For most Geospatial businesses we work with, LinkedIn plays an important role in their overall marketing strategy. And we’re not just talking about their company page!
Like all social networks, LinkedIn is all about human to human connection, and people are far less likely to “connect” with a company page. That’s why company leaders’ personal profiles often play an important role in the company’s overall strategy.
The idea is to build a strong personal brand on the individual level, and funnel that authority back to the company. Or – if you’re an individual building a persona brand for yourself – using that authority to get hired, sell your services, or accomplish whatever it is you set out to do.
Problem is, most Geospatial professionals haven’t optimised their LinkedIn profile for success.
The most common mistakes Geospatial professionals make on LinkedIn
After auditing (and fixing) 10s of Geospatial leaders’ LinkedIn profiles, we’ve collated a list of the most common mistakes and how to fix them.
Let’s start with the mistakes:
Most geospatial professionals treat their LinkedIn profile the same way academics do: As an extended reference, covered in publications, accolades, and third person descriptions of their wonderful achievements.
Hence, it doesn’t…
- Speak to a clear and specific audience
- Communicate a unique and interesting POV
- Reach (enough of) the right people to gain traction
- Act as part of a funnel which leads to monetisation
However, if you want to build your business and online presence with LinkedIn, you need to treat it more like a marketing tool.
How optimise your LinkedIn profile up for success
LinkedIn has come a long way since its online CV days, and it now has several features to help you leverage your profile as a marketing tool.
Here are the most important steps to take to optimise your LinkedIn profile:
Turn on creator mode
This allows you to add a link to your personal website or portfolio. It also lets you add relevant hashtags to show people what topics you actively talk about.
Think about your main value proposition
I.e. your unique skillset and what you want to be known for. Then turn this into a catchphrase and add that as your byline under your profile picture.
A good format that makes it nice and clear is “I help [type of company/person] with [achieve desired outcome] through [your skillset/expertise]
Optimise your About page
Once you have defined your audience and the thing you want to be known for, you can tailor your “About” section towards this too, and make sure your pinned featured posts support the same message.
Use your featured section
Add featured links that showcase your work and help people take the next steps in working with you.
This is where you can funnel people to the next steps of their customer journey, e.g. build trust with a case study, give them a Calendly link to book a consultation, share a link to your newsletter, etc.
Don’t waste this precious real estate by pinning your posts or adding links to your latest publications.
Post regular content
Lastly, start posting regular content showcasing your skills and expertise. (You might want to create a content strategy that helps you identify what kinds of things to post.)
Once you’ve done that 👆 your profile acts as a 24/7 sales person (much like your website).
Now all you have to do is attract the right people through content, outreach and engagement.
Not sure how?
Check out our Personal Branding Package