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Is your LinkedIn profile gathering dust?
Are you relying on a “set it and forget it” approach?
If you’re ready to start generating more referrals from your LinkedIn profile, here’s how to do it.
LinkedIn is the social media site dedicated specifically to business and business professionals. It’s an especially powerful tool for REALTORS® who are willing to use it daily by posting content, links to articles, and information about business trends.
Why LinkedIn Matters to REALTORS®
If you’re not active on LinkedIn, here are some reasons you should be:
- Forty-one percent of U.S. millionaires use LinkedIn and 44 percent of their users earn over $75,000 per year, according to LinkedSelling, a lead generation company specializing in LinkedIn.
- According to Hubspot, 80 percent of Business-to-Business (B2B) leads originate from LinkedIn. The platform is 277 percent more effective than other social media sites.
Eileen Ellis – REALTOR® Baird & Warner – La Grange
REALTOR® Eileen Ellis, of Baird & Warner in La Grange, shares her take on why LinkedIn is important for REALTORS®.
“LinkedIn has allowed me to cast a wider net, to listen more closely to my network, and to better understand its concerns as well as to celebrate their successes,” she said. “LinkedIn allows me to demonstrate my professionalism and expertise while also highlighting local concerns such as equitable development.”
Ellis also noted an important trend.
“Millennials seem to be leaving Facebook in droves, but personally, I’ve seen a substantial uptick of Millennials using LinkedIn. Their influence is bringing some of Facebook’s sense of fun, transparency and collaboration to that site as well,” she said.
Using LinkedIn for Social Good
Tricia Tialdo – REALTOR® Tialdo Realty – Belleville
REALTOR® Tricia Tialdo, of Tialdo Realty in Belleville, says LinkedIn allows her to make valuable connections and keeps her name top of mind with people in her network. She also uses LinkedIn to promote what matters most to her community while highlighting her volunteer work rescuing animals. Most importantly, LinkedIn makes it easier for her to move from being connected online to connecting face-to-face.
“When it comes to using LinkedIn, posting daily is the best way to maximize your exposure. To further extend your lead generation efforts and to create more buzz, share these posts on other sites,” she said. “The more familiar people are with you, the more likely they will be to contact you when they want to transact.”
Expand Your LinkedIn Database: The Basics
Sherry McCormack – REALTOR® Long and Foster – Pennsylvania
The first issue to address is setting up an effective LinkedIn profile.
Sherry McCormack, a REALTOR® with Long and Foster in Pennsylvania, is well versed in getting the most out of LinkedIn and offers some tips that Illinois REALTORS® can use:
- Create a vanity URL
When you fill out your LinkedIn profile, it will create a URL for you. You can obtain a new vanity URL by selecting “Edit Profile” and then clicking the URL under your photo. This brings up a box that allows you to customize your URL using your name or some other descriptor. For example: https://www.linkedin.com/in/YOURNAME/ - Put your name in ALL CAPS
If you have a common name, putting your name in all caps usually makes your name go to the top of the list. This is also an excellent way to improve your rankings on LinkedIn. - Choose the right photo
Your photo should have a solid background. Women should have no more than three pieces of jewelry, look directly into the camera and avoid the head tilt that looks like a high school photo. Men should wear a shirt, tie and a smile.
Improve Your Search Rankings Using LinkedIn
The original purpose of LinkedIn has not changed: it is a site where you can post and search for recommendations and testimonials. Because Google’s algorithms tend to move testimonials and videos to the top of search results, a smart way to improve your search ranking is to collect as many video testimonials as possible and post them on LinkedIn. This not only expands your reach, it builds your credibility.
To generate more leads, get in the habit of writing testimonials for other members of your LinkedIn network who provide high-quality service. In most cases, when you write a testimonial for someone who knows you, they will reciprocate. To make the process even more effective, shoot a video testimonial.
Easy Ways to Grow Your LinkedIn Network
When you post on LinkedIn, remember your primary business goal is to set a face-to-face appointment. The reason? According the latest National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Buyers and Sellers, 74 percent of all sellers only interview one agent before signing a listing agreement. In other words, the first agent to see the seller face-to-face wins. Using LinkedIn regularly is one of the best strategies to make that happen.
Here are two proven strategies that can help you grow your LinkedIn network.
- Coffee networking meetings
To use LinkedIn to build a referral database, add your new buyers and sellers, past clients, plus other members of your sphere of influence. Once they join, you then have access to the people who belong to their LinkedIn network as well.To capitalize on these contacts, McCormack suggests that you schedule a “coffee networking meeting” where you meet with at least one member of your LinkedIn network each week. At that meeting, you each exchange five contacts who could help the other person.Prior to the meeting, review the other person’s LinkedIn contacts to identify a minimum of five people you would like to meet from their network. Also, be sure you prepare an introduction letter. This allows the other person to quickly personalize it and send it to the five contacts you each agreed to share.“I get five meaningful contacts per week (250 per year) that are well-suited to me and all it costs me is a cup of coffee,” McCormack said. - Put your networking on steroids
McCormack also uses LinkedIn for networking events. If you belong to a group such as the Chamber of Commerce, look through the attendee list for their next networking event. When you identify someone you want to meet, message them right through the meeting site or through LinkedIn. Here’s how McCormack reaches out:
I see ______ event is coming up. I have not had the honor of meeting you. I would like to learn more about you and your business. Could we meet by the bar (or the hors d’oeuvres) at 5:15 p.m.?McCormack uses her LinkedIn app to easily find the person. At that meeting, be sure that you always ask about their business first. Avoid bringing up your business unless they ask you.
Succeeding at LinkedIn comes down to regularly interacting on the site by providing valuable information, demonstrating how you serve your community and offering to help others build their business. Best of all, when you do that, watch your business soar!
About the writer: Bernice Ross is the CEO and President of BrokerageUP!, Inc. and RealEstateCoach.com. She is a nationally syndicated columnist, author, speaker, consultant and frequent contributor to Inman.com
LEGAL NOTE: If there is any payment of compensation to a person making a real estate referral, the referring person needs a properly sponsored real estate license, per the Illinois Real Estate License Act.
