for professionally.
At the end of your summary insert a brief call to action. Something like: ‘If I can be of help to you, feel free to reach out to me at *office number * *email address* *corporate website*.’
Make it as easy as possible for someone to be able to get in contact with you. By doing this, you’re showing you’re reliable, accessible and open to having conversations. The End Result
Let’s find out what happened to Geoff…
A few months go by, and John gives Geoff a call to see how things have gone since Geoff made the changes to his LinkedIn profile. Geoff is ecstatic and gleefully tells John:
After taking John’s advice, Geoff has had a real upturn in his business.
Through making his profile picture more professional, crafting a great headline and writing a compelling summary, Geoff’s business is booming, and John is pleased to see his old friend happy again.
Yaaaaay!
So, by now if you’ve followed these three steps you should be well on your way to having a smooth and slick LinkedIn profile. Congrats your LinkedIn profile is now updated and you’re ready to take on the professional world.
If you want to learn more about how to upgrade your LinkedIn profile, book a time to chat below.
We’re social prospecting experts and we’re here to help.
