Are you attracting and retaining quality clients to help you grow your business? If you are struggling, it may be because your clients don’t fully understand what you can do for them.
A great LinkedIn profile can help you convey your expertise and keep you top-of-mind with your existing clients, as well as help you to generate new leads.
There are five ways Australian businesswomen should be using LinkedIn to promote themselves and grow their businesses:
- Don’t just create an on-line version of your resumé.Your LinkedIn profile should not be just another version of your professional CV. With LinkedIn, you can really show clients what your talents are by incorporating into your profile some eye catching elements such as your slide presentations, videos, your blog, twitter feed, articles you’ve written, and a calendar of events you are hosting or attending.You don’t need to overdo it, but a few of these creative elements will go a long way in helping you to create an impressive profile for clients and business partners to explore. Consider making the most of your blog, slides and videos by moving them to the top of your profile, either right above or just below your professional summary.
- Choose your words wisely.A great way to highlight your expertise is by taking the time to write meaningfully about your past roles and current offerings. Instead of just listing what services you offer, or the responsibilities you held in each of your past positions, list 3-4 key accomplishments and quantify them with results that may be meaningful to your clients.For example, writing “I managed a social media campaign that resulted in a 400% increase in sales over four months” sounds much more impressive than just listing ‘social media’ as a responsibility in your job description. Highlight accomplishments in both your current business and your past roles to show your value, career progression, and expertise.
- Get recommended.Having recommendations from past clients displayed in your LinkedIn profile can give you instant credibility. When asking for a recommendation, be sure to give your clients some guidance on what you would like them to mention in their recommendation. If you have something specific you would like them to write about, let them know. It’s best to make your preferences known in advance to avoid asking clients to re-write your recommendation.
- Use your status updates.
The term ‘personal branding’ gets thrown around quite a bit when people talk about LinkedIn, but the simple act of creating a LinkedIn profile will not help you create a ‘personal brand’.
You have to use LinkedIn to stay top of mind with your clients and business partners. Use your status update to share company news, industry news, news about your professional accomplishments, events you are hosting or attending and presentations you are giving. Your status updates will be seen both in your profile and on the ‘homepage feed’ of everyone you are connected to. You could become a ‘go to’ person for anything happening in your industry by just spending 5-10 minutes a day on LinkedIn updating your status with a relevant post.
- Can people find your profile?Don’t forget to subtly promote your LinkedIn profile by adding a link to it in your email signature. It’s a great way to instantly share your professional bio with people you are hoping to impress, like prospective clients and industry colleagues.Creating a public profile is also essential if you want to show up in Google search results. Ensure your public profile is rich in the keywords people would use to search for you or your business on-line.
With LinkedIn, you have a unique opportunity to create a profile that will get you noticed by clients, business partners and industry leaders.
Taking the time to create an impressive LinkedIn profile and using LinkedIn to regularly remind clients and industry colleagues who you are and what you can offer may help you increase your client retention and generate new business.
