Does your LinkedIn profile talk more about your experience, achievements, and deals you have closed than the problems of your potential prospects? You are in for a shock!
If you want to be a serious social seller, revamp your LinkedIn profile.
In this article, some experts share some tips on how to optimize your LinkedIn profile for sales.
With more than 660 million users in 200 countries and counting worldwide, LinkedIn is a powerful advertising goldmine. However, you must strive to make a good first impression. That’s why your profile needs some serious tweaks.
After all, you have only a few seconds to convince someone who lands on your profile that you are worth doing business with. This person isn’t interested in your stories. He or she wants to learn about your offers. That’s the opportunity to grab and retain that person’s attention.
…And by refining each element of your profile the right way, you are up for great sales.
Can you remember the last time you updated your LinkedIn profile? Can you look at your profile and feel impressed by what you are seeing? If your answer is NO in each of the two questions, read with us as we show you how to create a compelling LinkedIn profile that will grab your target audiences’ attention immediately they land on your profile.
1. Give Your Profile Photo a Professional Look
While this is a no brainer, you will be shocked by the tons of sales profiles that lack professional profile photos on LinkedIn. If you don’t have a profile picture on your LinkedIn profile you will have a hard time convincing people.
For example, most companies that offer resume services prefer to put pictures of students holding a pen or a book which is perfect given that they are relevant to their business.
If you are serious about starting a social selling initiative on LinkedIn, you should use the RIGHT profile photo. Of course, using a picture is said to boost views on your profile 14X, but that’s not to mean you should include your family photos or other funny photos you took on the beach. Preserve these for other platforms.
This is a picture you are putting out to the public. It speaks volumes about you. It speaks volumes about personal brand.
For that reason, when optimizing your LinkedIn profile picture, DON’T:
- Make it hard for people to recognize you in your profile picture- Some salespeople will include multiple people in their pictures making it hard for prospects to recognize them. If they can’t know who is behind the brand, making a connection with them isn’t easy.
- Show offending things in your picture- Even though you had a good night out with friends, don’t upload a picture of you kissing or holding things that put off your prospects.
- Include a selfie like the one you include on your Instagram account- LinkedIn is a professional network for job seekers and serious business and is used by 30+ million companies worldwide. For that reason, be professional in your profile picture.
Ideally, if you can’t take a good photo of yourself, you could ask a friend to take some good photos then choose one that makes the cut.
2. Your Headline Should Add Value to Your Target Market
Of course, you want to show your target market that you are their ultimate company to do business with. Your title should be specific to the people you are helping and the way you intend to help them. In this case, your headline should contain some sweet yet convincing verbs and active language.
You could say:
I have helped more than 300 B2B companies to make profits of more than $3 million through lead generation.
3. Add a Custom Cover Photo
That space behind your profile picture counts and when it comes to LinkedIn, it’s what keeps your prospects updated on the progress of your company.
After all, they will land on your profile and the next place they will throw their eyes is on your cover photo. What message does your cover photo send to your prospects?
Surprisingly, some social sellers are still using the default LinkedIn cover photo and some are even using irrelevant pictures there.
A good custom cover photo is one that is:
- Made particularly for LinkedIn- Your cover photo should look good both on desktop and mobile. Canva is a powerful tool to help you create an amazing custom photo for your LinkedIn sales profile.
- Relevant and Latest- If you can’t remember the last time you updated your cover photo, then do it now! This is a good space to showcase the latest product your company has released on the market. Don’t forget to accompany it with a clear CTA - call-to-action.
- Clear and Succinct- Don’t overdo your cover photo with too many words of graphics. Just make sure you can use a few words or a photo that does not look boring to your prospects.
4. Keep Your Experience Section Positive
This is perhaps the place your resume should come in. However, you must note that while it is the best place to fill out your job description, remember that people aren’t interested in what you do, they are interested in seeing their problems solved.
For that reason, you should fill out this section with your prospects in mind. This is where you list your professional positions and the title you hold plus a summary of your role at each position in a few sentences. You could talk about your achievements briefly but focus more on results, how you helped your prospective company achieve them, and the methods used.
Follow these tips when writing your experience.
- Brag, but modestly- Yes, you should brag while writing your experience in your LinkedIn profile, but in a humble way. Make sure your prospects know that you helped a lot of companies in the position you held or hold and whether your clients attained remarkable goals.
- List positions you have ever hold- Even if you changed positions several times with the same company, list them and make sure to showcase your achievements in each position you held.
- Keep it succinct- Don’t write more than 100 words. A good rule of thumb is to use bullet points to improve readability.
- Make your prospects take action- Your end goal is to make your prospects take an action- to buy, to visit your sales page, to read your newly launched blog, etc. This is where you add a punchy call to action.
5. Make Sure Your Prospects Can Get in Touch With You Easily
This one is also a no brainer but just look around and you will be shocked by the number of LinkedIn sales profiles that don’t have contact information. Some prospects, after going through your profile will want to take the conversation to the next level by contacting you. If they can’t find your contact information, they will navigate away.
This is the best place to add your email address, company website, phone number, some other few social media profiles you have.
After all, LinkedIn favors profiles that are filled 100%.
In just one sentence, you could say something like: If you are looking for an app that will help you in your weight loss journey, drop me a line on (your email address) or call me via (your phone number). You can also connect with me on (include your Facebook profile or Twitter handle here).
6.Make Your Summary Compel People to Want to Do Business With You
The summary section is also another important part to work on if you want to optimize your LinkedIn profile for sales. Your prospects want to learn more about you and what you can do for them …and if a prospect has taken their time to check your summary section, they are half-compelled that you are the best business to work with.
You need to build rapport and trust with your potential prospects so that they don’t doubt taking action.
Remember that your LinkedIn profile is your personal branding tool and viable resource for your prospects. When optimized the right way, a compelling summary can entice potential buyers.
Write a summary as if you are talking directly to your prospects. Show them how you can solve their problems. You want to aim at making yourself stand out from the crowd. Take advantage of your summary section and make it happen.
This is how you should write your summary section:
- Write like you are talking- You don’t your LinkedIn summary to look like it is written by a robot. Be real and genuine to your prospects.
- Start with the end in mind- Your prospects don’t care how many things you have achieved. They care about their problems. Show them that you know their problems and demonstrate how you intend to solve them.
- Add keywords- Most likely, your prospects are using some phrases when searching for businesses to work with on LinkedIn. Make sure to include these terms on your LinkedIn summary to improve the visibility of your profile on relevant searches.
- Share a testimonial- This is a weighty vote for your brand. It will show your prospects that you do what you claim to do.
7. Use Visual Content in Your Summary
This will help to add flavor to your story.
You have more than enough ways to show your prospects what you can do for them and one of the fantastic ways is to display visual content in your summary, thanks to LinkedIn for making it possible for users to add multi-media.
You can add media to your summary and experience sections.
Here, you can add a video you have created yourself of your company’s introduction video where you are also featured.
Some suitable ideas for media to add to your LinkedIn summary section include:
- A product demo
- Company blog posts
- Personal or company intro video
- Or any compelling video
8. Add Volunteer and Educational Experience
You want to show potential prospects that apart from being a salesperson; you also do some volunteer work. Show them the real you behind the screen by adding volunteer and education experience.
When including volunteer and education experience, DON’T:
- Mention your high school
- Include group volunteer experience. Make sure your volunteer experience features you alone.
- Mention when you accomplished studies. You could be younger 3X the person reading your profile and age difference could sometime cause bias.
9. Add Your Essential Skills and Get Endorsements
Chances are that you have received several endorsements from your workmates but you shouldn’t only feature coworker endorsements.
A good rule of thumb is to feature endorsements from the clients you have helped and reliable people in your industry.
Skills don’t have to be complicated; just mention the methods you use to solve customer problems- this is what they are looking for on your LinkedIn profile.
10. Seek Recommendations from Credible People
Recommendations can also take part where there are no testimonials.
A good way to get recommendations is to start doing it yourself to others. If you have worked with someone and you can recommend them, do it. They will most likely return the favor. This is especially for prospects you’ve done business with already.
11. Showcase Your Accomplishments
This is where you list projects you completed, honors and awards received, and other accomplishments.
It’s the section you need to take advantage of to demonstrate that you are promising something you can do. Your accomplishments must relevant though.
12. Omit Jargon
In your effort, you need to make sure you stand out from the crowd. Saying that you are a passionate or result-driven team player doesn’t make you unique. These are words used by everyone out there. You need to show potential prospects you are really who you claim you are and not tell them.
13. Follow Professionals in Your Industry
Following people in your industry will not help you learn new things, but will also help you demonstrate that you are an expert in your field. Connect with people who post relevant and interesting content and topics. This way, you will not miss any update in the industry.
14. Share Articles You Have Published and Those of Others in Your Industry
Chances are that you have a blog where you publish fresh content regularly- and if you don’t have one, then perhaps you should reconsider yourself a serious social seller. Share blog articles you publish and those of third-party sites to your LinkedIn.
Start Selling!
Remember that LinkedIn ranks the second position of all the social media platforms for B2B marketers from Facebook.
However, if you want to start a successful social selling initiative on LinkedIn, you must start with optimizing your LinkedIn profile for sales.
We hope up to this far, you know how to create a compelling LinkedIn profile that attracts leads and generate sales.
But even after optimizing your profile, don’t stop yet. Get active on the platform, connect with professionals in your industry, and share social and educational content. This way, you will make your profile searchable and hence increase your chances of making sales.
Inappropriate Content
- Adult Entertainment: Businesses related to adult entertainment or similar mature content are considered inappropriate for promotion on LinkedIn due to its professional nature.
- Illegal Substances: Companies or individuals promoting illegal substances, including recreational drugs, are strictly prohibited.
- Firearms and Ammunition: Promotion of firearms, ammunition, and other related products is not allowed due to the potential risks associated with these items.
- Exploitative Content: Any business that exploits, harms, or promotes discrimination is not suitable for promotion on LinkedIn.
Misaligned Business Types
- Consumer-Oriented Retail: Businesses primarily focused on consumer retail may find little traction on LinkedIn, which is more suited for professional interactions rather than consumer engagement.
- Casual Dining and Fast Food Chains: These types of businesses may not align with the professional environment on LinkedIn, and might find better engagement on other platforms.
- Gaming: Casual gaming or related businesses may not find their target demographic on LinkedIn as it is not a platform known for leisure or entertainment.
Lack of Professional Relevance
Any business that lacks a clear professional or business-oriented angle may struggle to find a receptive audience on LinkedIn. Some examples include:
- Businesses promoting personal hobbies
- Celebrity gossip or tabloid publications
- Personal blogs or personal lifestyle brands
Restrictions on Certain Industries
LinkedIn has specific guidelines and restrictions concerning certain industries. For example:
- Healthcare and Medication: LinkedIn has strict guidelines concerning the promotion of pharmaceuticals, and certain healthcare services may also face scrutiny.
- Alcohol and Tobacco: These industries face restrictions due to the health implications and the platform's desire to maintain a professional atmosphere.
Unverified or Misleading Businesses
LinkedIn aims to maintain a level of trust and professionalism among its users. Therefore, businesses that are unverified, misleading, or that utilize deceptive practices are not suitable for promotion on LinkedIn.
- Pyramid Schemes: Businesses that operate on a pyramid scheme or multi-level marketing (MLM) model may face resistance or bans.
- Misleading Financial Services: Financial services that mislead users or promote unrealistic returns are not suitable.
Ethical Considerations
Ethics play a big role in determining what businesses are suitable for promotion on LinkedIn. Any business involved in unethical practices, or that operates in an ethically gray area, may find it difficult to promote on LinkedIn.
- Animal Testing: Companies involved in controversial practices such as animal testing may face backlash.
- Environmental Impact: Businesses with a negative environmental impact may also struggle to find acceptance on LinkedIn.
The outlined categories showcase a rough outline of business types that may face difficulties or outright bans when attempting to promote on LinkedIn. The professional and ethical standards maintained by LinkedIn are factors that significantly influence what is considered suitable or unsuitable for promotion on the platform.
Happy LinkedIn Marketing!
Donna James is high skilled freelance writer, journalist and proofreader from UK. Being interested in everyday development, she writes various blog posts and discovers new aspects of human existing everyday.
Author // Donna James