First Step in Building a Powerful CRE LinkedIn Profile

As I noted in an earlier blog, I was one of many who had a LinkedIn account, but really had no idea how to use it for growing my business. As such, I knew I needed help — so I hired Christine Hueber for myself, and also for our sales team. Christine is the founder of ChristineHueber.com, and is known by her clients as the “LinkedIn Jedi Master” because she shows them how to “hack” LinkedIn for better results.

Click here to join Christine and I for a free webinar on January 25th at 1:00 pm EST, where we will share how to best leverage LinkedIn to start building stronger relationships and securing prospects.

Many LinkedIn users don’t put much strategic thought into their profile content. Some people use it as a shameless promotion tool, and others turn it into a journal of sorts — with rambling prose-like anecdotes. Either way, these types of approaches to creating a LinkedIn profile are a surefire way to lose contacts, prospects, referrals, sales — and the domino effect will continue.

But, as CRE professionals, you and I know why this can happen.

We get BUSY running our businesses and careers! Many of you feel like you don’t have time to create the perfect LinkedIn profile — in fact, just checking your account becomes the main objective. We forget WHY we started using LinkedIn in the first place.

So, let me remind you…

Your LinkedIn profile should nurture a genuine relationship with your audience, while strategically guiding them to make smart decisions about your products or services. I’ll get into the relationship building aspect of LinkedIn later, but for now — let’s focus on what I call results-oriented content.

The first step to execute this strategy is to ask yourself this question: “What Is Your Business Objective?”

LinkedIn is a top choice for professional networking, but it’s time for YOU to get clear on why YOU want to have a profile on LinkedIn. What are your business goals, and what do you hope your LinkedIn profile achieves?

To get you started, here are a few common objectives:

• SELL more to your prospects, customers, and clients on a regular basis
• ATTRACT and sell new prospects, customers, clients and potential employers
• GAIN VISIBILITY as an expert or resource in your field with your ideal audience
• BUILD a mailing LIST for future marketing purposes
• START an online COMMUNITY centered on the services or products you offer

It’s key that you choose just ONE main objective for your LinkedIn profile. It will evolve as you and your business evolve, but your main objective will always be the one factor that keeps the content of your LinkedIn profile laser-focused.

When I began on LinkedIn in 2006, my objective was to stay in touch with my global network. But, as my presence grew, that objective changed to “gain visibility as an expert in my field.” You’ll want to periodically re-examine your profile’s main objective — and make sure it’s still aligned with your business goals.

If you still need a little guidance on how to get clear on your LinkedIn objective, then match your business/professional goal to your LinkedIn content. For example:

• Do you want to get more business?
• Do you want a new position?
• Do you want to network within your industry?

Your answers to these questions will determine exactly how you implement my profile success secrets.

If you are interested in learning more of Christine’s’ profile success secrets, click here to join Christine and I for a free webinar on January 25th at 1:00 pm EST, “Building Your CRE Pipeline with LinkedIn”, where we will share how to best leverage LinkedIn to start building stronger relationships and securing prospects.