I confess, it’s entirely true. I have a buyer persona (profile) defined for my target market. The reason you are reading this may be that you fit that persona and I directed you here.

Building buyer personas is a good thing for every small business and job seeker since it defines your target niche market. Business owners often fail to take this step. But it is actually the first step in my 13 Steps To Successful Small B2B Business Internet Marketing formula!

Dictionary.com defines Minimalistic – “(of an artistic style) using simple elements with little embellishment.”

It’s like using a small warrior to fight a big battle. Business today is an enormously BIG battle!

I define a minimalistic LinkedIn profile as a bare bones (or nearly bare bones) profile. The owner’s goal appears to get it done and get it done quickly and do it with minimal effort.

Five Steps To Build Out Your LinkedIn Profile

I see way too many LinkedIn profiles in my target market fall into my classification as minimalistic. They take minimum effort to fill in the blanks, add little if any embellishment and certainly pay no attention to these five steps:

• using keyword phrases
• putting keywords in all the right places (indexed by LinkedIn bots)
• maximizing the number of characters available
• adding optional “Sections” to embellish expertise
• uploading supporting documents (including videos)

That’s OK if one is happy in their present position and not looking for a new opportunity, additional clients or prospects.

Five Benefits Of A More Complete LinkedIn Profile

However, if you are looking for new business or a new position (and even if you are not), you should pay attention to the potential benefits you will receive from building out your LinkedIn profile.

1. Building out your profile makes you look more professional. In this day and age everyone gets checked out even before before the conversation begins. A bare profile does not seem appealing if and when someone checks you out on LinkedIn. They may just pass on doing business with you or considering you as a candidate. Your opportunity just evaporated in a matter of seconds.

2. Let’s say someone accidentally stumbles onto your profile. Then additional information about you and what you do may entice them to contact you. Or they make look further into your company, its products and services.

3. Or someone you know (a friend, family member, client, former colleague or even just a connection) refers you or recommends you to someone on LinkedIn without your knowledge. Again, lack of a complete profile reduces your chances of leveraging this huge advantage of being referred or recommended when they check you out.

4. You will enhance your opportunity to get noticed and get found by prospective clients or employers by using relevant keywords or keyword phrases. Companies are searching for solutions to their problems and answers to their questions. Recruiters are looking for job candidates. Both use advanced search functions and include keywords in their search criteria. Plus, your keywords must be the correct keywords for your target market.

5. Building out your profile will help build out your network of connections and also aids in reconnecting with old acquaintances. This enables you to keep in touch with your connections or reach out to old ones. This can pay off years from now since you never know what will the future bring. My grandmother (let her rest in peace) used to say: “Good times never last; bad times never last.”

* * * * *

A few years ago I was teaching a LinkedIn class for job seekers at a local library in a far northern Chicago suburb. We were using the computer lab to examine and enhance profiles. One of the attendees was actually a human resource manager at a large company in the area. I privately asked if she was attending because she was looking for a new position. She replied “no”. My follow up was – if someone contacted her through LinkedIn and offered double her present salary, would she contemplate taking the position? The look on her face immediately answered my query.

Social selling on LinkedIn is akin to personal face-to-face networking at any kind of social event.  It just takes a digital form. Regardless, you must first be willing to start a conversation. A conversation leads to knowledge and understanding. These in turn lead to trust. And trust leads to potent referrals, recommendations and even a new client or position.

Please feel free to contact me at 847.634.6535 or comment below if you want to start a conversation on how we may become of mutual benefit!

Michael