Ask our Experts: How to Make the Most of Your LinkedIn
So, you have a LinkedIn profile… now what? We were able to sit down with Heather Doering, our resident LinkedIn guru, to get all the information you need to optimize your LinkedIn profile. Learn more about what to post (and what not to), how to create an ideal content schedule, and increase your digital presence by making the most of this social platform.
Heather is the owner of Ace Strategies, which was founded eight years ago. Ace Strategies helps those looking to build a strong brand on LinkedIn and find the right people with which to make connections. Heather holds a BA in Psychology from Michigan State University, which gives her a unique perspective when analyzing her clients’ profiles. She describes what she does as, “Throwing a lifeline to business people who are struggling to use LinkedIn.”
Someone just created their first profile. What should be at the top of their to-do list?
Well, first, you want a professional picture. It doesn’t need to be anything high-budget, but a nice shoulders up photo where you are well-dressed with a smile showing teeth, which studies have shown make you look more trustworthy. Next, update your banner image. You can brand it, put your logo up there, just make it more personal to you. I’ve seen people put the skyline of their city up. It doesn’t have to be anything overly complicated. The third thing is when you’re creating your summary, or about you section on LinkedIn, we have a tendency to list all the things that you can do or things that you’ve accomplished. Nobody cares. If you weren’t good at what you do, you probably wouldn’t be in business. What you want to use that section for is to talk about who you help and how you help. And again, focusing on the pain points and the struggles that you’ve seen clients experience. Maybe put in a little story or client testimonial. Again, it seems a little bit counterintuitive. This is business, but at the end of the day, people want to feel like you understand what their challenges and struggles are and that you are the person that’s going to fix the issue. Often people are not approaching you because you’re qualified. It’s because people resonate with your message and who you are. Highlight what it is that differentiates you as an individual. Explain why a person should choose you over a competitor. You need to make people comfortable and communicate how your business will help them.
Why should IT providers specifically have a LinkedIn page or optimize their profile if they already have one?
They should create a business page for the sole purpose of populating their logo. I don’t necessarily think that every business needs to run a business page consistently. I think for many small business owners, it’s more about making connections and building a reputation, as opposed to putting information on a business page. Back in the day, when LinkedIn really started to come into the forefront of the business community, it was more of a job portal. So your profile was set up very similar to a resume, and that isn’t necessary anymore. For many people who are using LinkedIn for business purposes, your profile really should be set up to start a conversation. So I think it’s important for tech providers, as well as anyone who is trying to build those relationships, to have an account where people find you, and then be interested in you or your company.
Pro Tip: You don’t have to overhaul everything on your profile right away, but there are some small changes you can implement today to improve your LinkedIn profile :
What are some common misconceptions about LinkedIn?
That LinkedIn is Facebook for businesses. LinkedIn, first and foremost, is a business platform, and it’s filled with busy business people. So it is not intended for constant updates and non-business related content. Another misconception people have is that LinkedIn is a sales platform. LinkedIn is becoming a much more crowded space, and there are a lot of great automation tools, which are allowing people to reach a larger audience consistently. This leads to users attempting to sell their service, as opposed to building and cultivating relationships, which could, of course, lead to a sale down the road. So it’s really important to understand not only the purpose of the platform but how to use it. LinkedIn was really designed to add value to professionals’ lives.
What are some of the most common struggles your clients approach you with?
A lot of our clients struggle with content. Whether it’s them feeling unsure of what to post, or maybe they are confident in posting, but their posts are not driving engagement. When it comes to what to post, quotes are always a great option. A relevant quote with some nice visuals typically receives a higher rate of engagement. Pictures of yourself is also a good piece of content. A picture of your face is what we call a “scroll-stopper.” When people see a face they recognize, they stop what might have been mindless scrolling and are more likely to interact with the post. As for a lack of engagement, most of the time, the solution is adjusting how the content is being presented. With the majority of us sitting at our computers for 10 hours a day, we are overwhelmed with information. When posting content, you need to use language to differentiate yourself from the rest of your viewer’s page, especially for tech providers who may use jargon that would go over their audience’s head. Just altering that language to seem more conversational and approachable is a great start. It’s also helpful to follow the 80/20 rule. Post about your business, around 20% of the time, but have the other 80% content be about other relevant topics. So if you’re posting five days a week, one post a week is about your business, and the other four are not. And that may seem counterintuitive, but it’s really about your audience. What is going to impact them in a way that they will pay attention to?
What would you say is a frequent issue your clients encounter that they may not recognize as an issue?
I think it comes back to figuring out how to sell on LinkedIn without selling. And in conjunction with that, how do you add value to the lives of the people in your community? Because at the end of the day, you want clients, you want profit, you all want those things, but the start of most companies is from wanting to solve a problem and help others. So how can you use LinkedIn to better your community? I think when the focus shifts a little bit, the message sounds much more authentic, which makes things better all around.
When it comes to posting content, should quality over quantity typically be the rule?
Quality should always win. As I said earlier, we are just inundated with information. So if you’re putting out content that is really lacking in quality, people are going to get irritated and aren’t going to pay attention anymore. That being said, you do want consistency because, first and foremost, you want LinkedIn’s algorithm to be working in your favor, and it does favor regularity. And it is important for exposure! You’re not going to really start to build that brand if your content schedule is very sporadic, and you post infrequently. If you can only post once a week, post once a week, but look at some of the data and analytics. Figure out when that once-a-week post should be to maximize engagement. Then when people engage with the post, it will drive the LinkedIn algorithm so that more and more people will see it.
Tackling social media can be difficult, particularly with constant changes. In todays’ environment where we’ve replaced face-to-face meetings with virtual ones, having a strong digital presence is an absolute necessity to a successful marketing strategy. It can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to struggle alone! With Heather’s recommendations, you can begin to put your best virtual foot forward. Even the smallest changes can have a lasting impact, leading to increased visibility and more quality connections.