I’ll make this quick…social media has shortened our attention spans. Even someone who enjoys reading 500+ page books struggles to read anything on a screen longer than a few sentences. People will not scroll through your entire LinkedIn profile to find out who you are and what your business is offering. So, make it easy for them and update your headline on LinkedIn.
Here are 3 reasons why you should Update Your Headline on LinkedIn…
Soft Sell Your Product/Service
Other than your name, your LinkedIn headline is the first thing people will learn about you. It’s really up to you to decide what’s the most important thing for them to know, other than your contact information of course. But here’s a tip: your LinkedIn audience wants to know what you can offer them. Sharing your passions is great but your LinkedIn headline needs to convey who you are and the reason you are on LinkedIn in the first place.
Example: ‘Head of Marketing @ [business name] | Elevate Your Content for Lead Generation.’
Improve SEO
The reason you’re most likely on LinkedIn is to find your audience. Well, your LinkedIn headline can help them find you. Using the above example, terms like marketing, content and lead generation work in a similar way as hashtags on a post. The truth is, no one is really going to care about your specific title or business. However, they will care about how this title or business solves their pain.
Example: Someone wants to build their business on social media. So, they head over to LinkedIn or Google and search for experts with marketing experience or even someone with skills in creating content for social media. The more specific keywords you include in your LinkedIn headline, the more likely your profile will be one of the first to pop up.
Build Your Personal Brand
If you’re someone who thinks building a personal brand is a lot of extra work then updating your LinkedIn headline is vital. Simply put, your personal brand is what will make you stand out from the millions of other people using LinkedIn. It’s what makes you someone’s first choice when they are in need of your product or service. Updating your LinkedIn headline will help you to achieve this.
Example: Customers and clients want to work with people they trust. When they come across your LinkedIn headline, they should be able to know who you are and what you stand for. Once they have even this small piece of information, they are more likely to feel comfortable building a professional relationship with you.
Updating your LinkedIn headline is quick, easy and it could be the deciding factor between you and a competitor for prospects. You can do it right now. All you have to do is click the pencil icon on your profile and scroll to the headline section. Keep it simple and impactful and you’ll be amazed at how that small update impacts your engagement on LinkedIn.