I facilitated a very Successful Selling through Social Media workshop in Nashville this past Thursday. While I received a lot of positive comments about the workshop the modules that received the most positive comments were:
- Optimizing LinkedIn Profile/Headline
- Creating your LinkedIn Summary
- Learning about LinkedIn Pulse/Blogs
- Using LinkedIn for Lead Generation
- Leveraging LinkedIn Groups
Given the response to the workshop I thought I would share some of the content in this blog post.
Here are some tips to optimizing your LinkedIn profile:
- Create a professional URL:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjohnboyens
- Add a LinkedIn background photo to your personal profile
- Optimize your headline
- These 120 characters may be the most important section of your entire Profile
- Make sure your Summary speaks to your target audience
- Write the first two or three sentences about yourself (in 1st person) then write the second paragraph about your company (in 3rd person)
- Search optimize your profile
- Use keywords (or search phrases) in your profile
- List all relevant past positions
- Be sure to include keywords for each title
- Include keywords in Skills & Expertise section
- Request Endorsements & Recommendations for all positions
- Add, remove, and rearrange entire sections of your profile to build your personal/professional Brand
Once you’ve rewritten your profile ask yourself the following questions:
- Does your Headline include benefits/results (with metrics) you bring to your clients?
- Have you requested recommendations for all positions listed on your LinkedIn profile?
- Have you included keywords/search phrases in your summary, skills and experience?
Here are some keys to leveraging LinkedIn Groups:
Join groups where your customers and prospects are. You can join up to 50 Groups.
- Be active!
- Start conversations/Respond to others
- If you’re a member of the same group as another user, you can bypass the need to be a first-degree connection in order to message them
- As long as you’ve been a member of LinkedIn for at least 30 days and a member of the particular group for at least 4 days LinkedIn allows you to send up to 15 free 1:1 messages to fellow group members per month
- Identify the Group members you want to connect to/interact with
- Click on the number of Members on the top right of the group menu.
- In the “Search Members” field type in key words, titles and/ or location that you are using to filter.
- A list of members will appear. From this menu you are able to invite them to connect or send them a message, even if you are not connected!
- Click Send message
- Create your own LinkedIn Group
Using LinkedIn for lead generation allows you to:
- Warms up “cold calls”
- Control your own Lead Gen
- Easily identify Decision Makers
- Increase the size/quality of your pipeline
- Find better prospects
- Connect with new accounts
- Stay connected with existing accounts
- Close business faster!
- Better know your competition
- Know who they’re connecting with
If you are in sales I truly believe that LinkedIn is the preeminent B2B marketing/networking tool in your bag!
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