LinkedIn is one of the most powerful social media tools for founders to grow their companies and spread their message.
Founders NEED to be using LinkedIn... the most random benefits come from it. For example, one of our clients was featured in an article because of her post about representation within the entrepreneurship space, Build You landed a new PR client because a PR firm founder was at capacity and referred one of her clients to us, our Junk Removal client landed new junk removal jobs from people outside his network... we could go on and on about the random benefits. This is all from a singular LinkedIn post.
When someone comments or likes your post, it gets pushed to their network. LinkedIn makes it easy to generate new leads and expand your network. Someone from your ideal customer profile likes your post? You're in luck because it is likely that person has similar people in their network who your post will now reach!
Great -- you have reached people with your content, but if you don't have a fantastic profile, that might mean nothing now. So today, we are taking you through each section of your LinkedIn profile and how to optimize it to improve conversion and capture business opportunities for you.
Headshot, Banner & Title
Your profile header is important for branding and for people to quickly understand what you do.
The first thing people will see in their feed when you either like, comment or share a post is your profile photo; therefore, it needs to be GREAT.
A Great LinkedIn Profile Photo:
1. See your face clearly
You want to make sure people know it is you. Grab your camera (or a friend with one), find some great lighting (light in front of you) and snap a headshot photo.
2. Zoom In (Shoulder Length)
Ensure your headshot is zoomed-in to a shoulder length height. Any headshot that is too zoomed out will make it hard for people to see your face.
3. Clean Background
Using a solid colored OR blurred background is recommended because it helps make your headshot 'pop' and easier to see.
Banner:
This is where you want to represent your company and make it a part of your personal brand.
1. Logo on the Right
Position your logo on the right side of your banner as this optimizes your banner for mobile and also allows people to clearly see both your logo and headshot side-by-side.
2. Dark Background
Make sure your banner background is NOT white because it will not mesh properly with your headshot. Your company's 'third' color could make for good use here.
Profile Title:
Your title is the second thing people notice about you when posting on LinkedIn (headshot is #1).
1. Short & Sweet
Make your title get right to the point of what you do.
i.e. CEO & Founder of Build You Marketing
This builds awareness for your company's name and ensures that people know they can contact you as the leader of the organization.
2. Include your Company's name
The more people that see your company name, the better. These are FREE impressions for people to hear about your business and what you do.
About Section
This is your chance to tell people a little bit more about yourself and improve your profile's Search Engine Optimization.
About:
1. Start with 'Why'
Begin your about section with 1 sentence about 'why' you do what you do. This is a quick way to engage profile viewers with the deeper meaning of your venture and can reveal your mission
2. Insert your venture 1 Sentence Description
Insert your business one-liner to connect your 'why' with your venture, and show people that you are actually doing something about the problem you are solving.
3. Keep it Short
2-3 sentences MAXIMUM. People like to scan and do not have a lot of time. Nobody wants to read a 10 paragraphs (or 1 for that matter). Be concise and get your point across.
Top Skills:
Let everyone know what you can do in your sleep! List of 3-5 of your top skills to feature on your profile. This helps with your LinkedIn SEO -- you are more likely to pop-up in search by doing this.
1. Make them Industry Related
In you run a marketing agency, then all 5 of those skills should encompass some part of your business' services. If you run a tech company, your featured skills should relate back to the mission you are trying to solve.
2. Think about Thought Leadership
What categories do you want to be known as an expert in? Brainstorming those skills / activities can help you decide what to feature.
Featured Section
This section is all about building credibility. Why should someone trust you? Link articles, posts or other items that build your ethos.
1. Press Pieces
Prioritize featuring any sort of press that you have received. Press pieces and articles are the biggest driver of trust. If the Boston Business Journal trusts you, that helps a potential customer trust you too. This also shows that people CARE about what you do.
2. Posts
If one of your posts performed well, that means people liked it, so you should show it off. You should not need to guess what your audience will like -- use already proven pieces of content to show off.
Experience
Nobody cares what you do as the CEO of your firm (i.e. run payroll) -- they want to know more about your company and mission. Use your experience section as another 'about' section of your business to drive growth and brand awareness.
1. Company Title/Role
Let people know your role within the company. Being a founder (or co-founder) does not necessarily mean you are the CEO. If you are head of partnerships, let people know so they know what to contact you about.
2. Company Description
Focus on a paragraph description of your firm. If someone reaches this portion of your profile, they want to know more. Use this section to give a more in-depth view into your business and what it does.
3. Skills
This is another spot on your profile to improve your SEO -- add 3-5 skills that relate to your experience. They CAN be the same ones that you use in your featured sections.
4. Website Link / Case Study
Add your website link to increase traffic when people are checking out your experience section. This is also a great spot to add a client case study to show the impact your venture has already had. This can persuade people to look more into your venture
5. Business LinkedIn Profile
Make sure your company has a LinkedIn profile with the proper logo to make sure that it connects to your experience section incase people want to stay on LinkedIn and learn more about your company.
6. Past Experiences
Leave any past experiences at different companies on your profile and optimize those as well to keep your credibility. This also allows people to find you easier as LinkedIn can recommend connections that may be relevant. The only downside to this is if you used to work for a competitor.
Education
Definitely add your college and high school educational institutions because this allows LinkedIn to recommend connections to you of people that went to the same schools. These people are more likely to hep you out or purchase your offering since they have a connection to you. This is AMAZING for visibility.
Skills
Just another spot on your profile to improve your profile's SEO and allow other people to endorse your skills to build your credibility. Add as many skills as you can think of that relate to your business.
Honors & Awards
Add any of your accomplishments to this section to build your ethos even more. Awards for impact or recognition can go a long way when someone is choosing whether or not to work with you and your team.
And now... you have the BEST founder LinkedIn profile. You are ready to make even more business deals and capture more opportunities.
Need help building your profile out? Contact us at info@thebuildyou.com with any questions.