5 musts for your LinkedIn profile

14th, Apr 2021

LinkedIn is the most important social media platform for those who provide professional services. Every lawyer, accountant, financial advisor, and consultant should be active on LinkedIn regardless of whether they are targeting consumers or businesses as clients. This is because a large portion of business will come from referrals from other professionals who are all on LinkedIn. The first step in maximizing LinkedIn marketing is to develop a strong individual profile page. Here are a few musts to get you started:

linkedin profile1. Up-to-date professional headshot. Your picture should resemble what you would look like at a networking event today. A touched-up image is fine but get rid of the photo from 10 years ago or the one your family took on vacation.

2. Strong headline. This is the text at the top under your name. The default is your current position, but you can and should change it. At a minimum, indicate the specific type of work you do, who are your clients, and what are your differentiators. For example, I saw these online:

“Legal, Business and Government Advisor | Former Government Prosecutor” is more compelling than saying “Corporate Attorney.”

“Employment Attorney | Strategic Advice and Litigation | Counseling C-Level, Professionals and Entrepreneurs” sounds better than just “Employment Attorney” by itself.

3. Compelling ‘About’ section. This section is your elevator pitch. Tell people clearly what you do and who you help in the first few lines. That’s because when people visit your profile, they only see the first 3 lines of text. They have to click to read the rest of it so your introduction must be compelling, or no one will want to read more about you. Please don’t give a broad description of your practice. Remember the broader you define yourself and your practice, the more competitors you have and the harder it is to stand out from the competition. Instead, highlight your niche expertise and differentiators.

4. Complete profile. Fill in all or most sections of your profile. Include your volunteer activities, memberships, honors, awards, publications, certifications, and other pertinent information. Don’t assume someone is going to go to your website and read your bio. Also, people on LinkedIn will commonly search for others they have something in common with –a past employer, school, a shared connection, etc. Filling out your profile in its entirety helps you connect with others who may be helpful to you in your business.

5. Ask for and give recommendations. We all like to read what other people have to say about someone. This is true even on LinkedIn where comments are always positive because we get to choose what shows up on our profile. Good recommendations look good to people checking you out. However, they can also be a relationship-building tool if you make sure to give your contacts recommendations to help them out as discussed in a prior post. Don’t limit yourself to clients. You can also reach out to referral sources, colleagues, and vendors.

Your LinkedIn profile is more than a resume; it is a valuable marketing opportunity. These tips can help you use your page to highlight why someone should want to know and work with you.

If you need help with your LinkedIn profile, contact us for a consultation.

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