What do most people do today when they are considering buying from another company?  They search online to read about the company. Google gives high ranking to LinkedIn, resulting in LinkedIn profiles coming up high when searches are done in Google.  That’s why every business owner should have a LinkedIn profile, according to Karen Yankovich, this month’s guest on The SkillBites Show.

Yankovich is owner of Uplevel Media, which provides high level LinkedIn marketing that drives quality leads to her clients’ businesses.  LinkedIn is a powerful platform for business development, if done right. Yankovich shared several ways that businesses can exploit LinkedIn to gain more clients.  The first step is to have a good LinkedIn profile. That requires more than just providing the information requested by LinkedIn. You need to have a strong headline that conveys to the reader the transformation that you provide to your customers.  To do that, you need to know who your ideal customers are and what they are looking to obtain from you.

Your profile should also incorporate the key words that your audience is using to search for the services or products that you provide.  Then when people are searching on Google, they are more likely to find you. Your profile should also humanize you. You have a personality; express that in your banner, your headshot, your summary, your description of why you do what you do and what you like to do when you aren’t working.

After you have developed a great profile, you can begin to build a network on LinkedIn.  You can search on LinkedIn, even in the free version, for 2nd or 3rd degree connections (that is, people connected to the people you are connected to, or those connected to your 2nd degree connections), as well as by location, company, past company, industry, language, nonprofit interests, schools, and title.  With a paid subscription to LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator, even more search filters are available.

Once you identify the search criteria that provide good prospects for you, you can save the search to reuse.  For those who seem to be good prospects, send them an invitation to connect. Don’t try to sell to them and don’t make it all about you or your services.  Show genuine interest in them and provide value to them. As you build a relationship, you will find people willing to have a conversation with you and an interest on their part to learn more about what you do, which, if they need the services you provide, can lead to sales or referrals to others who may need your services.

Karen had even more tips that she shared, which you can listen to by clicking here to go to the recording of the October 17, 2018 SkillBites Show.  She also offered to the SkillBites audience her complimentary LinkedIn Profile Tips, accessible at LinkedInProfileTips.com.  Karen welcomes your connection with her on LinkedIn.  For more information about her services, visit www.karenyankovich.com.