10 LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Tips To Attract High-Quality Leads

You are a competitive individual in a competitive environment so making sure your LinkedIn profile is as good as it can be is the best way to stand out from the crowd of LinkedIn profiles in search results and attract the leads and the clients you want to.  

Over recent years, LinkedIn has not only proven to be the number one business platform for hiring, but also lead generation. It provides more opportunities than Google Ads and all the other social media platforms for B2B businesses in particular, so you should invest the time necessary and strategise the development of your LinkedIn profile in order to get the right results. 

Despite the high traffic generated by individuals making LinkedIn searches, your profile can easily become lost if it is poorly constructed or makes basic errors.  

Here, we have put together ten simple pointers to optimise your profile and make sure it not only gets seen, but gets you the high quality leads and connections you want. 

1. Your Profile is NOT your CV 

You are not looking for employment, you are looking for leads, clients and new projects, so your profile shouldn’t be a dry list of your skills and achievements; it should be an engaging story with personality. You wouldn’t put images, graphics and external links in a CV, but you should definitely do so on a LinkedIn profile. This helps people understand who you are, what you can do and whether you are the person they should partner with.  

2. Be Visual 

While you might have a lot to talk about, and telling a story about yourself does need context and detail, a lot of heavy text can be off-putting, so break up blocks of text with more visual content. It helps with skim reading and engages readers to stick with your profile a little longer. Add some infographics, videos or icon images within the text to make it easier to digest.  

3. Understand the Importance of your Cover Photo

LinkedIn cover photos are routinely underestimated as a way to make a first impression. While your individual profile picture shows people who you are as a person, your cover photo is the perfect place to showcase your business. Don’t disregard it as an inconsequential filler item. Instead, use this space to attract your profile visitors’ attention through clever branding and important company information.  

4. Don’t Waste Words on your Profile Headline 

The headline for any story is essential in attracting a potential reader, so with only 120 characters to play with, don’t waste any of them when it comes to your LinkedIn profile headline. Your headline needs to be eye-catching, appealing to the type of client you want to attract, and should complement your cover photo, so think about the representation of yourself you want to project, and construct a headline that works truly represents you and your business.   

5. Use Keywords and Other Basic SEO Techniques

If you think about the kind of search terms a potential client would use, you can then adopt these and use them as keywords throughout your profile content. Basic terms such as “sales and marketing professional in Leeds” or “effective purchasing negotiator in Manchester” should be easy terms to use within the text, but be careful not to go over-the-top. Don’t tie yourself in knots trying to insert a clever search term, it will be noticed. Keep the text natural and easy to read. And make sure you end your profile with a ‘call to action’. This is another basic SEO technique that works more often than you realise, so end with a “let’s connect” or “contact me to discuss how we can work together” and you’ll be surprised how many people do.  

6. Be Comprehensive and Consistent

As well as being clear and precise with information throughout your profile, you should also be consistent in what tone and language you use. Make sure you complete all sections of the profile and don’t leave anything blank. A fluid and cohesive profile with consistent language is easier to read and is a more effective overview of you than something ‘bitty’, which looks like it took you several aborted attempts to complete.  

7. Demonstrate Credibility

In LinkedIn terms this is called ‘social proof’, and you should show examples of it everywhere. Naturally people will skim read your profile in the first instance, so if you have independent endorsements and testimonials, make them visible and easy to read. You can also request recommendations from clients directly through LinkedIn, which will appear on your profile page once approved. We recommend sourcing at least 2-3 recommendations that are relevant to your current company and role.  

8. Tell a Story

Your profile needs to get people hooked and show that you have a unique value, and it is possible to be personal with your profile while still being professional, so use your profile to engage people and create a human connection. Your cover photo and headline can help tell a story of who you are and what your mission is, and the text within your profile can give context to this. People connect to personal stories, so if you have business experiences which back-up your mission, attitude and ethos, then tell that story here in a concise and effective way.  

9. Keep the ‘Featured’ Section up to Date

The featured section on your profile is the perfect place to showcase your work and present the highlights of your career. Prioritise your key skills and biggest achievements and think about how a prospect is likely to have found you and show them what they want to see. However, don’t just hang on to past glories, keep this section up to date with new and relevant achievements and high-quality content. It shows you are active and successful and keeps your profile fresh and engaging.  

10. Make your Services Relevant

The ‘services’ section is a common way for your profile to show up in the search results of service providers. But will these be the clients you want and are your services the ones you currently specialise in? Make sure the services section reflects your current specialisms and the kind of work you are looking for.  

For specialist, effective help and advice on lead generation through LinkedIn, contact our team at Bee Social today.