Using Keywords to Supercharge your LinkedIn profile

Hi All,

Welcome to the March edition of Social for Growth. Yes, I know it's April, but with Easter and various illnesses in our house, I was a little late publishing this. And let's face it: you probably didn't want to read about keywords and optimising your LinkedIn profile over the Bank Holiday weekend.

This month, I have spent a lot of time learning, implementing, and talking about the importance of keywords on social media (especially on LinkedIn). And how you can use them to improve your appearance in the search feed and ensure that what you see on LinkedIn is relevant to your business.?

In other news, it's been a good month with some interesting projects. I've been working alongside the UK Metrology Board to develop a marketing strategy for their business. The Sussex Cider brand I work with Mel Barfield on has increased its sales by 500% in the same period last year via the power of email marketing. And continued to deliver clarity and accountability sessions for individual business owners.??

To be honest, though, I would love some more work. If you or anyone else you know needs help and support with social media and/ or email marketing, I would love to hear from you.

Enough about that, though; in this Newsletter, I will be sharing tips on:

??Beating that content block and finding inspiration for content.?

????How to optimise your profile on LinkedIn using keywords.

????The relationship between social media and search engines and how to marry the two.

5 ways to Beat the Block and Find Inspiration for Your Content

Let's face it: even if you have nailed your message and love sharing content about your business, there will be times when the ideas for email, blog, video, and social media content just don't flow! ??

Don't worry. There are many ways to get back in the zone without posting a picture of your cat ??or your lunch ??(although this is also perfectly acceptable). Here are my top 5:

1. Take a break: Good ideas come when you have headspace. So, if you are feeling frustrated, put down your phone, close those social media apps and focus on something else. It will give you the headspace you need, and that break will provide you with some much-needed social media content.?
2. List all the good things that happened to you last month, week or even that day. They don't need to be work-related!! You'll find some things to share, feel more positive, and give people an all-important peek behind the scenes.
3. Create an ideas document—a place to write notes when inspiration strikes. It doesn't need to be fancy (I often make notes on my phone). It will give you somewhere to store ideas and questions you get asked on the go, perfect for referring back to when you feel a bit stuck.
4. Have you delivered a workshop, talk or presentation recently? These make brilliant content for your marketing, especially if you make a note of any related questions or feedback. Review these, split them into topics, and create social media posts and emails.
5. Look at what has worked in the past: Repurposing previous posts or emails that have worked is a fantastic source of inspiration and a big-time saver.?

Remember, not everyone will see, read, or remember everything you have shared. And once you get into the zone, I promise you, you will find loads to talk about.

How to optimise your LinkedIn profile using keywords.

Sharing regular content for your business on social media is really important, but there are also a lot of other things you will need to consider to stand out from the crowd, and your profile and bios should be a big part of this.

Using keywords and phrases is increasingly becoming a part of this!! It might seem a bit overwhelming, but don't worry; you can always break it down into small chunks and do a little each day.

What do we mean by keywords?

Keywords or phrases are the words that we type into a search bar to find the information that we need. More commonly associated with Google and other search engines, they are becoming increasingly important on social media.?

This is partly due to the change in how we search for information and the algorithms becoming better at scanning our content.

It's essential not to balance the use of keywords with your very own human voice - so you sound as natural as possible.

Below, I've shared some tips on balancing the two: standing out in the search, getting the right eyeballs on your profile, and ensuring you see more relevant content in your feed.?

Firstly, do your keyword research: Consider all the keywords and phrases someone might use when looking for a service like yours and the ones you use on your website.?

Google Keyword Planner is an excellent tool for getting started. It's free, but you will need a Google Adwords account.?

Answer the public is also a great tool for discovering the hot topics and questions people are searching for about your work. It's also completely free and is a great place for content.

If you want a more practical approach, is running a free keywords workshop on 11th April at 2 pm UK time. I highly recommend joining her for some useful, actionable advice on getting started with your keywords. You can book your space here.

Integrating keywords into your LinkedIn profile

Once you have a list of keywords and phrases, you can apply them to your LinkedIn content and integrate them into your profile.??

You can find out how to get started by watching this short video, which I created for the Haywards Heath Business Association as part of a presentation on LinkedIn! (It's not super polished, but it works.)??

You can view the video here

If you prefer to read through the steps, you can do so below:

Personalise your URL: On LinkedIn, you have a personal URL that can be accessed via your settings. If you have a common name or surname like myself, this will be your name followed by a number (making you harder to find in search).

If you want to make yourself easier to find, you can personalise your name by adding what you do to the end rather than some random numbers (If you view your profile on the desktop, you will see the option to edit this on the right-hand-side).

Complete your headline: Your LinkedIn headline will be the first thing people see (apart from your photo and banner) when they come across you in a search. You only have 220 characters to stand out, so make sure you are concise and say not only what you do but also who you do it for.

For example, HR Consultant for the Tech Industry is much more specific than HR consultant and will help you appear in searches by people from the tech industry looking for an HR consultant.?

?Don't overlook the services section: Underneath the headline in your profile, you can complete your services section. This is an opportunity to write a short synopsis of what you do and add up to 10 services you provide.?

This is a fixed list of tags, so you may describe only some of what you do! However, I would still advise you to complete this section. It will improve your ranking in search, and you can use the short About section within this to make it more industry—and service-specific.

Revisit your About section: This is your chance to shine, showcase your values and expertise and help people understand who you are and how you can help! Write it or record yourself talking, and transcribe (if you struggle to articulate what you do).

The most important thing here is to showcase you, your services, and your interests in a natural voice.? So do this first and then integrate the keywords later.

You can also add key skills to your profile; these might not be as specific as you want them to be. However, utilising them will teach the algorithm more about you and help people to find you. You can support this with more niche phrases and details elsewhere.

Personalise the experience section: As soon as you put into LinkedIn that you work at a company, it will auto-add that company to your profile! You can improve this by adding a summary of the work you do there, what you achieved in your time there and the addition of key skills!

Curate your feed: Connecting to relevant people who can help you grow your business and regularly commenting on, reacting to, or sharing their content will help LinkedIn understand that you want to see more of this type of content. Using the search function to help you find relevant content opportunities and connections will also ensure you start to see more of what you want and need to see here on LinkedIn.

These are just some tips to get you started. Remember, regularly sharing relevant and helpful content for your target audience, utilising the features and reviews sections, and using LinkedIn and other social networks to build relationships will help you stand out.

If you want to watch a short walkthrough video to help you optimise your profile, you can click here.

Demystifying the relationship between social media and search engines.

On March 15th, Kelly Drewett from KayDee Web and I went live on LinkedIn to discuss the relationship between social media and search engines.

Some of the terminology around these topics can be pretty technical, but Kelly explained it in a way that was simple and easy to understand. For me, the most important points were:

??What is Search engine optimisation? It is about how you show up when someone searches online, but it is also about your overall online presence on the web, social media, directory listings, etc. It is all interconnected, and they all support each other.

??Keywords and keyphrases are essential: These are the terms people will type into a search engine (and social media) to find information about a specific service or business. As a small business owner, you need to narrow down and find ones specific to your industry and location. For example, a Human Resources Consultant for the Healthcare Industry in Sussex will make it much easier for people to find you than just a Human Resources Consultant (which has more competition).

??Keywords are becoming increasingly important on social media. So, make sure you use those keywords in your social profiles and content and that they are consistent with those on your website.

??But don’t get too hung up on keywords: Write carefully and naturally so you sound like a human. If you are talking about what you do, the words will appear naturally in your content. Replicating or repurposing the content you have on your website on to social media and vice versa will help you to include those key words and have a consistent presence across the web.

??A solid foundation for your marketing is the most important thing you can have. There is no blueprint for overnight success, and chasing trends and algorithms will not do you any favours. You can watch the replay and find some quick tips on improving your online presence here.?

I hope these tips and the video help.

Mel x

About me…

I’m Mel, a social media and email marketing strategist, trainer and consultant. I help businesses and individuals just like you develop and implement practical strategies that fit with the time, money and resources you have available.

I do this through training, coaching and strategic development to support you in the way you need.

I'm also a small business owner and mum to two gorgeous kids - so I know all to well the challenges we face!

If you would like to find out more about how I can help you develop practical strategies that can move your business forward, then do send me a DM or email me at [email protected], and we can chat.

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