Guest post from Danae Bursae of How She Helps

Ahh LinkedIn. The social platform that doesn’t really seem all that social. It has all the Facebook vibes except no one’s really friends. It comes with a Twitter-like confusion for us babes who just want people to visit our freaking website except posting 100 times a day won’t make an impact. 

So how do you use it effectively if you’re NOT running around in a pantsuit working in a fancy corporate office in NYC??

Girl, let me tell you, it’s actually SUPER easy. I went from 100 measly connections and only one client in June to 500+ connections and totally booked out in July. The best part? I’m about to lay it all out for you so you can FINALLY start using this powerful platform, build your network, and land some killer clients, gigs, and opportunities.

Power Up Your Profile

Sorry, but the selfie you took when you were 19 with your iPhone 6 isn’t going to work. If you’ve got professional headshots, amazing. If not, choose a picture that is professional and clear. 

The next thing to do is identify 3 keywords that sum up what you have to offer. What would your potential client search for if they needed to hire you? 

Your headline is important. (That’s the little blurb under your name where most people just put their title) Include a keyword or two here. What are your ideal clients searching for? What makes you unique? 

The same goes for your profile description or bio. Tell your dream client what you can do for them. 

The key takeaway here is this: It’s all about them because quite frankly nobody cares how you studied abroad and found yourself in the jungles of Thailand. What they DO care about is how your transformation into the expert that you are can help them do X, Y, and Z.

Don’t forget to include your keywords here as well. There’s no need to overdo it. Again, the idea is just be searchable.

Templates Are EVERYTHING

I value a real connection and a good entrepreneurial story but I do not have time to gently stalk each and every person I want to connect with. 

My solution?

Templates on templates on templates.

Seriously though, you only need 3.

The first template is the connection request message. That’s the one you send when you personalize a connection invitation (and yes you HAVE to personalize). 

“Hey Karen,
I hope you’re having a wonderful day! Your work in {Insert Cool Work Here} is so inspiring. I noticed we have some connections in common and I would love to connect with you as well! 
Warmly,
Danae Bursae | Virtual Assistant”

The second template is the message you send AFTER they accept your request. You’ll say thank you for connecting, tell them more about yourself, and ask them what they do. Don’t even try to sell here.

“Hey Karen,
Thank you so much for connecting! My name is Danae Bursae and I’m a virtual assistant. I help business owners save time. 
Tell me about your work in wellness coaching. I’d love to know more about you and your business.
Thanks again!”

The third template is the champion of all templates. This one is what you send when your new connection asks about your services and is thinking about working with you. Mine contains a Calendly link to schedule a discovery call with me. 

“Hey Karen,
I would love to chat! 
You can schedule a date and time that works best for you below.
If you don’t see anything that works for you, let me know and we can coordinate.
Looking forward to it!”

Connect With People You ACTUALLY Know First

Real life friends and family are (hopefully) your biggest fans. Connect with them first. Connect with former employees, coworkers, and even classmates before you do anything else. Ask them to endorse your top skills. 

Expand Your Circle (suggested connections and people you have mutual connections with)

Okay, so once you’ve officially connected with people you know IRL, it’s go time. 

Before I go on, I want to say this: do NOT be intimidated by ANYONE. I have had the pleasure of speaking with some seriously amazing humans that I used to think were way out of my league. I’m talking higher ups at Facebook and creatives at Buzzfeed. No one is off limits. You’d be surprised at how many people just want genuine connection. 

Now that mindset issue is out of the way, begin connecting with who LinkedIn suggests for you as long as they are potential clients or are in your field. Make sure the people you invite have connections in common with you. 

I’ve asked my amazing virtual assistant who has taken over lead management for me to give you some additional insight. This girl has seriously lined up so many calls and new clients for me it is insane.

From Brittany Dorazio Pan:

“You have to be very strategic with how to target potential clients on LinkedIn. It's important to know what type of client you are wanting to work with. To reach potential clients for How She Helps, I specifically look at connecting with other women who have successful businesses. It's important that they have a polished profile with information about their brand such as their own website or social media account. Having simple things such as a professional photograph for their profile makes a difference as well. Another thing to think about is what type of age group you would like to work with. Additionally, a lot of the keywords in the description such as "entrepreneur" or "founder" have given me more ideas on how to make more connections.”

Go the Extra Mile With Weekly Posts and Sharing

Once you get connecting down to a science, you can experiment with posting weekly on LinkedIn and sharing posts from others in your industry. I honestly don’t do this yet and have had tremendous success.

LinkedIn has been a gold mine for my business and if used properly, can be for you as well. 

This is really all it takes! 15 minutes a day on LinkedIn is life changing for your business. So get out there and get connecting! Land your dream clients and build your empire!

About the Author

Danae is the founder of How She Helps Virtual Assistance. She is passionate about helping creative entrepreneurs get organized and save time in their businesses by managing their social media, emails, blogs and more.

She’s cracked the code for using social media, like LinkedIn to generate leads and gain new clients, and loves using that knowledge to help others grow their own businesses. When not helping clients build their empire, you can find Danae making a fresh cup of coffee, loving on her family, and exploring the Pacific Northwest by trail or kayak.

Website: http://www.howshehelps.com/
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Facebook Group: Focused and Fierce Women in Business
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