How to stand out on LinkedIn? Get to know these 7 tips and generate PRO level leads.
Presence on LinkedIn can be a kind of game-changer in your career. Regardless of whether you are a freelancer, trader or business owner – ensuring a systematic influx of new customers is probably one of the pillars of your business. Below, read the seven proven tips that will help you monetize your presence on the largest business portal with an international reach.
Below you will find tips that will help you generate customers from LinkedIn!
# 1 Use the power of a business portrait
Professional business photography is a response to the growing demand of people who care about building a professional image on the web. This explains why it is worth paying attention to the selection of the appropriate photo when updating your profile on LinkedIn. It is quite common practice to publish photos from a few years ago that do not reflect the current look, or – even worse – to post a photo taken, for example, with a poor-quality mobile phone camera against a dark wall or from a private album. Such practices do not build trust and the desired image – so if you want the first virtual impression to be as beneficial as possible – use the services of a professional photographer.
The style of such an approach depends, among others, on from the industry – a representative of a creative profession such as a graphic designer can allow himself much more freedom than, for example, a lawyer. One thing is certain – downplaying the importance of a profile picture can be disastrous! If you want to make the best impression, take care of every element of your profile that can help you attract customers.
# 2 Complete your headline and summary – show who you are
Generating leads is based primarily on contact with another person. Regardless of whether you represent a company from the B2B or B2C segment – remember that there is always a person on the other side. The H2H approach, i.e. human to human, is gaining in importance and is replacing previously established patterns of conduct. So if you want to successfully acquire customers – make your profile encourage further exploration. How can this be done?
As part of the summary of your previous work experience and headline, focus on presenting the benefits for your potential client. Instead of, for example, writing that you are an experienced salesperson – it is worth emphasizing that you specialize in providing effective strategies for acquiring customers from foreign markets, if, for example, you are at ease in developing Google Ads campaigns on the international arena. This works much more effectively than “certified Google Ads specialist”.
Act on the imagination of your potential customers, answer their needs and use the acquired knowledge to open the hearts and wallets of your target group. Thanks to this, generating leads on LinkedIn will run more efficiently for you than for the competition.
What else do you need to know about a career summary?
First of all – do not be afraid to use the field intended for a career summary. You don’t have to have several decades behind you to complete them. Treat it as a condensed form of your self-presentation, which will also be search engine friendly. Practice shows that the summary field, due to its short, but clearly visible form on the profile, effectively catches the eyes of recipients and can work in your favor thanks to the optimal placement of keywords related to your industry. According to current trends – the content of the summary should be divided into 3 short paragraphs containing max. 2-3 sentences.
# 3 Create a clear link pointing to your profile
In achieving the desired effect, it will also help to create a unique link pointing to your profile on LinkedIn – as a rule, it is displayed as a string of letters and numbers. In order for the link to consist of your name and surname, simply click on the icon with your photo, and then go to the option of editing the public profile and specifying the URL address. The link in this personalized form looks much “neater” than its original version.
# 4 Make your LinkedIn profile more attractive with external links
The LinkedIn platform offers links to your current professional achievements. They can be saved, for example, as a video or PDF pointing to an expert article you created. It is worth using this functionality and presenting your previous publications from external sources. Collecting such interactive materials will help the potential client to revise your knowledge and skills, regardless of the industry you represent.
Customer acquisition is based, among other things, on building trust – presenting a fraction of your achievements is a good opportunity to convince a potential audience of your skills. Also, make sure that these materials are updated regularly – thanks to this, you will show that you are not resting on your laurels and that you are constantly working on achieving your goals.
# 5 Expand your network of contacts
The starting point of your actions should also be concern for the expansion of your network of professional contacts. First, find your former and current colleagues and business partners. Successive expansion of your network will help you in the future in direct contact with a wider audience.
What’s more – gathering an audience allows you to reach your publications and entries to a wider audience. People from your network will see your publications and recommendations. It is, in a way, one of the forms of maintaining contact with these people in a non-intrusive way. It is also an excellent form that allows you to emphasize your presence on LinkedIn and share content.
When expanding your network of contacts, it is good practice to add a personalized message to such invitations – this has a positive impact on the acceptance and perception of you as a real contact, not an automated device for generating leads.
You must remember that on a subconscious level, potential contractors place greater trust in profiles with an extensive network of contacts. They see it as an expression of trust on the part of people who are in such a business network. Trust is an example of the currency of the future – this explains why it is worth making the effort to expand your network of contacts on LinkedIn.
# 6 Be proactive and share your knowledge
Engaging in discussions focused on your industry can bring better results than classic cold-calling and with a lower cost. A strategy based on social selling requires, first of all, regularity and focusing on cutting coupons in the long term. Active involvement in topics that touch your target group is not only one of the strategies that allows you to get leads, but also build an image of an expert. Effective creation of a personal brand is the result of many factors, and such pro bono sharing of knowledge is one of the ways that will pay off in the future. The key here, however, is regularity and following topics that are important to your clients. Focusing your communication on empathetic response to the needs of your environment is an indispensable element of social selling.
Be where your customers are, discuss and get noticed!
# 7 Accentuate your experience with references
You can successfully emphasize your expertise or soft skills, even if you do not have impressive experience in your CV – ask your superiors, colleagues or clients to share their impressions of the jointly conducted project through you. Such testimonials work on the imagination – after all, this is second-hand information, not the effect of your self-presentation. So if you care about gaining trust as one of the stages before acquiring customers – gather a few recommendations that will allow you to build your positive image.
Generating leads on LinkedIn is the sum of many activities
The image of professional consists of several factors – from a profile picture relevant to the industry, professional summary, through linking your successes in external sources, to testimonials from other clients. Thanks to the holistic approach to conducting your activity on LinkedIn, you have a chance to develop a model in which potential contractors visit your profile even when you are asleep! Engaging in discussions that move your target group and provide them with substantive knowledge is a step in the right direction. If you take care of consistency and presenting easily digestible content – in the long run, you can count on cutting off coupons from your efforts. Why? Your network of contacts is likely to notice your statements, which will positively influence the consolidation of your expert image. What’s more – engaging in such discussions in groups that aggregate your potential customers can be treated as one of the strategies based on a long-term lead generation plan.
Make your LinkedIn profile stand out
Generating leads on LinkedIn is worth starting with working on your own profile. The battle for the customer’s attention continues – even when your computer is turned off and you engage in activities other than active searching for customers. Step-by-step implementation of the tips presented above will help you tame this business platform. The key to the expected success is to emphasize your previous achievements and accumulated skills, but above all – to build trust in the potential recipient in accordance with the postulates of the human to human approach.