LinkedIn is a social media platform utilized by companies, recruiters, and potential clients to network, search for and hire professionals with the specific skill set they desire. The site acts as a digital resume which can be kept in real-time by sharing status updates, recent projects and giving and receiving recommendations. It is especially important if you are looking to offer your services in a corporate environment.
- 260 million users log on to LinkedIn each month.
- 61 million LinkedIn users are senior level influencers.
- 11 million millennials in decision-making positions have a LinkedIn.
- LinkedIn is the #1 platform for Business-to-Business marketing.
LinkedIn Best Practices:
- Use a clear headshot: LinkedIn isn’t the place for car selfies or dog-ear filters. You don’t need to hire a professional photographer, however. Simply ask a friend to take a photo of you against an outside wall, or a wall near a window. You should look relaxed, happy and confident, and the image should ideally be from mid-chest and up.
- Set a reminder to update your profile: Have a calendar appointment every four to six months to clean up your profile, update your accomplishments and education, and add new people to your network.
- Don’t spam people with offers: If you truly feel like you could add value to a company with your offering (such a corporate yoga, mindfulness training, teambuilding, etc), it’s absolutely acceptable to reach out to them. Craft a clear and personal message, however; don’t use a copy-paste sales pitch.
- Ask your clients to ‘Recommend’ you on LinkedIn: You can request this verbally, or by going to their LinkedIn profile and clicking ‘Ask for a Recommendation’. These are posted publicly and will help instill confidence in prospective clients viewing your profile.
- Edit your profile information to be public: This will allow search engines to populate your LinkedIn profile when someone searches for your name, business name or skill set and location.
The piece that many people get hung up on is writing the summary. This isn’t the sterile cover letter of decades past; it’s a personal introduction! Let your personality be front-and-center. The most important thing to remember is to use ‘I’ statements.
Here’s an easy-to-follow formula for a concise, creative LinkedIn profile summary:
Paragraph One: Introduce Yourself With an Ice Breaker
Tell us a fun fact about yourself, a surprising hobby you may have, or how you came to find your unique passion and skill set. One or two sentences will do.
Paragraph Two: Outline Your Credentials
You don’t need to list every certification you have or every class you’ve ever taken. Give us the highlights, however, and let us know how they’ve impacted how you show up as a holistic practitioner.
Paragraph Three: Tell Us What You’re Doing Now
What’s your business about? What things has it allowed you to do? Do you have a specific niche that you love working with? What major accomplishments have you achieved?
Paragraph Four: Manifest Those Dreams
Outline your major vision and the types of people you’d dream of connecting with. Here you can lay out your big ideas, because you never know what’s achievable until you ask!
Example Profile Summary:
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Sally Serene
Yoga Teacher (RYT 500), Founder of Relax & Reflect Yoga
Tempe, Arizona
When I’m not hiking mountains or tending to my pet chickens, you can find me teaching yoga around the valley! I love facilitating everything from fast-paced flows to meditative cool-downs, and my playlist always includes some fun and funky jams.
I am a registered yoga teacher (RYT 500), reiki practitioner and aromatherapist. In 2019, I graduated from Southwest Institute of Healing Arts’ Advanced Yoga Teacher Training program, and continue to actively participate in workshops and classes to expand and refine my skill sets.
My business, Relax & Reflect Yoga, was founded with the intention to make yoga fun, impactful and accessible to all skill levels and abilities. I have facilitated both individual and group sessions, in settings ranging from corporate yoga to bachelorette parties! I also love appearing on podcasts and being interviewed by blogs to spread the power of Namaste. I was recently recognized as one of the state's top yoga instructors and have been featured in various publications across the United States.
I would love to connect with businesses looking to integrate wellness in to their corporate culture. I believe that mindfulness, meditation and yoga can cultivate a serene and productive work environment, improve professional relationships, and act as an effective team-building activity. If you're looking to bring some 'Ohm' to your employees, reach out to me for more information!
Even if you don’t plan to spend more than the half-hour it takes to create your profile, it is worth it to have a presence on LinkedIn!
