How to Use LinkedIn to Build More Business | DIGITAL EQUATION MARKETING

“LinkedIn has the unfortunate reputation of being a platform for stuffy CEOs, spammy salespeople and college students that were required to make a profile in their university career skills class.” so says Search Engine Land. It is not always considered as important by professionals in technical and management roles.

With some of these professionals, they consider the effort to build a strong LinkedIn presence and build an online business network to be secondary to their main focus.

But, as business-to-business (b2b) relationships can be the most complex type of business to develop, it is often beneficial for your business prospects to have a ‘deeper’ connection with your company than just your sales force. If your prospects/customers only perceive of your organization as the ‘sales force’, this can mean that your business could suffer as a result.

LinkedIn is a key component of your online visibility

Many people have invested some effort in putting up a person page on Facebook, primarily to share photos with friends and family. What Facebook is generally not good for is presenting a business ‘skill set’ and promoting your business value.

To allow your business and key personnel be found online by your prospects and customers, you must not only be found in LinkedIn — but on Google searches. And as a social media channel, LinkedIn Marketing can not be beat. And the great thing is that – by improving your search results potential in LinkedIn, you are accomplishing the same thing for your Google results!

Start with Your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn states that ““LinkedIn Users with complete Profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn”.And there are several levels of LinkedIn profile completeness – referred to as “Profile Strength”.

Beginner
Intermediate
Expert
All-Star

Here are the Profile Sections that you need to complete to get to ‘All Star’ Profile Strength (100%):

Your Industry and Location
An up-to-date Current Position (with a description)
Two Past Positions
Your Education
Your Skills (minimum of 3)
A Profile Photo
At least 50 Connections

Your LinkedIn “Profile Strength” is something that only you will see. But, if your strength is not “All-Star”, you will be pushed down in the LinkedIn search results when someone tries to search for your name.

The LinkedIn search algorithm seeks profiles and displays the search results based on these items, and in this order.

Profile Completeness (100% only)
Connections in Common (shared)
Connections by Degree (1st Degree, etc.)
Groups in Common (shared)

How Your LinkedIn Profile Can Help Your Google Search Results

To be found on Google search, LinkedIn is a key element in the success formula. The LinkedIn platform is one of the top indexed platforms on the internet (along with YouTube, Wikipedia, Facebook, and Twitter.)

Do This Quick Test To Find Out How You Rank
One quick way to test this theory is by ‘googling’ your name. Do you find your name on Page 1 of the Google search results? Where is your LinkedIn profile located in the search?

If the Page 1 results of the google search do not include a positive listing for you, OR your LinkedIn profile listing is NOT on the top position of the Page 1 search results, then your LinkedIn profile is incomplete

What Is The Value of Being Found Online

If you are not able to be found online, you are ‘off the grid’. Some people prefer this concept. But, I would suspect that if you are reading this article, than you are someone who is working to build their career and/or business.

If your career is ‘Sales’, than I don’t need to explain to you the value of being connected to your customers and prospect. You see the direct results of this in your compensation.

If your career is “Management” or “Entrepreneur/Owner”, your business needs to be as connected to your marketplace through as many different levels of your company as possible. You appreciate how this impacts your ‘topline’ revenue.

If your career is in a “Technical”, “Support”, or even “Financial” role, your visibility helps you grow personally. It also helps your company’s brand to be more visible, ensuring job stability for you and your team. It also presents more ‘depth’ of skill sets that your company offers.

As you can see, there are many reasons to consider the value of a ‘complete’ LinkedIn profile. And I hope that if you are not now an LinkedIn “All-Star”, that you will soon become one.

Originally published in February, 2018. Updated July 2020.

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