For all Referrers and, of course IACFB PAL and Pro Pal members actively engaged in factoring and business finance consulting in alternative commercial finance, you need to understand just how important LinkedIn is to your full success. Over 137 million users engage in LinkedIn’s social media platform daily, and when it comes to B2B marketing, 82% achieve the most significant success rates on LinkedIn. When comparing the popular social media platforms, 80% of B2B leads from social media are from LinkedIn. As you may have heard, when famous bank robber Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, he replied, “That’s where the money is.” The same analogy holds with LinkedIn. Why do you frequent LinkedIn? Because that’s where the factoring client leads are.
How to Create or Update Your LinkedIn Profile
Whether you’re an IACFB member starting out as a Referrer, PAL, Pro PAL associate, or a full-time Factoring Broker / Consultant, mastering LinkedIn is a game-changer for your success. Regardless of your role, LinkedIn can elevate your professional presence and connect you with potential clients.
A LinkedIn profile is dedicated page on LinkedIn.com users can use to provide professional information about themselves and their businesses. Profiles are an important component of almost all social networks and are used to showcase your business professional experience, achievements, and more and LinkedIn’s are no different. If you’re new to it, LinkedIn might take you through a walkthrough of the platform’s main areas and one of these areas will introduce you to your “Profile”. Below is a great video that introduces you to the importance of creating a powerful LinkedIn profile.
Ways to Make Your Agent LinkedIn Profile Standout
If you’re serious about your career as an agent or industry factoring broker, you must know how to make a good LinkedIn profile. If you are serious about marketing for success on LinkedIn, you need an optimized and up-to-date profile. Your LinkedIn profile is your chance to get your face, name, and IACFB listings in front of thousands of business prospects needing your services.
- Your Headshot: For marketing, one of the simple things that you can do is to put a face to your name. Your headshot is the first impression people will get from your LinkedIn page, so make the impression a good one. With the enormous numbers of people using LinkedIn, those without a photo are commonly just pushed aside.
- Create an Eye-Catching Headline: Your headline is positioned right below your name on your LinkedIn profile. For prospects, it will be the first thing that profiles visitors read. The default settings will fill this in with your current position, but it can be whatever you want. LinkedIn allows you to use 120 characters for this entry, so why not write something that pops? LinkedIn experts have described this as a “small billboard advertisement.”
- Develop a Creative Business Summary: Much like your “About Me” details on your IACFB Listings, your LinkedIn summary gives you the perfect opportunity to tell your story. Here, IACFB Listings allow you 1,500 characters to describe your business. LinkedIn allows you to use up to 2,000 characters to work with.
- Use Lead-Generating Keywords: Using lead-generating keywords is one of the most important “best practices” for your LinkedIn profile. To help you select the right keywords for your profile, you should search for job descriptions for those in the factoring industry. Select some of the most commonly cited skills and duties of factors and BDOs (Business Development Officers), and include those specific words and phrases throughout your profile text.
- Start Making Your Connections: Once you’re happy with your LinkedIn profile, you must start growing your connections. As you begin meeting people, new connections help to keep you visible to others. This is because of LinkedIn’s policy of first, second, and third-degree connection systems. Start building your network immediately.