4 ways to market yourself on LinkedIn

LinkedIn Image

LinkedIn is the biggest B2B social media site online with 28% of all internet users having a LinkedIn account. As a user, you want to make sure you are reaching the right audience and are generating good quality leads for future contracts. LinkedIn creates around 80% of a business’ social media leads, so it’s important to optimise your profile and understand how best to interact with others on the site. Here are 4 ways that you can market yourself effectively on LinkedIn:

#1 Be intentional about your connections

LinkedIn has over 400 million users; therefore you need to be specific and focused with who you add as your connections. You may consider using the ‘advanced’ search to save time when searching for potential connections. When you connect with someone you should have a goal in mind and be structured with whom you search for and connect with. Do you want exposure/ partners/ leads? Once you’ve connected with someone you can also see their connections. so this may be one way you can expand your audience. Having mutual connection means people are more likely to accept your connection request. If appropriate you can ask your contact for a personal introduction to one of their connections. One useful tip is that the mobile app allows you to connect quicker and to more people than the website.

#2 Identify yourself

One of the most important things with LinkedIn is to make sure that you appear credible, and you can only do this by providing details about your identity and experience. The proof is in the pudding; profiles with pictures get a 40% inMail response rate and are eleven times more likely to be viewed than those that do not have a picture. Background images are also a good way to appear professional. Your headline is key, so make sure you not only state your job title but also state your expertise and value proposition. Use terms or phrases someone would consider using to find you in the LinkedIn search bar.

#3 Be active and make conversation

An important thing to remember when you’re using LinkedIn is that you have to be regular to stay relevant. It takes an average of 20 posts a month to reach 60% of your LinkedIn audience. Though this may be difficult to achieve you need to at least post every week. Studies show that the best day to post is a Tuesday, as posts get more clicks and shares when uploaded on a Tuesday. Make sure to join groups on LinkedIn that relate to your industry, where you will be able to see potential employers, leaders in industry and read recent articles. Post on these groups regularly, join in conversations, make yourself seen.

#4 Customisation is key

Remember that each of your connections will be looking for different types of content in your post, so be varied and post about your projects, articles or videos. Slideshare is a good way to upload an original presentation to LinkedIn. You don’t want your profile to read like a CV – be more interactive and interesting. Recommendations and endorsements from colleagues are also very beneficial, with 10 million endorsements given out every day. On average each user has been endorsed five times. Request recommendations from previous employers and when you finish a contract, always ask for a recommendation on LinkedIn.

Customising your public URL (rather than having random numbers) makes your page look more professional and means you are easier to find in a general search on Google or the LinkedIn search bar. You can also use keywords such as ‘accountants’ to make your page more visible in searches. To customise your URL go into your LinkedIn settings and click on ‘Public Profile’.

If you want to include a link to your blog, customise your anchor text to include the keywords that indicate what your blog is about. Each profile can display up to three website links like this, and they can be customised by editing your profile, clicking the Contact Info section, clicking the pencil icon next to your website links, and selecting Other in the drop-down menu.

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Amy Fowler4 ways to market yourself on LinkedIn