YOU are an expert. Yes, YOU!
If you want to succeed in your business, you need to claim this, own this, BE this.
So often we think that what comes easiest to us is easy for everyone else. That couldn’t be further from the truth! There are things that you love to do, that you lose track of time when you do, that you love to talk about to others. Those are the things that hopefully you’re building your business on, and those are the things that you’re expert at.
Or maybe you’re thinking “Yeah Karen, but who the heck needs me to make their eggplant parmigiana?” Let me tell you, people DO. I happen to make an excellent eggplant parmigiana, but I’m busy. So even though I CAN do it myself, I would very likely pay you do make it for me on my busy weekdays. That makes YOU the expert, YOU are the one I’m coming to when I’m hungry. Sounds silly but you can take this same concept and apply it if you design websites, if you’re a health coach, if you’re a personal trainer, if you sell widgets. YOU are the expert and you need to own that.
Step 1 to using LinkedIn to build your expert status: CLAIM it, OWN it, BE it
The first place you want to do this is in your LinkedIn Headline. If your headline says something like “Accountant”, I want you to stop reading this right now and change it up.
- Click here to watch a short video I created a few months ago that shows you exactly how to claim your expert status in your headline.
- Make sure your headline makes you feel just a big queasy. Put yourself out there in a big way!
- No one is going to think “she must be even BETTER than she says”. In order to get clients, your headline needs to make them feel as if they’re in expert hands.
Step 2 to using LinkedIn to build your expert status: Strategic use of keywords
Keywords are important in establishing your expert status. You want to be consistently using the same keywords throughout your LinkedIn profile, leaving no doubt to your readers that YOU are the expert on those topics.
- Learn how to use Google’s Keyword Planner
- Keep a notebook of what keywords you’re using, review it monthly to be sure they’re still relevant
- Don’t forget to use those same keywords in all areas of your Social Media marketing
Step 3 to using LinkedIn to build your expert status: LinkedIn Recommendations
I want you to consistently be building social proof of your expert status through strategic use of LinkedIn recommendations. How, you ask, do I get other people to recommend me? Strategy.
- Each week, recommend someone else, someone that might possibly recommend you back.
- When your clients send you a nice note via email or a Facebook post, reply back thanking them, and asking them if they would mind sharing it as a LinkedIn recommendation. I bet they’ll be happy to.
- Share those recommendations all over the freaking place. There’s a WordPress plugin that will rotate them on your website. Schedule Facebook posts sharing recommendations. Brag about them in your newsletters. You get the picture.
LinkedIn is the first place you should go to establish your expert status. Once you do, you’ll start to see your business changing, you’ll be asked your expert opinion and you’ll see opportunities to grow.
And if you want my help, remember you can still join LinkedIn Stars at the introductory price, and I’ll take you through exactly what you need to do. LINKEDIN STARS
Comment below, share your LinkedIn headline with me. If you want, I’ll review it and make suggestions. Let’s all celebrate ourselves for being the stars we are! Don’t forget to connect with ME on LinkedIn.
Photo credit: Mai Le
Hi Karen, what is the website plug in to rotate recommendations! Thanks
I use this http://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-linkedin/
I’ve never shared my recommendations! That’s something for the New Year’s resolution list! Thanks great post, so much food for thought.
My pleasure Rosie, I can’t wait to see all the wonderful things people are saying about you!
I’ve just bookmarked this post.
Thanks, Karen and I’m looking forward to your expert eyes on me and my biz during our 1:1 calls! I feel like I found the person who will be able to help me sort my social media scene out.
I’m looking forward to it too!
Thanks Karen. Linked In is something I haven’t yet attempted, but it’s on my list, so this post offers me some very valuable information.
Marg why not? It’s a great place to get new clients!
Thanks Karen…I never thought of using keywords….good advice to be more strategic with Linked In! Thanks! Cori
Keyword strategy is critical to being FOUND on LinkedIn. Let me know how you make out!
thank you, karen, for yet another post full of wonderful ideas designed to make me soar to the top of my linkedin niche! “CLAIM it, OWN it, BE it . . .” i’m going to keep reciting this mantra to myself. “CLAIM it, OWN it, BE it.”
YAY! I love that saying, it’s my 2014 mantra as I help my clients build their expert status.
Ah, I’m still so behind when it comes to LinkedIn! Here’s my headline for Twitter, etc.: “California Girl with Midwestern Roots. Coach to the (R)Evolutionary. Meaning Maker. Flower Picker.” It’s sort of a combination of professional and personal. But for LinkedIn, it should definitely be more professional, I know.
Maybe “Life Coach to the (R)Evolutionary. Communication Expert for the Unconventional. Project Manager for the Restless Soul.”
I dunno. Thoughts? 🙂
I love that you share your personality in your headline, I don’t think it needs to change for LinkedIn! BUT, I would challenge you to look at it and see if someone came across it, would they know what you do? Is someone searching LinkedIn for “Flower Picker”? 🙂 So use it for SURE, but make sure you sprinkle in relevant keywords. Who you are, who you help, how you help them. What are your ideal clients using as search terms so that YOUR profile comes up as an option? xo
Thank you! I just updated it to “Life Coach to the (R)Evolutionary | Project Manager for the Unconventional | Writer + Communication Expert”
I need to update all my experience too… but I’m making progress! 🙂
Progress is all we can do! I love it.
Karen, you helped me write my LinkedIn headline through a previous post. Here’s my headline:
Writer + PR Expert | Tai Chi + Yoga Classes Onsite for Employers | Certified Tai Chi + Yoga Instructor | TaijiFit
Thanks for the advice. I’m going to check out the keyword planner now. 🙂
Great Marie! I love the headline.
I am still working on this Linked In project I rewrote my profile after getting some really great info from Rosie she took the time to point out what I missed it will really help. I still want to get my wife to proof the profile and she is great at helping with that kind of stuff. I was serious about LinkedIn stars needing video to save clients time learning how to navigate Linked in better. Not all people are that good at simple things you take for granted.
Some days I have trouble using a manual can opener LOL
Oh Bruce I have lots of videos 🙂 When you go through the content in LinkedIn stars, there are a few videos in the modules, with more to come. AND the monthly workshops will be live, with screen sharing, so you can see exactly what to do. Here’s a link to my youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb3RezBEhdLBpP0CJ8fajcw
Wow. Thanks SO much for these LinkedIn tips. I’d love to take you up on your offer to review my linkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tandye
I need to change the summary for sure. Would love your thoughts. Thanks!
Tandy your profile is awesome!
I do have a suggestion. Where you list your website, go in and edit that, and choose “other” instead of “Company Website”. This gives you a way to make it more descriptive, and maybe get more clicks to it. Maybe”Inspiring Greatness”. You might also consider using all three available, using “other” in all cases, and point to specific pages, like “About Tandy” and link to your about page, and then the third maybe to something you’re promoting.
Let me know what you think!