Posted by Is any freelance writer worth her salt knows that LinkedIn is a great place to find new clients, right? Not so fast. While the social networking giant may be an effective tool for professional networking, many freelance writers still have a bad impression of LinkedIn. Something they associate as a site only professionals use and not one where they’d find their target market: other freelance writers. We are here today to tell you that this perception couldn’t be farther from the truth.
10 Potential Ways to Utilize Client Hunting on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the place to be for freelance LinkedIn writers. It’s a great way to network with potential clients, find new clients and make new friends. Here are 10 ways freelance writers can use LinkedIn to attract new clients:
Create a profile that makes you stand out from the crowd
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network, with more than 575 million members in over 200 countries, so your profile must stand out from the crowd.
Your LinkedIn profile is your calling card and your first impression to potential clients and employers alike. So your profile must make you look as professional and competent as possible.
That means:
- Use a clear, professional photo of yourself smiling.
- Use a headline that showcases your skills and accomplishments (not just your job title).
- Write a summary that highlights your experience as well as any relevant skills or certifications (e.g., CPA).
Use your profile summary to highlight your areas of expertise and experience
The summary section is the most important part of any LinkedIn profile. Because it allows you to showcase yourself to potential clients. It is without having to waste time explaining who you are and what you do in person.
This section should be written in the third person when writing a paragraph about yourself. It should not include references to other companies or brands unless they are relevant (e.g., if you used to work for Company X but now work for Company Y).
Your summary section should be short but sweet. It should give visitors an idea of what they can expect from working with you. While also showing off your personality and sense of humor if possible!
Write something interesting that will make them want to learn more about you as a writer. So, they’re more likely to click on one of your links leading them back to more information about what services you offer or how much experience.
Use keywords in your whole profile
If your profile is filled with fluff and filler, you won’t be taken seriously by anyone who comes across your page.
That’s why it’s important to make sure that every word in your profile is related to the work that you do and how you can help others.
The first step is to use keywords throughout your profile. For example, if you’re a freelance writer, then use words like “writing” and “content creation” in your headline, summary, and experience sections.
Try these:
- Content marketing (or copywriting)
- Copywriting
- Content strategy
- SEO copywriting
You should also include relevant keywords in each section of your resume. So that when recruiters search for those terms on LinkedIn, they will find the profiles of their ideal candidates.
Joining groups and connecting with people within those groups
Joining groups on LinkedIn is one of the best ways to grow your network. You’ll be able to connect with like-minded professionals who might be looking for someone like you. They can have connections who might be willing to refer business your way.
You can find these groups by searching for keywords related to what you do (e.g., “freelance copywriter”) or by looking at the top searches in your industry (on this page).
Once you’ve joined a group, make sure to engage with members. It can be by asking questions and offering tips. For instance, on how others can improve their own businesses.
This will help establish yourself as an expert in your field and increase your visibility within that community. It’s also important to add value by providing helpful advice instead of just promoting your services all the time.
Add new connections each week (even if they’re not clients!)
This is the best way to keep your profile fresh and active. Every time you add someone new, they’ll get an email notification. That you’ve added them as a connection. So, they’ll be more likely to check out your profile. If you’re looking for work as a freelance writer, this is also a great way to connect with potential clients or employers who might be interested in hiring you for projects in the future.
Building a new group for writers to get potential clients
To build up a network of potential clients, create a LinkedIn group and invite people. It should be who works in the writing industry to join the group. This way you’ll get a writing job guide more accurately. You can also invite people who have purchased content from you or hired you in the past.
This will give you access to a large number of potential clients. Who may be interested in hiring freelancers like yourself in the future?
Inviting potential people to connect with you through an email or DM
LinkedIn allows you to send an invitation to a person who is not connected with you on LinkedIn. You can send them an email or message through Direct Message (DM). Then ask them if they would like to connect with you on LinkedIn.
This way, you will be able to reach out to more people than just those who are already connected with you on LinkedIn. And don’t forget about asking relevant questions too!
Share videos of yourself speaking at conferences or events
LinkedIn is a great place to share videos of yourself speaking at conferences or events. You can also share video clips from podcasts and webinars, as well as your own short videos on topics related to your niche.
When you’re creating content for your clients, make sure you’re adding it to LinkedIn as well. You can even use SlideShare for this purpose if you’re not a video person (but I recommend getting comfortable with filming yourself).
Add links in your profile and posts that lead back to websites
If you’re going to be talking about your clients’ websites online (such as on Twitter or Facebook), make sure you add links back to those sites in both your personal profile and any posts you write about them.
This will help drive traffic back to their sites and also give them more exposure through social media platforms like Twitter’s retweet feature, which shows up whenever someone shares something from another person’s timeline with their own followers by clicking on the “RT” button next to their post.
Posting articles on LinkedIn Pulse or blogging on LinkedIn blogs
You can write articles on topics that are relevant to the type of work you do as a freelancer and post them on LinkedIn Pulse — a blog created by LinkedIn.
This will help you to get visibility among potential clients, who are likely to find your profile when they search for someone who can do what you do.
You can also start your own blog on a LinkedIn blog, which will give you more opportunities for building relationships with potential clients.
Conclusion
We’ve tried to outline several ways that freelance writers can use LinkedIn to generate more business for themselves. Hopefully, you’ll find some of these helpful. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and try some new strategies. It’s better to experiment and see what works for you. Then it is to remain static and do the same old things the same old way.