LinkedIn profile tips for engineers – a quick guide to getting more from your LinkedIn profile
It can seem to take forever to find those first few clients or job opportunities when you’re just starting out on-line. The main problem for so many engineers is the lack of personal marketing knowledge. When you’re ready for business and the brand new site is up, you want to get to work but there are no customers. The best way to reduce your learning curve is to actually do the work and the research. One thing you can do is to join a well established marketing forum. You can also read the articles and blogs that have been built to help you out. Keep reading to learn a few methods that will help you get started getting new clients.
One of the best ways to find referrals is to network with people you already have a professional relationship with. This is why getting out and meeting people is such a good idea. When you go about this, it is good to let people know precisely what you want to find. Referral marketing has been around for a long time and it has a lot of potential. The willingness to pay a finder’s fee is somewhat related to this. Referrals are the bricks that lots of freelancers use to build their businesses. If you don’t already have a professional network of your own you should start building one locally so that it can help you in the future. Anytime you want more clients, then don’t forget about doing it the old-fashioned way – advertise in real newspapers. There are special services that will make sure your ads get into papers all over the States, which are very effective as long as you have the money. You will need some form of tracking for each ad so you can be sure things are going okay. You need to make sure your ad is more than just a simple classified and you will need to do some careful planning. Take your time writing the ad copy and include benefits prospective clients will receive from your service. Also, don’t overlook the importance of using a strong call to action in your ad.
LinkedIn Profile Tips for Engineers that really work
Make sure you are organized when it comes to lead prospecting and maintain a database of what you have accomplished. An Excel spreadsheet will work fine for this type of record keeping. Of course you can find online services that will make this all very easy for you. Once you have a robust prospecting process in place, it can be tough remembering who you contacted, what they said, etc. Due to lack of experience and any errors you think you made, you need to learn more. The fact that you can track your prospects is helpful because you can make notes regarding the contact. Lead generation and prospecting for clients is simply a matter of doing these approaches every day. The two major categories are paid-for advertising and free marketing methods. Just remember that nothing is truly free-you pay for it with your time.
BY: Sarah Berry
Boost your Career Progression through LinkedIn
LinkedIn is an excellent way to boost your career. Your LinkedIn profile acts as your online reference and allows you to boost your job hunt and career progression.
Searching for a new career direction
Your LinkedIn Profile needs to:
- Rank top of search terms so employers, headhunters and recruiters can find you.
- Sell your hard skills, value and professional expertise.
- Engage with employers and present a good image of you.
- Allow you to tap into new job markets through your posts, group membership and skill endorsements.
- Alert you to new opportunities and allow you to reach out to headhunters and hiring managers.
Boost your career prospects and job hunt by developing your LinkedIn profile to the next level.