It’s an inarguable fact that whether you care about your online presence of not, prospects will look you up on LinkedIn. So if you want your profile bio to be working hard for you, here are some basics that you should include in your account.
Clarity of Niche
As I’m a niching coach, you know that I think that the number one thing that’s missing from most profile bio’s is WHO you help with WHAT expensive problem they have. This is called your niche. If you don’t know what that should be, hire a strategist to help you figure out the gap in the market that you should be positioning to.
Keyword Stuff Your Bio
Multiple mentions of a keyword (ie. the word that your prospects Google when searching for a solution to a problem that you solve for them) is called keyword stuffing. Through first person (as opposed to online) research, my clients and I figure out the exact words that pop up in a prospects’ mind that relates to their exact needs. Then we use this word over and over again in their LinkedIn profile. We stuff the titles of jobs, descriptions of what they do as well as their bio. This helps put their profile in top ranking position for when prospects are looking for a solution that they offer.
Ruthless Self-Promotion
My favourite advice for clients who are selling to prospects is to ‘have self-amnesia’. Meaning, stop talking about yourself, your products and services. This is even true for your LinkedIn bio to a certain extent. While I still want you to start by talking about who you help and what problem you solve for them, the rest of your bio is for you to brag and shine. How exactly do you do that? By mentioning the long litany of the following, of course: awards, nominations, media appearances, books you wrote, publications you appeared in, conferences you spoke at, number of years in the industry, as well as any special differentiators you have for your business.
Something Personal
Last but not least, make sure to put something of you that doesn’t sound like a robot on your profile bio. This has been a game changer for lots of clients. Talk about your personal passions, goals, achievements, the thing that you’re most proud of personally. This allows people who’ve never met you to get a sense of who you are as a person.
Above all, the most important thing in your bio is to actually write it. Most people never even complete their profile bio on LinkedIn. Don’t leave money on the table by doing that. In fact, take a look at how I’ve done my About section and see how you can improve yours.
Want to reposition your messaging to grow your leads? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, watch my Podcast on YouTube or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk.
