In a previous blog post, I mentioned LinkedIn had 300 million users. As of last month, it now has 530 million users and is the world’s largest professional networking website! Without a doubt, it has become a worthwhile part of any small business owner’s online presence. Considering these astonishing numbers…what shape is your profile in?
Everything takes time…something there is never enough of. This is why this is one of those great tasks to delegate to a virtual assistant. Read on to see how they can help boost your LinkedIn presence.
Update and Maintain Your Profile
- Current Photo
How old is your profile picture? Is it professional? Although a professional picture is your best bet, it’s not a must. But the picture should be professional in nature; not a cropped picture of you at a family reunion! Be sure you look neat and professional and your picture is clear. The goal should be to immediately be recognized when contacts see you.
- Background Image
LinkedIn added this feature a while back and it’s a great addition to the provide. Have you updated your background photo yet? If so, does it represent you, your business, or your passion? This is an amazing way to market yourself to your contacts and prospects. Check out some examples here. Tip: Keep it clean, not too wordy, and not too graphic-intense.
- Headline
There are 120 characters including spaces to convey to contacts and prospects who you are and why they want to be connected with you. Talk to your virtual assistant about writing a 1-3 sentence headline that will provide the viewer with a benefit on why they should connect with you and give viewers a reason to click through. It’s important to know who your target audience is and to include keywords that someone might be searching for when looking for your business or services.
- Summary
When reviewing or writing the summary, you need to continue to keep your audience in mind. The summary follows much of the same rules as the heading: know your target audience and use keywords. It’s similar to a cover letter and will give contacts a sense of who you are before they read what you’ve done. Here’s one of my favorite articles on the subject to help.
Growing Your Network
- Quality
Ensuring you have a quality network is key. A great task for your virtual assistant is to check your invitations every few days and instead of just accepting have them…see just who they are and if it’s someone YOU want in your network. Many people reach out to the masses to grow their connections without any thought behind who they’re connecting with. It’s better to have 200 good connections than 1,000 people who can’t relate to you or your business.
- Connect
Have your VA request connections. Identify a position/industry/service type and then have them go out and connect. When making connection requests, it should be a personal message explaining either how you know them or why you want to connect.
- Monitor Relevant Groups
LinkedIn’s group feature is where the real networking happens, as this allows members with a common industry or interest to come together in one area.
Your VA can help increase your visibility by:
- Posting links to your recent blog posts.
- Sourcing industry news articles.
- Highlighting discussions that you could contribute to or questions that you can answer.
All of this will assist in establishing you as an experienced professional in your line of work, and build trust with both existing and potential clients and contacts. Groups are another way to identify other members, either from your own field or secondary businesses, that would be great connections, further strengthening and developing your network outside of your current contact scope.
Don’t have a Virtual Assistant yet?
Begin the process today and download our free e-book. In the comprehensive guide, we’ll help you sort through everything you need to know about finding, hiring, and utilizing a virtual assistant, and even how to delegate effectively to them. Get your free copy here.
Laura is the founder of Elite Virtual Assistants, helping solopreneurs and start-ups get the assistance they need to grow their businesses without the hassle of hiring. Schedule a call today to stop multitasking and start delegating!
