by Sarah Santacroce
When people talk about Social Media, they usually mention the BIG 3. Linkedin, besides Facebook and Twitter is part of those 3. With it’s over 90 Million registered users I think it deserves it’s ranking.
In this 2 post series about Linkedin for B2B I will show you how you can implement Linkedin in your overall marketing strategy, increasing brand awareness and augment leads in general. The first post will explain how to optimize your profile and promote it effectively, the second post will focus on content distribution and networking options that are possible with Linkedin Groups.
So let’s get started.
Treat your profile like you treat your website
What do you usually do when you inquire about a new business partner, supplier or customer ? You Google their name, correct ? If this person has a Linkedin profile, it will ALWAYS show up on the first page of the Google search results. Your profile will be the first thing people see, so make sure you make a good first impression.
- Create a relevant and distinctive tagline for your profile
This is the title that shows on the very top of your profile, next to your picture. It is important because it defines you. Make sure it contains some of your keywords as it is indexed in Linkedin’s search engine. CFO or VP is not distinctive enough.
- Upload a professional photo
LinkedIn, after all, is a social networking channel. So add as many personal touches as possible to maximize engagement and put a face to the brand. Remember, it is not Facebook, so no pictures with funny hats, your pet or your kids in the background.
- Create link love to your websites
In the “websites” section you can include relevant URLs in your profile, and use links with anchor text. For example, instead of “My Website,” use a keyword to describe it such as “Small Business Mktg Solutions.” (see image).
You can also link to your product or service brochure for example. Just click on “Edit”, then on the dropdown menu choose “Other”. You can then define your own text and simply paste the url to your brochure or any other landing page of your website.
- Develop your 30 second elevator speech in your Profile Summary
What do you say when someone asks you “So what do you do?” at a networking event. The answer goes in the Profile Summary. Nicely packaged and easily digestible :-) I broke mine into different paragraphs so it’s easier on the eye.
- Showcase your best skills and ignite the SEO potency of your Profile using the “specialties” section
Very important section again, because these skills are indexed in Linkedin’s search engine.
- Customize profile url
Make sure you create a vanity url for your public profile by clicking on the “Edit” button and giving it the name you wish. It will be much easier to remember and share than the long string of numbers that Linkedin gives you by default. - Leverage Third-Party Applications
Last but not least you can add applications to your profile. My favorite three are the following:
- Bloglink: automatically display your latest blog posts
- Boxnet: Add links to files like resumes and marketing kits
- Slideshare: Share business presentations and demos with your network
I will talk about these apps more in part 2 when I we get into the content distribution.
Promote Your Profile
In order to expand your network, LinkedIn marketing efforts – like anything else – must be promoted in other channels. Include a link to your profile on your website and blog, in individual blog posts, in email signatures, on your brochures and even on business cards.
So now that you have updated your profile, you are ready to add new connections, share content, join groups and take full advantage of all the possibilities that Linkedin has to offer. I will talk about them in my next post, so subscribe to my RSS feed or come back next week :-)
Btw, you can find me on Linkedin under http://www.linkedin.com/in/simplicityadmins
