Over 645 million current users.
Over 172,000 new users every day.
Two new members every second.
These are just some eye-opening statistics about the powerful growth LinkedIn is experiencing. Even though it’s a water-cooler name, most social media experts don’t believe LinkedIn is even close to peaking. In other words, now is the time to leverage your LinkedIn profile as an agent before it gets too crowded.
When was the last time you logged into your LinkedIn profile? What did you do? Did you check a message or look up a colleague? Did you browse the popular news links or conduct a quick search on a few job candidates? The real question is, did you do anything that could someday, somehow, generate a new lead?
There are so many agents, whether real estate, insurance, or those in the financial product sector, that just aren’t properly leveraging LinkedIn. They’re on the right track. They have profiles. But they’re outdated and carry very little value.
We can show you how to change this. We can show you how to generate more leads, close more deals, and take advantage of every opportunity LinkedIn can provide for an agent.
Here’s how to set up an agent’s LinkedIn Page for Sales
1. Proper agent LinkedIn page setup
Let’s start by showing you how to set up an agent LinkedIn profile that sells you as an agent. So many agents still take the “old approach” to their LinkedIn profile. The included information essentially doubles as a resume but doesn’t offer much else. Today’s LinkedIn profiles should be custom, creative, and start a conversation with every visitor. Optimize the following sections of your LinkedIn profile if you’re an agent.
Your headline
Every time you post or comment in LinkedIn, your headline shows up. It’s important! Make sure your headline explains who you help, and how you help them. For example, Agent A’s headline might read, “Chicago-Based Real Estate Agent Helping Relocating Families Find Their Dream Home.” It’s much more specific than simply “Real Estate Agent.”
Picture
It should go without saying, but your LinkedIn profile picture should be professional. This doesn’t mean it has to be a traditional headshot (though there’s nothing wrong with one). You can be a bit more candid with your photo on LinkedIn as long as it shows you in a professional manner. And yes, you should include a picture. LinkedIn profiles with photos get 21 times more views and 36 times more messages than those without.
Contact information
Don’t make it difficult for people to track down your contact information. You should have every avenue a lead can take to contact you listed in this section. Make sure everything is accurate (you would be surprised how many errors there are in contact sections).
Summary
Don’t skimp on your summary. It’s your online elevator pitch. Your introduction to those who stop by. The reason someone will — or won’t — reach out to you. Expand on your headline. Explain why you help the people you do. Explain how your services make a difference. Showcase your talents, mention your accomplishments, and invite the reader to connect with you. Now’s not the time to be shy.
2. Create shareable content
We know, you’ve heard it all before. But content is still king, even though it’s kingdom has changed a bit. On LinkedIn, you can write articles that do more than share information with readers. Regular posts can help position yourself as an authority, reach your 2nd and 3rd-level connections, and build a following. LinkedIn Publisher posts are also indexed by Google, giving you a chance to grow your organic search leads.
But here’s where it really gets interesting. There are 9 billion content impressions every week on LinkedIn. Yet only 3 million LinkedIn users share content every week. This means that 3 million users are raking in 9 billion impressions. You won’t find that opportunity on any other social media platform.
3. Optimize a company page
Adding a LinkedIn company page is a free way to increase the chances of your showing up in relevant keyword searches. If you’re an agency, this will create another marketing avenue and help expose your agents (assuming they list it on their profiles). If you’re a solo agent, you can establish more authority with a company page. To start one, name your company page, add an image, fill in the About Us section, and add your website and other contact information.
4. Focus on group engagement
Either do so yourself or encourage your agents to join relevant groups on LinkedIn. This could go one of two ways. They can join groups that help them learn and grow as agents (and ideally discover new ways to generate leads on LinkedIn) or they could join groups filled with their target audience. As they actively engage with them, they can pour the foundation for relationships that could generate revenue one day.
LinkedIn can provide an agent with a world of opportunities. If you’re an agent who’s been ignoring the platform or an agency owner who wants your team to put themselves out there, now is the best time to optimize a profile and start selling on LinkedIn.