The Ultimate LinkedIn
Strategy Guide
Master the platform and supercharge your lead generation!
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
It's time to start making the most out of your LinkedIn...
LinkedIn is the third-fastest growing social network on planet. It’s the go-to personal professional network.
When you think of online networking tools, it’s the one name at the tip of your tongue. So, why is LinkedIn so
good for business?
Around half of LinkedIn users have household incomes over $100,000. That makes it the highest concentration
of high net-worth individuals on a public social media platform… anywhere! These are the people that make
decisions; the people that can shape the future of your business, or agree to the mega-deal you’ve been dreaming
of for months – you know, the one that will net you your bonus…
Research indicates that 12% of businesses are using social media to either nd leads, or nd suppliers. That
number is rising and will continue to rise.
With all of these numbers in mind, you may be interested to know that 50% of users would be happy to buy a
product from someone they had interacted with on LinkedIn...
Why is that?
There are a myriad of reasons. The rst, has been the friend of the salesperson for centuries – a personable
service. Talking to people and connecting with them builds trusts. As does having a record of your work
achievements out there for the world to see.
A recent study showed that up to 80% of LinkedIn leads from connections, went on to convert.
So, you want to get in on this action?
Well… yeah! That’s great, but you need to make sure that you’re making the most of your assets and maximising
your potential. That’s where we step in. Follow this guide and start making deals with the power of LinkedIn.
50% of consumers are more likely to purchase your product if they interact with you on LinkedIn.
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
Personal Profile
This is the foundation of your LinkedIn persona and a vital component for good lead-generation. Keeping your
profile tidy, relevant and up-to-date may seem obvious, but it is still the case that many LinkedIn profiles aren’t
up to scratch.
D i d you know?
Adding a profile photo makes your profile 7x more likely to be found in searches?
And that having your 2 most recent positions makes your profile 12x more likely to be found?
There are some key hygiene-factors to keep your LinkedIn profile at it’s best. These are the minimum
requirements for a good all-round profile - this is stuff is important! Your profile is your shop window. A
carefully-crafted legacy complete with recommendations, juicy SEO-friendly headlines and the all important e
perience. At least, it will be!
We detail the 11 steps to profile-mastery below, plus, you can save the cheatsheet to refer back to later.
Remember, these are the minimums! Try to complete these 11 steps to give yourself the best chance at success.
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
11 Steps to Profile Success
Remember, these are the minimums. This is the baseline for a solid, trustworthy and altogether polished pro le.
You don't need us to tell you that the way you present yourself is important. Put on the best show for your
clients and you will be rewarded.
Presentation: Look the Part
1. Use a professi onal -qual i ty pr ofi l e photo
We’re not saying that you have to fork out for a professional shoot; but if you can, that’s awesome. It is handsdown the best way to guarantee results! Even if you are going with a pro however, there are some tips for nailing
the format you can take with you. For everyone else - it’s time to learn some photography skills!
Li nks:
A Professional Photographer’s Guide to Getting the Right LinkedIn Profile Photo
Lighting For A Headshot: A Simple And Inexpensive Technique
Do-It-Yourself headshots - and you can even use your iPhone
2. A dd a bac kground i m age
This is an easy-to-fix mistake that a lot of people make. Not having one is sloppy and having an irrelevant one is
just a waste of prime real estate!
The background photo takes up a significant chunk of the page space when people first land on your profile.
Li nks:
6 Tips for your LinkedIn Cover Photo
3. C hange your URL
This one is an easy winner. Change your URL to your name (for obvious reasons!) or your name and service. So if
our name was Alix (Lix for short, maybe?) and we help clients generate leads, our URL could read something like
this: linkedin.com/alix-lead-generation
You will be prompted to change your URL when you first set up your profile. Missed the prompt? That’s ok,
there’s an easy guide right here: Customizing Your Public Profile URL
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
Searchability: Be Easy to Find
4. H eadl i ne
Keep your headline short and to the point. Add in some additional industry keywords if relevant to the business
you want to acquire, location of the work etc.
Not everyone will read your summary after the headline, so anything that you absolutely need to communicate
goes here. Use industry-standard terms if you’re hoping to be found in searches.
Exam pl e: Lix Leeds, Biz Dev Consultant, London
If you’re hoping to be discovered by people searching for Biz Dev in London - put it in your headline!
5. Sum m ary
This is where you can begin to add a little flavour to your profile. Until now they have seen your slick URL,
carefully-crafted cover image and sharp profile photograph; they also know that you’re a consultant from
Yorkshire… what comes next?
You need to communicate what it is you have to offer in a new way (why waste space by repeating your
headline?), but there’s no space for war and peace. Our tip is to think in terms of LSI keywords. LSI stands for
Latent Semantic Indexing: keywords that are related to a main search term. They’re the semantic terms
associated with an overall subject.
Google’s search algorithm loves LSI. It searches for matched topics on a page, rather than just floating keywords.
It’s one way of finding out if a page is relevant.
Be relevant.
Use terms related to your headline and the information on your profile in your summary and take advantage of
this.
Exam pl e: Lix Leeds Biz Dev Consultant, London : I specialise in acquiring new clients, generating leads and
closing deals.
Tool : Generate Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) Keywords for your SEO content Credentials
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
6. Experi enc e: C ur r ent & P ast Ti tl es
These work in the same way that headlines on webpages do - they tell search engines (like Google and the
LinkedIn search!) what the most important information on this page is.
So, perhaps your job title is Business Development Exec; that’s great, but is that what potential clients and
connections want to know? Is that what they’ll search for? It can be a good idea to tell them what you do at your
job, rather than what they call you.
A better headline might be “Sales Lead Generation”. It’s search-friendly and tells the enquirer what you do, not
what you are. Alternatively, stick with the industry-standard term if you want to be found easily!
7. Experi enc e: D esc r i pti ons
This is where the real prose begins. There is no need for war and peace - not many people will read this in detail,
and a big block of text is a surefire way to put off those that do.
That said, this is your chance to showcase your achievements. Overcome a huge hurdle at your last job? Put it in
there. Nailed the biggest deal? Add it in. You want any individual that has taken the time to read this to feel
overwhelmed with your knowledge and experience.
A good tip is to imagine your dream client / employer / investor is reading these descriptions. What do you want
that person to know? Write for them.
8. Experi enc e: Spec i al i ti es, A c c om pl i shm ents, P r oj ec ts….
There are different options here - you can know choose what to display and where! Our advice is to pick
whichever shows you in the best light. If you have relevant specialities you’d like to share (Lix Leeds would
perhaps put ‘Long term lead nurturing’ on their specialities), go for it. If you have projects that can be linked,
courses to parade or other accomplishments that bolster your image, use those.
9. Experi enc e: Medi a
This is so often overlooked - but you’ll have more people clicking on these links than reading your descriptions!
Any press your company received while you were there, any stories about your achievements, content you
produced; link it!
Links to relevant articles reputable news outlets and company pages add an extra layer of professionalism to
your profile. It’s also a great place to get some links to your site and direct some traffic back to you.
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
Social Proof: Prove Your Value
10. Ski l l s & Endor sem ents
List your top skills and bring in those endorsements! Skills and endorsement provide a quick look at what you
bring to the table. List at least 5 that are relevant to your audience. The best way to get endorsements - is to give
endorsements! Get out there and spread the love and you will get some in return. You can also propose an
‘endorsement for endorsement’ swap to a connection that you know well.
11. Rec om m endati ons
These are the real jewel in the crown. Everybody likes to check reviews before they buy online and this is no
different. Recommendations from connections, colleagues, bosses and friends are testimonials to your ability.
Again, the best way to receive is either to give and hope for a generous return, or propose a swap with a close
connection.
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
Company & Showcase Pages
This is the strictly-business end of LinkedIn. If you're in charge of your company's page, great. If not, read
through our guide and see if suggestions need to be made. The quality and purpose of your company pages will
directly impact your ability to find and close great leads!
Company Page
1. Cover Image
Don’t waste real-estate! Your company page needs to act as a landing page, send people back to your website.
You don’t want a boring ‘about me’ page that no one cares about. Use your header image to advertise something
your leads would want to buy, a premium service you provide or find another way to get them enticed.
2. D esc ri pti on
Try not to fall into the trap that 99% of Company Pages fall into - don’t clog this space up with a dry explanation
of the company history. Talk directly to your target audience and ask them to convert. The initial wording is the
most important. Linked in only shows the rst 2 or so lines so grab them with your image and the rst few lines.
Entice them to read more, give them something to get excited about. Think about how and why they found your
page and give them what they want!
Exam pl e of a good page:
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
Showcase Pages
“Drive engagement with a dedicated page, Showcase Pages are extensions of
your Company Page, designed for spotlighting a brand, business unit, or
initiative. Create a page for aspects of your business with their own messages
and audience segments to share with”
— LinkedIn
LinkedIn Showcase Pages are additional page designed to - you guessed it! showcase something. Whether that’s a particular product or service, or even
perhaps an upcoming launch, showcase pages are a great way to get it out there.
You can also use these pages for b2b lead generation. Create a showcase page
that speaks directly to that target audience and prime them for conversion. You
can be creative with this! If you’re a recruiter, perhaps the page could be a case
study for a candidate you headhunted and place, with a few CTAs that say “Let us
help you to get there too!”. If you’re chasing investment, showcase your product
as you would on a crowdfunding site. Strip away anything that isn’t relevant to
making a conversion. Keep the page name short too, as LinkedIn will cut off long
names.
Using the ‘landing page’ mentality will ensure that you eke the most out of your company and showcase pages.
Use them as you would any other landing page and think about them in the same way - approach it from a userfirst perspective, think about what the user has searched for to find you, or whether they clicked on some
content or a discussion you’ve posted. What do they expect to see here? Give them what they want, entice them
to want more.
The Ultimate
LinkedIn
Strategy
Li nkedIn
Showc ase
P ages Guide
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
Leads & Searches
You’ve covered everything so far; your personal, company and showcase pages
are tip-top, you’ve honed your pitch, polished your persona and enticed your
audience. Now it’s time for the proactive stuff - let’s make some deals.
All deals, whether it’s selling yurts or yachts, have something in common - they were pitched to the right target.
When it comes to finding prospects on Linked, the quality of your search can be just as important as your skills in
the close. After all, if you’re not working on the right target you’re wasting your time - and time is money!
Searches
A dvanc ed Searc hi ng
The LinkedIn ‘advanced search’ function is great for honing in on those juicy targets. Go to the LinkedIn header,
click the search ‘people’ icon and then the ‘advanced’ option. You don’t need a premium account to take
advantage of this! Just a few clicks and you be advanced searching to your heart’s content.
You can also save this search format once you are done, so you don’t have to go through all the options next
time. If you’re likely to be searching for the same, highly-targeted people quite regularly consider creating a few
of these to same time. Be aware that the free version of LinkedIn only allows you to save 3 searches!
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
Leads
You’ve found the one(s). The search list end all searches. The cream of the crop. A pipeline so powerful it puts
Russian gas to shame. What now?
It’s for this exact moment in your LinkedIn mission that we built LIX.
LIX makes it quick and easy to populate your pipeline from a LinkedIn search! LIX
allows you to export your regular or advanced LinkedIn searches to either Excel
or CSV (support for CRM systems such as Pipedrive is coming soon!).
Simply perform a ‘people’ search in LinkedIn, click on the LIX extension in your
browser and export. Voila. The 2 minute pipeline.
LIX will create unique IDs for every lead you extract, which means you can keep topping up fresh leads without
fear of multiple entries.
Powerful extra features such as best-guess email extraction and domain
resolution come as standard; these are great tools for closing deals and come at
no extra cost.
We are constantly listening to our users and building new features, providing you with a superior product every
month at no extra charge.
We also sometimes write an entire full-length guide to the most important business prospecting platform of our
generation and then give it out for free. That’s just who we are.
The point of LIX is to help you get the best out of LinkedIn. There has never been a better time for LinkedIn lead
generation and we want to make the most of that.
We love it when you make bonus!
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide
LIX Setup & Installation
1. Subscribe to LIX
Purchase a subscription and add team members.
https://lix-it.com/register/
2. A c ti vate your br owser
Any browser can be used with the LIX helper. We have walkthroughs for the main browsers when you sign up
and select your preference.
3. Export searc hes!
Use the native LinkedIn interface to perform searches and simply click the LIX it! button to export to Excel or
CSV. Smooth.
That’s it! If you follow the steps above (even if you don’t subscribe to LIX!) you will drastically improve your
standing on the LinkedIn stage and start bringing in more leads and more deals.
There has never been a better time to take advantage of LinkedIn’s success – it won’t last forever! Act now to
make the most of your LinkedIn presence.
Good luck, godspeed and happy LIX'ing!
The Ultimate LinkedIn Strategy Guide