As we mentioned in a recent blog post, LinkedIn can be used to generate leads. And it doesn’t need to take up all of your time – a little-and-often approach can, over time, reap huge rewards for your recruitment agency.
However to be able to start generating leads, you need to first ensure that your LinkedIn profile is the best it can be. Here’s how to do it:
1. Only use high quality/professional photos
Finding the right image of yourself to use for your LinkedIn profile is tricky.
You need a recent image that perfectly represents you as a professional recruiter, and isn’t a candid family snap.
Having a profile picture is essential, as LinkedIn profiles with a picture are 11 times more likely to be viewed.
If possible employ the services of a professional photographer who can capture you at your best, or ask a friend who’s good behind the camera to get a picture you’re happy with and that you feel represents you well professionally.
2. Add a background photo to your profile
The area behind your profile picture is another tool to promote yourself and your recruitment agency.
Rather than sticking with the default grey space at the top your profile page, take the opportunity to add some branding.
It could be your logo, or consider creating a graphic with your company strapline – it’s another small way to differentiate yourself from the competition.
3. Optimise your LinkedIn profile headline
By default, your position and company/employer appear in your profile headline, and many leave it that way, but it’s possibly the most important section of your page.
Use the headline to summarise you, your company and why you’re worth someone’s time. It’ll likely be the first thing LinkedIn users read on your profile, so make it count.
4. Craft a great summary
Once you’ve optimised your LinkedIn profile headline, follow it up with a summary of you, your company and what you can offer.
Your summary is your chance to really sell yourself to potential connections. See it as an opportunity to bring to life, and expand upon, the story you’ve told in your headline.
Try to make it easy to read, clear and concise – avoid simply listing your career history. Focus on the relevant details – no jargon, cliches or hard-sells.
5. Outline the services you can offer
There’s a feature on LinkedIn that allows freelancers, consultants and small business owners to showcase the services they offer.
This is ideal for your recruitment agency: fill this out and it’ll boost your visibility in search results.
If you can’t see the Services option on your profile, you may need to request to become a service provider on LinkedIn.
6. Customise your profile URL
It’s a small change, but customising your LinkedIn profile’s URL is a small opportunity to reinforce your message.
Customising your URL means you can get rid of the memory-unfriendly jumble of letter and numbers LinkedIn often provides, allowing you to create a more attractive URL and keep your profile consistent with your other social profiles.
7. Add new sections to your profile
By adding new sections, you can do even more to personalise your profile, and reflect your services as a go-to recruiter.
This allows you to tidy up the information on your page, by adding sections for posts, awards, areas of expertise and so on.
8. Enhance your profile with media
The world is increasingly impatient. Visual media can often convey much more than words.
Video, in particular, is growing in importance. But any visual media – infographics, presentations, for example – all grab the attention and mean visitors to your profile have the opportunity to consume more information about you in more engaging ways.
9. Review your endorsements
Endorsements are essential for building a great profile.
LinkedIn allows you to re-arrange – and even remove – endorsements. That means the most relevant (and useful) endorsements can be prioritised, further reinforcing what you’ve already added to your headline, summary and employment history.
10. Build your recommendations
Recommendations can be so powerful.
If you don’t have many right now, then why not leave a few for people you’ve worked with before, as it might prompt them to also write one for you!
11. Ensure you use plenty of keywords!
LinkedIn can work as a search engine for potential clients looking for recruitment agencies like yours. It works best when your profile has enough keywords for you to come up in relevant searches.
Keywords make your profile much more visible. Choose and use the keywords you need to appear in the right searches and you’ll open up your profile to far more views and opportunities.
12. Stay up-to-date
Any content you include on your LinkedIn profile must be up to date, so you should review it regularly. Whether that’s contact details, career history or what’s included in your headline and summary – the more relevant and current your information, the more professional and reliable you look.
Your employment history, too, should be accurate, unambiguous (start and end dates of positions you’ve held, for example) and adequately detailed.
13. Check for typos
Spelling or grammar errors are all too common on social media. To a degree, it’s accepted – but not on LinkedIn. And especially not when someone is considering working with you.
Check, double check and triple check!
14. Express yourself
Finally don’t be afraid to express what makes you and your business unique. A client or candidate browsing profiles is likely to quickly get tired with the same old cliches.
Stand out by having a video introduction or crafting a killer strapline that grabs the attention of your audience!
