Odds are, if you Google your own name, your LinkedIn Profile will be on the first page of the search; and most likely in the first spot. That’s the power of LinkedIn. And that’s the power you need to tap into.
People are searching for you and want to know more about you. Are you sure, what they are finding is what you want them to see?
Let’s take this example a bit further. Say you just ended a call with a prospect who’s unhappy with the follow through from their current vendor. You’ve managed to schedule a short meeting with this prospect to present your service plan. After the call, the vendor wants to get to know a bit more about you and your company so they Google your name. Your LinkedIn profile shows up in the listing, and they click through to it wanting to know more about your background and expertise that you can bring to them. What they find is your profile that lists little more than your name and the name of your company; no experience, no skills, no recommendations, and few connections. What you just told them on the phone about your thoroughness and follow-through is now questionable since you haven’t taken the time to fully complete the LinkedIn profile that you started.
Instead, you want to make sure your profile is 100% complete, that you have customized your URL, included information to back up the skills you are trying to sell, and that your LinkedIn Professional Headline engages with people and lets them know what you do. See the image at the left. The description offered with the Google search is taken directly from my headline and URL on LinkedIn. So you can control what Google shows about you in a search. Take advantage of this and update your LinkedIn profile to accurately depict you and your skills.
For help on optimizing your profile, sign up for our series 10 Tips in 10 Days – Boost Your Business with LinkedIn.