Does my LinkedIn profile matter?

You might think of LinkedIn as that stale profile you never seem to get around to updating. If neglecting it doesn’t seem to be having any detrimental effects, you may be wondering why you still have this nagging feeling that it’s something you should finally tick off the to-do list. 

For anyone on the fence, here are two reasons we recommend paying some attention to your LinkedIn profile:

First, even a small investment will bring you value.

It’s free to create a profile on LinkedIn, and the platform is designed to be user-friendly. Most advisors are able to get a simple profile online in short order, which they can then link to their website, email signature, and so on.

As is the case with any outward representation of you or your business, professionalism is critical. A strong profile will have a properly formatted logo, background image and headshot, clean and concise copy in the descriptive sections, and consistency with the rest of your brand. 

But even if you enlist your marketing partners for the job, your investment need not be a massive one, as LinkedIn profiles aren’t meant to be excessively long or complicated.

Once it’s published, anyone who decides to seek you out on the platform, or who happens to come across your profile, will have a positive experience that reinforces your credibility. It may even lead to actions like visiting your website, recommending your services, or reaching out directly. 

All told, the cost of bringing your LinkedIn profile up to par is relatively low, yet the advantages can be significant and immediate. 

Second, it has real potential as a marketing channel.

LinkedIn may not be the sleekest social media platform, but there’s no denying that it represents a vast network of professionals that many advisors tap into as a source of new leads and strategic partnerships. 

This means it can have real potential with respect to practice growth. But this is where the “quick and easy” path ends. Turning your LinkedIn profile into a marketing channel is something that happens over time, with consistent input that can involve:

• Sending and accepting invitations so that you can grow your network

• Promoting content that you create elsewhere (like on a website blog)

• Creating and sharing new content, from short posts to webinars

• Posting links that drive traffic back to your website 

• Creating a company profile and establishing consistency among team member profiles

• (with a premium account) Following up on users who interact with your profile or content

There’s no way to know what opportunities are being missed by excluding yourself from this platform, so for many advisors its low point of entry places the LinkedIn profile in the “essentials” category of brand management. From there, pursuing further opportunities is a question of your own strategic initiatives and objectives. 

Get in touch with us if you have further questions, or if you’re looking for support in creating or managing your LinkedIn profile.