Some of the most common questions I see around LinkedIn and optimizing the platform for sales relate to your profile headline, with many sales reps and marketers still seeking help to create the perfect buyer-centric summary.
Some of the key questions include: 'How can I communicate instant value through my LinkedIn Profile Headline?', 'What's the purpose of the headline?', 'Can you provide any LinkedIn Profile Headline Tips?'
Look no further - in this post, I'll show you how to maximize your LinkedIn headline with a step-by-step approach that'll help you attract more interest - and ultimately, clients - via this element.
A Buyer-Centric Headline
The first lesson for a sales rep or a marketer wanting to use their LinkedIn profile as a lead magnet is:
"Don't do normal"
Your competitors - the 'normal' sales reps - use their job title as their headline, but your potential buyers don't care about your title. More importantly, they can be instantly turned off when they see "Sales Account Executive" or "Account Manager". Why? They now see you as "just another sales person trying to prospect to them".
Remember, if you're happy in your current position, then your LinkedIn profile should not be viewed as your resume. Instead, view it as a buyers' resource page.
Your ultimate objective is to help your potential customer, which means you need to keep them in mind at all times. They're searching for solutions to their business problems, and when your LinkedIn profile provides that information, you'll gain more appointments. But first, they have to click through to your profile.
Your headline needs to entice your buyer to click through into your profile - you have 120 characters to show your potential buyers how you're going to help them.
So how do you do it?
Maximizing Your LinkedIn Profile Headline
Your headline should be an irresistible Call-to-Action that shows:
- Who you actually help and...
- How you solve their problems.
As noted, your goal is to get them to click through and give your profile a fighting chance to create further engagement with you - you want to turn your profile into a lead magnet.
The four key elements of an optimized LinkedIn profile headline are:
- Keywords for search optimization
- Identifies your target audience (who you help)
- Communicates value (how you Help)
- If enough room, displays your company website (without the "www")
This provides potential buyers with the information they need to make a decision if they want to see more. Don't forget, you only have 120 characters - that's less than a tweet. Make sure you're economic with your words and you completely understand what problem you solve for your targeted buyers.
LinkedIn Profile Headline Tips for Sales Reps
Look at what other, "normal" sales reps are writing in their headline.
- Global Account Manager at Company ABC
- B2B Account Executive - West Coast at Company XYZ
- Internet Marketer
Now say it with me: "Don't do normal"
Here are some examples of some of clients who have gone through our LinkedIn Profile Transformation and now have amazing LinkedIn Profile Headlines:
- Delivering an Infrastructure Refresh Strategy so you can stay in control of your IT Lifecycle Management | Cisco Capital
- Supporting Enterprises in IT cost reductions & licensing optimization support | Sales Director | NPIFinancial.com
- Helping Businesses Lower Indirect Spending Through Discounts with our GPO Programs & Procurement Expertise | CenterPoint
- Providing Management Consulting to Accelerate IT Transformation for Leading Organizations | ThinkWGroup.com
- Empowering Today's Sales Leaders, Reps and Small Businesses to Connect with Modern Day Buyers and Grow Revenue thru Social Selling | M3Jr.com
Now ask yourself do the above examples contain:
- Keywords for searches within LinkedIn and Google?
- Identifies the Target Audience (Who they help)?
- Communicates Value (How they help)?
- If enough room - Displays the Company Website (without the "www")?
These are the key elements of an optimized, engaging LinkedIn profile headline - follow these tips to boost your LinkedIn presence and performance.