By default, LinkedIn populates your headline with your current job title and employer. Most advisors don’t realize they can edit this. Why customize your headline? The harsh reality is the only person that really cares about your title is… you! Most people couldn’t care less about your title; they care about how you can help them. Your headline (that section right under your name) is where you should start demonstrating your value. You have 120 characters and I recommend you use as many of them as possible. You only have a matter of seconds to grab someone’s attention online. Without the proper branding and eye-catching language, you can easily be overlooked.
Don’t believe me? Imagine you are searching for a financial advisor. You conduct a search and arrive at the following two seemingly similar profiles - the only difference is the headline. Based on the following headlines, whom would you want to learn more about?
You can bet that most people would want to read more about Advisor 2. Her headline demonstrates her target market and how she adds value.
There are endless ways to approach crafting your headline. However, try and include a few of the following elements:
· Your value proposition (What do you do?)
· Your target market (Who do you serve best?)
· Your keyword(s) (words you could imagine a prospect searching for)
· Specialties (Speak to your target market)
· Icons to segment sections and standout (i.e. ✔★►)
If you are feeling there is work to be done with your headline, pull up your profile and follow these three simple steps to edit it.
1. Log into your account and select the Profile section and hit the “Edit Profile” link.
2. Click on the pencil icon next to your Headline.
3. Lastly, type your desired headline into the space provided and copy and paste in icons, checkmarks, etc. that you desire and hit “Save.”
Your LinkedIn headline is arguably the most important part of your LinkedIn profile (besides your picture of course). People scan your photo and immediately read your headline, so put effort into it.