Top sellers know LinkedIn drives results. Harvard Business Review blogger, Steve Martin says that more than 40 percent of top users have increased sales just by upping their LinkedIn game.
If you’re a seasoned seller who’s already using LinkedIn, you likely know the basics (e.g., optimize your profile, build connections, follow your competitors). So, we went to the experts to find some of their best tips to get even more out of LinkedIn. Here are five things you can do today to maximize your profile:
1. Claim Your Domain
When you first created your profile, LinkedIn gave you a name made up of numbers and dashes, this is your URL. Erase the random string of numbers in your URL and replace it with your real name, making yourself easy to find.
An example of a customized URL is www.linkedin.com/BobHatchett. Which would you remember, Bob Hatchett or “0002393948584?” It’s much easier to identify a person by their name rather than their driver’s license number. As Entrepreneur Ken Krogue says, if potential buyers can’t remember your URL, they’re less likely to remember you. Use these directions from LinkedIn to claim your domain.
2. Recommendations Prove Customer Value
Your buyer is a skeptic, give them proof! Sales insider Ian Brodie knows that buyers don’t automatically offer recommendations. Customer testimonials tell you what is or isn’t working in your sales process. You can go ahead and brag about doubling your profits and an 85% customer satisfaction rating. However, if that information is presented by your customers to potential buyers, it will be much more impactful.
Go beyond just getting recommendations from your coworkers and past managers. Ask for recommendations from your most loyal customers and make sure to return the favor. Recommendations can be enough to make prospects want the same positive outcome as their peers.
3. Fixed Links = Clicked Links
HubSpot Blog Manager, Pamela Vaughan says grab interest by making your links “sexier.” The default links “Blog” and “My Website” are boring, boring, boring.
Try including key words that relate to your professional arena. You may choose to link your company’s customer testimonials page and call it “Solutions.” Tease your readers. Make them want to click on your links rather than the “back” button.These links will also help you in search results. LinkedIn allows three links in your profile – make sure you use them.
4. Custom Fit Your Professional Headline
A proper headline can convert the most unimpressive “What’s up” introduction into a firm, convincing handshake. The little box with your name, photo, and title should be your answer to the “What do you do?” question. It should demonstrate your capabilities, uniqueness, and prompt follow-up questions. Instead of introducing yourself as “Director of Sales,” be specific. Tell the potential buyer you “provide software solutions that improve productivity and increase revenue.” Now instead of focusing on your title, buyers will know what you can do for them.
5. Create a Relationship with Twitter
Combine your LinkedIn with your Twitter account, and you’ll expand your web of contacts and create more opportunities to connect with potential prospects.
Marketing professional, Lewis Howes, notes that Twitter feeds don’t guarantee coverage of your thoughts- unless you are an NFL player, a NASCAR driver or Kim Kardashian. Help people find your thoughts. When you update your LinkedIn status, click on the “Share With” toolbar and select “LinkedIn and Twitter.” Not only do you save time by updating two networks at once, but your messages are more likely to be seen.