social media marketing

  • Social Media

    Tips to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile and Get More Clients

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    Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
    Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

    Your LinkedIn profile may be the single most important factor in whether or not you’re attracting leads on LinkedIn.

    Last week, I shared how LinkedIn is by far the best way I’ve gotten clients. I gave you a peek behind the curtain at the 4 best practices that help me grow my blog traffic and brand awareness on LinkedIn.

    You may remember I showed you how to increase your connections, how often you should post, how to publish LinkedIn articles, and how to expand your posts’ reach. (Click here to read that post.)

    Pretty good stuff, I’ve got to say!

    But even if you follow all 4 of those best practices to a T, you still won’t see the traction you want unless you optimize your LinkedIn profile.

    The reason why is pretty simple. When people come across your content on their LinkedIn feed and are intrigued, the very next thing they do is click on your name to view your LinkedIn profile.

    The content they find on there determines whether or not they reach out to you, browse your blog, or sign up for your lead magnet.

    So you’ve got to make your LinkedIn profile as enticing as possible!

    The problem is that many entrepreneurs don’t know how to optimize their LinkedIn profile. So they stuff their About section with distracting details and write a headline that sounds unique but doesn’t really communicate how they help.

    Not a great way to start.

    What You’ll Learn About Your LinkedIn Profile

    In this article, I’m walking you through how to optimize your LinkedIn profile so you can garner as many leads as possible. I’ll teach you best practices for your:

    • Headline
    • Profile picture
    • Cover image
    • Contact info
    • About section
    • Featured section
    • Business listing
    • And more

    Are you excited to get more leads? Let’s dive in!

    Your Headline Is the Most Important Aspect of Your LinkedIn Profile

    Hands down, this is what you should focus on first when optimizing your LinkedIn profile. Your headline is the title that appears right under your name:

    Your name and your headline are what people see when they come across your post in their feed. If your headline is compelling enough, it will get them to click.

    So what makes a compelling headline?

    Some say to be as unique as possible. But in my experience, this can quickly devolve into simply confusing people. For instance…

    “Brand-Focused Growth Hacker for Purpose-Driven Adventurers | Empowering people to change their lives.”

    I’m sorry… I still don’t understand what you do or how you can help. Let’s try that again with plain language.

    “Marketing Consultant for Christian Entrepreneurs | Helping you grow your business with proven strategies.”

    Simple yet effective. After seeing a headline like that, Christian entrepreneurs who need help with their marketing will want to know more.

    Some final tips:

    • Use plain language
    • Use keywords that your ideal client is searching for
    • Show immediately how you can help

    Update Your Profile Picture

    Make sure your profile picture is clear and on brand. I recommend choosing a more professional photo than you would for Facebook or Instagram. This is because most people on LinkedIn are professionals, and when they’re using the platform, they’re thinking with a business mindset.

    When choosing a profile picture, also consider your brand colors. It’s a good idea to incorporate your brand colors into both your profile picture and your cover image so that they look good together.

    Your Cover Image Should Match Your Branding

    Speaking of your cover image, do you even have one? Many people don’t! For a while, I didn’t even know how to change my cover image. I thought the blue placeholder was all that was available.

    So wrong. This is simply one example of how tech-challenged I can be!

    To change your cover image, just click on the pencil icon on the cover image. Upload a photo that’s 1400 x 425 pixels. You can easily create a compelling cover image in Canva.

    LinkedIn Cover Image
    Notice how I designed my cover image to match my overall branding (and matched it to my profile pic).

    Your Contact Info on Your LinkedIn Profile

    Make sure your contact info is filled out with at least your business email and business website. If you have other applicable social media to add there, go ahead and include those as well.

    I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to check out someone’s website but couldn’t find it anywhere on their LinkedIn profile!

    What to Do With Your About Section

    All right… this is the section most people have major questions about. The About section can be a little intimidating for people because they know what a big deal it is.

    Your About section is basically your LinkedIn elevator pitch/warm welcome.

    Above all else, I recommend that you open your About section with how you help your ideal clients.

    Beyond that client-focused opening, you truly do have some creative flexibility here! Here are some ways to get your creative juices flowing:

    • Showcase some of your top products or services.
    • Share about the values that drive your business. Perhaps what inspired you to start your business in the first place.
    • Add a short and sweet testimonial from one of your star clients.
    • Talk about how your blog helps your readers.
    • End with a strong call to action. What’s the next step you want them to take?

    To see how I did my About section, check out my LinkedIn profile.

    Feature Your Lead Magnet or Best Content

    If you have a lead magnet to get people to sign up for your email list, your Featured section is the perfect place to highlight it!

    Pro Tip: Create a landing page for your lead magnet and use a promotional image as the page’s featured image. That way, when you add the link to your lead magnet’s landing page to the Featured section, it will automatically show the promotional image.

    Here’s an example of how I did it:

    Don’t see a Featured section on your profile? Simply add that section by clicking “Add profile section” at the top of your profile page.

    LinkedIn Profile to Add Section

    Optimize Your Business Listing Under the Experience Section

    Make sure your business is the latest job visible under your Experience section. Use the description of your job to show people once again how you can help your ideal client.

    You can also highlight your lead magnet again by adding your landing page’s link in the job description. (The more times you can promote your lead magnet, the better!)

    Add Relevant Info to Your LinkedIn Profile

    As long as you have these key points in place, you’re good to go!

    But perhaps you want to season your LinkedIn profile with more compelling content. If so, consider adding any of the following that are relevant to you:

    • Education
    • Certifications relevant to your business
    • Awards
    • Volunteer positions that have grown your expertise
    • Leadership positions in other organizations/chambers/clubs

    Are you ready to start optimizing your LinkedIn profile and generate more leads? Make it easier on yourself and use this blog as a reference as you go through your profile piece by piece.

    Still need some more help with optimizing your LinkedIn profile? I’d be happy to coach you through how to turn your profile into a lead-generation machine! Set up a free clarity call with me to get started.

    How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
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  • Social Media

    Optimize Your Instagram Profile With 4 Easy Tips

    Optimize Your Instagram Profile
    Optimize your Instagram profile

    If you’re a beginner when it comes to content marketing, you should know that Instagram can be your best friend—if you optimize your profile. And if you want to optimize your Instagram profile, there are four tips you need to follow.

    I could regale you with tons of reasons why Instagram is financially worth your time. In fact, one of my favorite clients wanted to hire me when I first started my business because they found me on Instagram.

    I could also tell you why it’s the perfect platform if you feel you’re not a naturally gifted writer.

    And while we’re at it, it’s worth noting that Instagram surpassed 1 billion monthly users in 2018—and it just keeps growing.

    But as Instagram grows, it makes it harder for you to grow an engaged following, especially when you’re just starting out. So what can you do to stand out from the crowd?

    Optimize Your Instagram Profile

    Well, first of all, you have to make sure you’re optimizing your Instagram profile. Here’s where to start:

    1. Ask Yourself What’s Working and What’s Not

    OK, I’m going to ask you to do a little homework right now. First, open up your Instagram app. (If you have a business profile, click “Insights” to find the answers to these questions more quickly.) With your app open, I want you to ask yourself the following:

    What posts have the most comments?

    Which photos or videos have the most likes?

    Which ones have the most saves? (Keep in mind that saves aren’t super common, so if this number is really low, don’t sweat it.)

    What posts have the most actions taken on them? (Clicks to the link in your bio, saves, etc.)

    Did you find those posts? Great. Now, get out a pen and some paper and write down the answers to these questions.

    What kinds of photos got the most likes?

    Which kinds of captions elicited the most comments?

    What kinds of calls-to-action got people to actually follow through?

    Did you write them down? Awesome. Understanding what’s working for you is vital not only to increasing your momentum, but also figuring out what isn’t working for you and what you shouldn’t waste your time on.

    2. Check Your Bio on Your Instagram Profile

    A lot of us aren’t utilizing our bios the way we could be—or the way we should be. 

    This is a huge mistake because your Insta bio is the first thing people look at when they check out your page to see if they should follow you or not.

    You have 150 characters to convince people to follow you.

    Your bio is not the place to be cryptic or confusing. You can still infuse your personality into it, but make sure it is clear, concise and captivating.

    Your bio should immediately tell people what benefit you offer them, who you are, and what step to take next.

    Here’s an example of mine:

    Jenny Rose Spaudo Instagram Bio

    3. Look at Your Instagram Profile Feed

    As you analyze your feed from an outsider’s perspective, ask yourself questions like: “If I were my ideal client, would I be attracted to my feed?” “Are my posts pleasing to look at?” “Is there variety in the kinds of posts I do?”

    Now, before you go into a full-on panic attack, hear me out. Your photos don’t have to look like a model’s for you to have an effective profile.

    Not all your photos have to look professionally done. 

    You. Do. Not. Have. To. Be. Perfect.

    But you do need to have a profile that entices people to look deeper. That means:

    • At least some of, and ideally most of, your photos should be high quality. You can take good-quality photos with an iPhone, so don’t freak out if you don’t have a nice camera. (I have an Android, but I steal my husband’s iPhone all the time. We’re one flesh, so it’s OK.)
    • Add variety to your photos. Don’t make all your photos of your product or of you. Take photos of things that are relevant to your niche and what you offer. Give your audience a rounded-out vision of you and what you do.
    • Use a variety of posts. Make sure that not all of your posts are photos. Sprinkle in some videos, some images with text, etc.

    4. Take a Peek at Your Captions

    Make sure the first line of your caption entices people to read more. People won’t read the rest of your caption until you’ve convinced them within the first few words that it will be worth their time.

    Then, make sure your comment has some sort of call to action. It can be a call to comment below, or a call to save the post, or a call to click on the link in your bio.

    Be strategic about this. If you want to create a post simply to generate more engagement with your audience, then post an eye-catching photo with a comment that stirs up conversation. End your caption with a specific call to “Comment below with … (whatever you want them to share).”

    These tips are by no means comprehensive, but they are fantastic ways to get started with optimizing your Instagram profile. If you want more tips and strategies for optimizing your content marketing strategy, book a coaching session with me today!

    You can also follow me on Instagram for more free tips and strategies!

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