fbpx

10 Steps To Optimize LinkedIn Profile In 2021

LinkedIn is an inbound marketing tool where you can create your future and tell your story to the world. LinkedIn is being used by companies in many ways than you can imagine, including public relations, community building, social media marketing, social selling, and employee advocacy.

LinkedIn is the best platform for B2B targeting. It has become a popular target for users to consume content. Rather than hearing someone yell about politics on Twitter or seeing what your elder aunt ate for dinner on Facebook, you can check your LinkedIn profile to see what your contacts are doing and what topics are trending in your industry.

For advertisers, the targeting options allow you to zone in on just about any part of your audience’s profile, and meanwhile, the platform also has many benefits for their users, it is in their best interest to keep their profiles up-to-date. That is why LinkedIn is the place to be if you want to generate higher quality B2B leads. But, if that is your goal, you need to know that not all strategies are created equal.

Building a well-known LinkedIn profile in 2021 for lead generation is a worthwhile endeavor and is a great way to opening up new and exciting doors. There is no magical way for attracting LinkedIn leads. Instead, we recommend the 10 best steps to establish yourself on the platform and get in front of your target audience. Read on for professional steps to make your LinkedIn profile gleam in 2021.

1. Be Careful With Your Profile Photo

Choose a clear, friendly, and professional profile photo. If you are not sure what a professional image means then take a look around at what the people in your target industry are wearing. A great profile photo can go a long way to convey passion, energy, personality, empathy, and other soft skills that are hard to write about.

Make sure you have a professional and up-to-date picture of yourself as your profile image. Consider getting one-shot by a professional photographer. People on LinkedIn will judge you on your appearance before they have read anything on your profile it is a part of our human nature. Dress well and set the bar high to make a better LinkedIn profile.

2. Add An Attractive Background Cover Photo

Your background cover photo is the second visual element at the top of your LinkedIn profile. It grasps the attention of people and shows a little more about what matters to you. The right background cover photo helps your page engage attention, stand out, and stay memorable.

3. Put In The Time To Make An Attention-Grabbing Headline

A LinkedIn profile headline is like an article heading that attracts the audience to read it. It sits across the top of your profile page and also introduces you to the “People You May Know” section, newsfeed posts, and LinkedIn job applications. Your LinkedIn headline is key to making a positive impression and explaining exactly what you bring to the table whether it’s being viewed by your business contacts.

It is also one of the most noteworthy fields for the search algorithm of LinkedIn. Your LinkedIn headline contains strategic keywords that help you appear higher in LinkedIn searches and portray you as a credible member of your industry. Customize your LinkedIn profile headline carefully since the amount of information you can put in it has been reduced to only 120 characters. Some headlines are:

  • Online Strategy * Content Management * Interactive Marketing * User Experience * Web Analytics
  • CEO: Manage 3 software brands (Cloud-based, Desktop, and iPad) to help SMBs be more professional

To sum up:

  • Your LinkedIn headline is one of the most noticeable sections of your LinkedIn profile
  • Create opportunities by sharing what you can do
  • Use the default headline of 120 characters to include top specialties and skills
  • By using strategic keywords in your headline appear in more LinkedIn searches

 

4. Write A Profile Summary That Rocks

One of the most important sections of the LinkedIn profile is the summary. A good LinkedIn summary promotes your skills, helps you stand out from the millions of other professionals on the platform, and draws business contacts to your profile.

Your profile summary is possibly one of the most significant features of your profile. It sits in the leading position at the top of the page and gives you 2000 characters to show off your experience and skills. Due to the reduced size of the headline, the summary section on your profile has become more prominent and more important.

Before you begin drafting your summary, consider who you would like to attract to your profile and what you would like to say to them. Keep it concise, relevant, and informative. A summary lets you introduce yourself in your own words. It means that you can plunge into who you are as a person and your professional skills as well.

To sum up:

  • Understand why your summary is necessary
  • Focus on specific skills and achievements
  • Make use of strategic keywords to lift your search visibility
  • Start your summary with an attractive hook to capture your reader’s attention
  • Use profile summary to tell a story about you as a professional rather than copying your work history

 

5. Be Warm and Welcoming

The summary section is your primary opportunity to showcase the good stuff about you with your target audience. Give others a little chance to get to know you. If you craft a summary like some long and pompous speech then your first impression going to worsen.

LinkedIn members are going to think you are showy and it is going to be hard for the reviewer to get a feel for your style and personality. Be you here and keep the brand message in line with all of your other professional marketing materials because LinkedIn is a platform designed for interaction.

6. Try Using A Professional Profile URL

A professional profile URL is very important in making a better LinkedIn profile. What do you think when potential future employers visit your LinkedIn profile which of the following URLs would appear most professional to them???

  • linkedin.com/in/daniel-berry-43564789/
  • linkedin.com/in/dany-berry/
 

Of course the second one…

It might seem like a minor point but your URL does get noticed just like your email address does. It’s much easier to make your profile with a customized URL rather than the awkward combination of numbers that LinkedIn automatically allocates when you sign up.

If you have a spam email address, it doesn’t do you any favors. The same is also right when it comes to LinkedIn profile URL. As an aside, if you do not already have an email, then do make sure you create and use a professional email address. It does not have to be an exclusive company email, but it should look reliable and authentic.

For instance, an email address like firstname.secondname@company.com will give a better impression in your lead generation purpose than firstname12345678@gmail.com.

7. Add Your Work Experiences

Your LinkedIn work experience section should both support and complement your resume. Your experience will help to convince your potential clients to work with you.  Carve it down to the most important achievements with general keywords from your industry. Keep it always up-to-date and conversational. You can optimize your resume’s content to work for your LinkedIn profile with a little effort.

You can showcase your work experiences to your advantage. Add your company websites, projects you’ve worked on, articles you’ve drafted, or anything else that can provide a more attractive look at your work. So add every detail about your work experience to make a better LinkedIn profile. Your experience will help to convince your potential clients to work with you.

Don’t forget about the keywords in the title and description. Also, ensure you have the company listed correctly. Once you’ve created a LinkedIn company page, this allows you to feature your logo, and readers can click on the logo to find out more about your company. It also means you don’t need to include too many details about the company in the experience section!

8. Grow Your Network

One of the easiest ways to grow your LinkedIn network is to sync your profile with your email address. It enables LinkedIn to suggest people you could connect with in the future. It is amazing and also effective to develop relevant people for you to reach out to. In this case, you can stay connected with all your clients and provide valuable content, transforming them into ambassadors of your services.

No connection requests are sent without your permission, so you can inspect all of the potential connections. Beyond this, develop the habit of following up meetings and conversations with LinkedIn connection requests is a great way of keeping your network vibrant and up-to-date.

9. Request For Recommendations

Endorsements give people a quick and visual sense of viewing your profile. Recommendations take things a step further. They are personal testimonials written to show the experience of working with you.

There is a handy drop-down menu in the Recommendations section of your LinkedIn profile that makes it easy to reach out to specific contacts and request recommendations. Think about who you would most value a recommendation from and then personalize your request according to it. It is worth the extra effort.

Getting generic recommendations that say, “Ilyanej was great to work with” are not very helpful but something specific, like “Ilyanej’s contributions on the project enabled us to increase forecasted savings by 10% over our original plan” will certainly showcase your strengths.

10. Maximize Your Profile’s Visibility Through Posts And Engagements

It is essential to understand how the LinkedIn algorithm works to make sure that your profile is seen by as many people as possible. The best way to rise in the algorithm is to be an active member on the platform. That means publishing content, posting comments, and reacting to posts regularly.

You don’t have to write walls of text or spend hours on the platform to be considered active. You don’t have to be very engaging if it is not natural for you. You can start small with one post. Even something as simple as saying congrats or giving a post a thumbs-up is enough to increase your profile’s visibility to people who are not following you yet.

You can immediately increase the reach or engagement of your content with the help of some friends. It is useful if there are others in your company supporting you with LinkedIn lead generation.

Bonus Step:  Make Your Profile Complete And Up-To-Date

Today the LinkedIn platform is the place to share ideas, network, and developing a brand. So it is important to keep your profile up-to-date. Add new achievements, qualifications, skills, volunteering, and services.

Take the time each month to make sure your profile is a current reflection of who you are, who you help, and how you help your ideal clients. LinkedIn profile optimization is necessary to get the best out of all those benefits.

Making more connections is a way to signal that you are an active participant on LinkedIn and not just an empty suit. Groups are a fantastic place to connect with others in your space and attract new connections.

LinkedIn is indeed experiencing a B2B boom and the platform is unique in that you can approach leads directly and publish content that pushes people directly to your promotions. But that does not mean you are guaranteed leads with the help of just being on the platform.

Scoring leads from LinkedIn requires a strategy. The quick and easy 10 steps above can poise your profile and company pages to maximize their visibility and help make your brand more recognizable to your target audience.

Now get networking!

Share This Post

More To Explore