For many businesses and individuals, having a strong professional online presence is so important. In a world where everything is done almost digitally — having a weak online persona can really hurt your business. This is especially true for companies and entrepreneurs who mainly find customers and clients on the web. For example, SaaS companies, digital marketing agencies, and so on. Therefore, having a good professional presence equates to a good reputation in business.
When it comes to online presence, social media is the most critical platform to focus on. There’s a reason why Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok are the most financially lucrative marketing channels — it’s because everybody hangs out online these days. And for professionals, LinkedIn is the #1, the unbeatable platform in terms of professional networking. In fact, many companies have LinkedIn pages as their primary social media account. Usually, companies use their pages for lead generation on LinkedIn, build their brand following or gain new clients.
Are you a new LinkedIn user? Perhaps you do have an account, but you’re not sure how to improve it. How do you turn connections into clients? How do you use LinkedIn automation tools to speed up your growth? Read on to learn how to make the most out of your LinkedIn page.
The Importance of Having a Strong LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn profiles are important brand identifiers for many entrepreneurs and businesses. Whether you’re an owner of a non-profit, startup, or huge multi-million business, your LinkedIn profile is where you should define your brand’s purpose, capabilities, culture, and voice on the platform.
Think of your LinkedIn profile as the face of your business online — similar to your website. It’s the best platform to share updates, spread awareness, and build relationships with your community. When customers or potential clients want to learn more about your company, your LinkedIn profile should give them essential information.
If you have a LinkedIn page but are not receiving enough engagements or leads from potential clients, read on. The tips below will help you craft the best LinkedIn page for your brand.
How to Create the Perfect LinkedIn Page
- Upload a good profile picture
Pictures can speak a thousand words, which means that your profile photo can speak enough about what you are as a professional. Someone who has a selfie for a profile picture might look unemployable and careless. While someone with a formal and high-quality photo can look respectable and intelligent.
This also applies to company pages. Companies without profile pictures are visited less than those with good profile photos. Choosing a profile photo for your company is easy — it should simply be your company logo.
Among all the things in your profile, it’s your profile picture that greatly affects how people perceive you. So, how do you make a good impression with your photo? Here are some great tips:
- Your LinkedIn profile photo should show a clear image of how you look in real life professional setting. It shouldn’t be a photo of you that’s dated five years ago. Or a photo of you in casual clothing.
- You should look approachable and friendly in your LinkedIn photo. Avoid weird expressions and instead, do a slight smile. A smiling photo of yourself will likely draw more attention and radiate a cheerful aura.
- Your picture should be a headshot and shouldn’t also be too large. Your head should just cover around 60% of the whole picture. You should also show your head, neck, and the top of your shoulders. Body pictures are best posted on Facebook or Instagram.
- Choose a great background photo
Your LinkedIn background photo is another part of your profile that can easily grab a visitor’s attention. Just like your profile picture, the background is the first thing people see when they visit your profile.
Unlike your profile picture which is usually professional, your background is where you can show your personality. If you want your background photo to be creative and stand out from the rest, here are some ideas:
- Use a photo of your workspace. It can be a picture of your desk or your workspace in the office setup.
- Use an image that represents you, your company, or your brand.
- Use an image of an award or accomplishment you or your company has received.
- Use a photo that shows your hobbies and interests. Or an image of a quote that inspires you.
- Use the right keywords and avoid using buzzwords
Keywords are important for your LinkedIn profile. Relevant keywords help your profile rank better on search. This means that recruiters, potential clients, or customers will find you easier when they search LinkedIn. However, overused professional buzzwords can also turn them away. Buzzwords are generic words that have become so cliche in LinkedIn. Examples of such words are experienced, passionate, motivated, creative, etc.
When writing your headline, use keywords that speak to who you are and your capabilities. It should sound compelling, specific, and relevant to your industry. Don’t hesitate to make it longer— great headlines are often seven to twelve words long! For example:
- Instead of simply saying “Digital Marketer” try to be more specific like “Digital Marketing Manager specializing in Product Marketing and B2B Customer Experience”
- Instead of simply saying “Software Developer Student”, highlight your knowledge like “JavaScript Developer, Front and Back End, Seeking Full-Time Software Enginner Job”.
When writing your “About Us” or “About Me” section strive for a succinct paragraph with less than 2000 characters. Your About section is the first thing most people will take the time to read. You want this part to be informative but not too long.
Also, don’t forget to use the right keywords while telling your company story or your professional story. This part should tell people why you or your company is valuable. If you don’t know what to put in this section, try answering the following questions:
- What is your job?
- What do you offer?
- Where are you based?
- What are your mission/goals?
- How can clients or recruiters contact you?
- Grow your connections
Building your network and having a lot of high-quality connections is good for your LinkedIn page. The more connections you have within your industry, the more you’ll be exposed to the things that are happening in your industry. However, growing your LinkedIn connections is easier said than done. To get high-quality connections on the platform, you should consider doing the following:
- Personalizing your Linkedin connection requests. Don’t just add people without context. Let them know how you found them and why you would want to connect.
- Joining other LinkedIn groups. Groups offer the best place to connect with people in your industry.
- Engage with your existing connections. Just a simple “Congratulations on your new job!” or a simple comment and like on their posts can add depth and meaning to your relationships.
- Posting content regularly. Content can be anything — images, small posts, articles, videos, etc. When posting, also aim for maximum impact by posting at the best time. There are tools that can help you determine what is the best time for posting on LinkedIn.
- Showcase your skills
The Skils and Endorsement section is another important part of your LinkedIn profile. In this section, a user can list all his professional skills and other users can endorse them for it. If you’re applying for jobs, recruiters will visit your profile and take a look at your skills. If you have the skills they want plus have endorsements from other skilled people, you may have higher chances of getting the job.
- Use specific call-to-action
A strong call to action (CTA) is crucial for your LinkedIn profile. Without it, you’ll have a page that lacks engagement. You will be on the radar but without a nudge to your potential customers or clients, you can lose leads. So, what are the top best call to action for company pages? Here are examples:
- Visit our website.
- Sign up.
- Register
- Learn more
- Contact us
- Include recommendations
Recommendations are proof of your competency in your professional career. They help improve your employability. They can even act as ladders towards getting a job. LinkedIn users with a lot of recommendations tend to do better than those without them. Imagine if you’re a recruiter, would you hire someone who has no social proof of their skills than someone who is vetted and trusted by a lot of people?
- Use automation tools for tasks
Automation tools are basically software that can boost your overall LinkedIn growth. They can help you find leads, increase your connections, and improve your engagement on the website. Some advanced automation tools can even track your success and analyze data for you.
Conclusion
LinkedIn may not be the most popular social media platform, but if you’re growing a business, it’s the best place to be. Succeeding in LinkedIn will not only prove your authority in your industry — but it will also boost sales and maybe even help you land the best opportunity in your career! I hope the tips above have helped you create the perfect LinkedIn profile and company page for your brand.
