Social Media

Guest post from Bryan Whittington, sales associate at Sandler Training by Peak Performance Management. An effective LinkedIn profile can be the difference in getting noticed by a prospect. As a small business owner, you need to use your time and resources wisely. Set up your LinkedIn profile the right way the first time and you’ll have an effective platform that can help generate new business leads. Most people believe their LinkedIn profile is just a networking tool that can help them get a job. Therefore, many people don’t pay much attention to it, until they are actively seeking a new position. Below are some items to consider when creating your LinkedIn page. Consistency on your page is key. If you don’t have the time to devote to maintaining and updating your profile on a weekly basis, then you might not want to waste your time. You want to show uniformity in your updates and profiles. Create a schedule for status updates and stick to it. This way people know they can count on you for fresh, new content and they will regularly check your profile. This will also put your information in front of your connections more often and prompt a possible business discussion. The headline area of a LinkedIn profile for many is wasted space. Typically users leave it as the default and it lists what their current position is. Since that information is listed elsewhere on your page, why not change it to something that’s compelling and would prompt someone to want to read more about you and your business? If a user is doing a LinkedIn search, this is the only other item they will see besides your name, so use a description that will draw them in. Your headline should also include relevant keywords. What would a prospect be searching for that you or your product and services could provide? These words should be included in your headline and throughout the other copy on your profile. You’ll then be more likely to pop up when someone is looking for your product or services in a LinkedIn search. Next, write an accurate summary in the first person that tells profile viewers exactly what you do, what client services you provide and what your point of differentiation is. Don’t forget those keywords. They will help you come up higher in a search than your competitors. Finally, seek recommendations and endorsements from your connections. Approximately 78 percent of consumers trust peer recommendations. This statistic shows the true power of a recommendation or endorsement. If a sale comes down to you and one other person, your recommendations or endorsements could be the deciding factors. Only give recommendations or endorsements to people you have actually done work with and truly deserve them. If those people feel like you deserve it, they will typically return the favor. Now that you’ve got an effective and compelling profile, it’s time to get in front of your prospects and start generating leads. Jump into the discussions in your LinkedIn Groups or answer some questions in LinkedIn Answers. You will notice a dramatic increase in the amount of views your page gets and – combined with an effective profile – more people could reach out to you for your services. For more valuable information, download our complimentary eBook, “Tools to Help Enhance Rapport with Your...