What is an optimized LinkedIn profile, and why does it matter?

As a consultant, you likely fall into one of two camps:

(1) Your LinkedIn is an artifact from your corporate days: You have been using LinkedIn for years to connect with former colleagues, find corporate roles, and stay up on industry trends. Your LinkedIn profile has been sitting in the background, and you haven't given it much thought.

or

(2) Your LinkedIn is updated, but you know it could be better: You use LinkedIn frequently to connect with former colleagues, potential referral partners and clients, and existing clients. You've updated your LinkedIn many times, but you know it's not fully representing your experience and that it could do more for you.

In the past two years, I've looked at the LinkedIn profiles of more than 1,000 consultants, audited more than 300 profiles, and optimized over 100.

In this blog post, I'll share insights that I've learned and deconstruct how your profile can work harder for you and convert your audience into leads.

There's a difference between a LinkedIn profile that's complete and one that's optimized.

Your LinkedIn profile serves as a digital business card. While you might not carry around a business card anymore, your LinkedIn profile serves an important function in your business.

You have a choice: will your digital business card be something you're proud to share, or will it be something you keep at the bottom of your briefcase or purse, collecting dust?

I know which option you want, and that's why I want to review the difference between a profile that's technically complete vs. a profile that's strategically optimized.

Here are a few things that I see when I look at your profile today:

• You filled in your headline, but it doesn't get your prospects excited.

• You completed your about section, but it is written in third person, copied from your website, or out of date.

• You listed all your recent work experiences, but your descriptions are copied and pasted from your resume (if they are filled out at all).

(I could keep going, but for the sake of time, I'll continue on...!)

Because you've filled out these sections of your LinkedIn profile, when people come by it, they get a vague sense of what you do and who you are. However, they don't feel excited by your offerings and ready to work with you (more on that shortly...)

On the other hand, when your profile is optimized, it fully represents your expertise and works hard to attract the right people and convert them into leads (think: booked discovery calls!).

Here's what indicates to me that your profile is fully optimized to bring in clients:

• Your about section talks about your ideal customer’s problem 

• Your entire profile tells one story of taking a particular action 

• Your recommendations are plentiful, relevant, and recent 

• Your headline communicates your unique value

• Your cover photo is designed to convert

  
  

(Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. I review more than 30 sections when I optimize a consultant's LinkedIn profile!)

When I help you with your LinkedIn profile, I don't build you a new profile. Instead, I help you refine your messaging and improve how you use different features and settings on your profile so that you clearly communicate the following: 

• Who you are

• Why you are qualified

• What transformation you make possible

• What services your online business offers 

• What action folks should take to work with you 

What’s the impact of an optimized LinkedIn profile? 

When you have these elements in place, your LinkedIn profile becomes a hard-working member of your team. This means that your clients understand what you do and why you'd be a good fit for them even when you're not talking to them "live".

If you already have a lot of traffic coming to your profile, optimizing it can result in more calls booked, just like it did for my former client Abe. You can see Abe's profile here.

(Read more about Abe's story in this case study blog post).

If you don't already have a lot of traffic coming to your profile, optimizing it can result in your profile becoming more discoverable (because you have the right search terms in your profile). It will also help you leverage your existing traffic and gain clarity around your target audience, brand messaging, and offers. With these in place, you'll find it easier to convert your existing audience into paying clients.

Here are a few examples of past clients who experienced these benefits:

Don't put the cart before the horse on LinkedIn: optimize your profile first.

The best strategies for promoting your business on LinkedIn are:

1) Sending direct messages, and

2) Writing engaging posts

While it's tempting to start with these lead-generating strategies, it's crucial to begin by optimizing your LinkedIn profile. That way, when you attract the interest of prospects, your profile will communicate that you're the obvious choice to work with them.

On the contrary, if you do outreach and post before optimizing your profile, people might become interested in what you do, but when they land on your profile, it will be a dead end. They won't get the information they need to realize you're credible or understand the next step to work with you.

I dive deeper into these two strategies (direct messaging and writing engaging posts) in my blog post, "What is a LinkedIn strategy?"

You can optimize your LinkedIn profile without the hassle.

Many business owners find optimizing their LinkedIn profile to be intimidating, overwhelming, and unnecessarily time-consuming. I get it. 

It doesn't make sense for you to spend hours and hours studying LinkedIn profiles to find the common denominators on what works. You don't have to do that, because I've done that and am ready to share my secrets with you.

That’s why I created a service called a LinkedIn Profile Optimization, where I optimize your profile for you, taking this time-consuming task off your to-do list and moving it to your done list so you can start doing the fun stuff on LinkedIn.

I’ve provided this service to 100 business owners and counting, with a range of followers from 0 to 80,000 (yes, this service works for all consultants!).

Here’s how it works: 

1. You tell me about your business via an intake form (typically takes 30-60 minutes).

2. I ask you questions as needed to make sure everything is clear.

3. I create a document with all my word-for-word suggestions on your profile. My designer prepares simple designs for your cover image and featured section. Within 10 days, you'll have this document in your hands. 

4. You review my feedback and we have up to 10 days of back-and-forth and implement the feedback using my step-by-step tutorial videos. 

Learn more and hire me for this critical, high-ROI service by clicking here.