How To Optimise Your LinkedIn Profile to Generate More Leads

LinkedIn currently has 810 million users across 200 countries. It is, without a doubt, one of the best platforms to have when it comes to marketing and generating leads.??

It started as a simple professional social networking site. However, its popularity and functionality have drastically grown over the past few years – and will for sure continue to rise.?

Many people have taken advantage of its functionality, and many business owners, recruiters, job seekers, and building communities have benefited from it. Unfortunately, many people aren't taking advantage of it functionally as they could be.??

Some consider it a network solely meant to connect with former and current colleagues or just going with the trend. LinkedIn can be for much more than that.??

It is currently the leading tool in finding new qualified prospects and customers, developing and building professional relationships worldwide, enhancing professional skills and recruiting talent.??

If you are a business owner and want to generate leads on LinkedIn, consider your LinkedIn profile as a marketing tool, attracting your target customers' needs instead of relying on your company page alone. Remember that its content should be an elevator pitch to potential investors or customers.?

Here is the following checklist and tips when optimising your profile:?

ATTENTION?

Attract your prospects with your cover and profile photo. It is a chance for you to show your business and personality.?

Create a compelling headline that shows your core services, and it can help your customer's challenges. This way, you hook the audience to click on your profile.?

?PROFILE PHOTO?

The profile photo gives you a great lasting impression. A good LinkedIn profile picture gives more engagement (profile views and connections). Make sure to have a profile photo that reflects your business, have the right expression, wear something you'd wear at work and make sure that your face takes up 60% of the space.?

Note: Put a colour circle on your profile to attract an audience. LinkedIn is highly visual, and if you want to catch people's attention in any way possible, you need to make some alterations from the normal ones.?

COVER PHOTO?

The cover photo should stand out. An image of your company building, the people you serve, your product and services, the tools you used on your job or your cause or mission. These things mentioned brand the organisation you represent or what you do.??

Examples:?

1. Showing credibility and your expertise?

2. Visual of what you added to your headline?

3. Your product and services

HEADLINE?

The headline is one of the most crucial search algorithms on LinkedIn. It is the most visible section aside from your profile picture. It introduces you to the newsfeed post or even in the comment section. This part also explains what you can provide or bring to the table. You can also create a headline that describes your customer's problems. Then explain briefly how you can solve those problems.?

Again, LinkedIn is highly visual, and if you want to attract your audience, using bullet points or symbols will be a big help. Think of those people you want to attract by just looking at your profile, and you can appeal directly to them using your headline.

Feel free to use these symbols by copying and pasting them into your headline:

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1?? 2?? 3?? 4?? 5?? 6?? 7?? 8?? 9?? 1?? 0?? ? ??? ?? ????????? ? ???????????????? ????? ??????????? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ?? ???????????? ?? ?? ????????? ???? ?? ?? ???????? ???????????? ???★????☆????╰☆╮★彡 * ? ■ ?? ?? ??●? ???????????????◆???????????????????????????? ?????????????????⊙??????????⊕??????????????? ??? ? ? ?????????????????????? ??? ??????????????? ??????????? ????????????????????????????????????? ???? ?? ???? ?? ?? ???????????? ?? ?? ?? ??????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????

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NOTE: Use SEO reach keywords. Your headline provides the LinkedIn ranking that decides your position when someone is searching for a service. So, hook your target audience to click on your profile by crafting searchable keywords that resonate with your core offer and your target audience's needs. It is also a way for you to create that interest and desire to stalk your profile.?

INTEREST AND DESIRE?

?SUMMARY?

The summary is the essential part of your entire LinkedIn Profile. You can introduce yourself, what kind of professional you are, and what you're offering.??

?The content should be clear, concise, and not too long. To make scanning more manageable, you can use bullet points and symbols. It also helps to highlight some important information you wanted to convey. LinkedIn only allows you to have 2000 characters, so make sure to make your summary direct to the point of what you're trying to tell.?

In addition, the level of formality is on a case-to-case basis. It depends on your industry or your intention. However, no matter how formal you want it to be, always remember to use the first-person point of view.???

?Talk about your target audience's business problems in your LinkedIn summary. Keep them interested. Let them know that you understand their pain.?

In the second part, make it a goal to convince them. You need to explain how you may approach customers' problems with your product and services. You can also add the number of people you have helped and name some.?

Lastly, the CALL TO ACTION.?

The end goal is always to direct them to what we want them to take action, whether booking a call, getting a free ebook, a free trial, etc. So, make sure to craft a message that urges them to take action by putting a call to action.?

?How to add CTA's?(photos, documents, sites, videos, and presentation)

?In your about me section, click the pen icon ??, and you will be able to see this image.??

?Upload the image and attach the link.??Please note that you are allowed to have two CTA's.??

BOOST PROFILE VISIBILITY, INCREASE CREDIBILITY AND GENERATE MORE LEADS?

CONNECTIONS?

The number of connections plays a vital role in your credibility. Having more than 500 connections shows that you are active and take investing relationships seriously. It also increases your authority when someone looks for a higher-level person.??

?Your post will have a bigger audience too. It also helps your profile appear more in search results. Having more than 500+ gets to be higher in search rankings as well.??

Thus, it gives you access to the right people you want to target. It assures you that more people are likely interested in your products and services. To put it simply, more connections mean potential leads.?

However, just because the number of connections adds up to your credibility doesn't mean that you will just be sending requests to anyone for the sake of having a high volume of connections.??

?It would still be wise to send your allotted weekly connection request to your target audience so you may be able to build a community with your target audience. You can easily nurture perfect future customers through your relevant posts and engaging them.?

?

EXPERIENCES?

Enumerating past LinkedIn experiences is essential because it introduces your professional journey. It is also an excellent way to show your expertise to your target market. The more positions you add, the more possibilities of trust will be given to you, increasing your credibility in your chosen field.??

ENDORSEMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS?

Endorsements and recommendations make people confident to work with you. The people who highly endorse you will make your profile more appealing and credible. It also proves your information in the upper section of your profile (headline, summary, and experiences). It helps you to build your professional brand and involve your network. Increasing recommendations, skills, and endorsements should be a part of the career branding strategy and should be done regularly.?

Now that you know how to optimise your LinkedIn profile - let's take your LinkedIn marketing to the next level.??

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ACTIVITIES (ENGAGEMENTS)?

Setting up a time to do some engagements is valuable. The more you engage on LinkedIn, the more likely your name will appear and attract potential customers. Same benefits as having lots of connections. The more active you are on LinkedIn, the more it will be easier for you to expand your network and establish relationships.?

Since the aim is to attract potential customers, engaging in your target market should be your priority. In this way, it will be easier for you to win them over, and you won't be wasting your time trying to engage in someone's post that is not aligned with your lead generation goal.?

POST RELEVANT AND ENGAGING CONTENT CONSISTENTLY???

Create attention-grabbing content about your products and services to attract prospects. It's all about building your brand identity and credibility without spamming your PFCs.??

Remember that everyone on social media is contesting for attention. And ATTENTION spans are quicker than ever. So, make sure your content is click-worthy.??

Talk about their challenges, ask questions about their frustrations, and present how to help them with your product and services. Asking questions that target their curiosity and challenges will urge them to engage.???

If posting relevant content regularly is too much for you, you can always create a content plan.??

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In my previous newsletter, I talked about why LinkedIn is the best platform for your IT business (https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/5-reasons-why-linkedin-best-platform-your-business-pj-davies/ ). Where I also shared that we are conducting a free webinar about Actionable Lead Generation Tips for Startups.??

If you weren't able to attend our free webinar last May 26, 2022, feel free to click this photo below to watch the replay at your most convenient time.??

If you need help with your IT business, feel free to book a call with us https://www.loadinggrowth.com/30-minute-call-with-pj