By: Samantha Hopper
In today’s day and age, the digital landscape is crucial for not only portraying your brand and communicating your messages, but also for making major sales and growing the success of your business. Cold calls are a thing of the past, and now professionals turn to LinkedIn for connections and sales prospecting.
LinkedIn estimates that about two-thirds of buyers make their decisions based on the company’s online presence. Use these tips to start generating leads and driving sales.
Professionalize your profile
The first thing people look at on your profile is your photo. The photo is a reminder that potential employers are looking at more than just a webpage, but are interacting with an actual living, breathing person.
For a business page, the profile picture should be your logo, recognizable to clients so that they immediately know what company they’re looking at when your page pops up. Upload a relevant banner photo to further make your page stand out.
Your profile headline is what draws eyes next, but is perhaps the most important part of your profile. It appears next to your name in search results and can help you stand out from others. Instead of the default job title, try to think of something creative, something that would appeal to a potential buyer.
The headline should efficiently explain why a potential client should keep looking at your profile instead of clicking away to another. Be sure to emphasize your strengths and what you can offer a client. While crafting your headline, remember to keep it simple and avoid confusing language.
Your summary should be focused on the customer. Explain what you can do for them with a call to action and next steps for how to get in contact. With these things in mind, your profile will attract and intrigue possible customers.
Expand your network
LinkedIn calls this the “ABC” technique, or Always Be Connecting. Sales prospects can learn about who you are not just through your profile, but based on who you follow and interact with on LinkedIn.
Connecting through LinkedIn is a great way to prepare for, or follow up on, in-person meetings to ensure a maintained connection. And the great thing about making these connections is that they will allow you to further grow your network by leveraging mutual connections.
You don’t even need to stop at the one connection with a possible buyer. Connect with multiple decision-makers at each organization to keep your presence in their minds and to minimize the risk of a sale falling through.
Make your presence known
Aside from building up your network via connections, there are many other steps you can take to keep a strong LinkedIn presence.
To further create your brand, join groups relevant to your field and participate in discussions. Just as important as participating and posting is listening. Tune into what your customers are saying: What do they need? What interests them? These insights are highly important, because your buyers want to feel heard.
Writing blog posts for LinkedIn is a simple and effective way to make sure your voice is resonating in your industry. Posting weekly or even just sharing relevant blogs to your network, will lead people searching for these topics right to your profile.
Keep a strong social media presence by linking your posts to your Twitter, Facebook or Instagram pages through LinkedIn, so that clients can see the full picture of what your business has to offer.
Need more tips?
While there are many more ways to utilize LinkedIn to your benefit, these tips are a great starting point.
But if this seems way too overwhelming, or if you’re ready for more advanced steps to take to attract clients and drive sales, don’t worry. 1893 Brand Studio is equipped with teams of hard-working, skilled designers and writers that will take your LinkedIn page from novice to expert. We know what clients are looking for.
Let us know how we can help you expand and tweak your LinkedIn page. Contact 1893 today.
