How To Use Linkedin To Find Clients

How to use LinkedIn to find clients

11 Nov 2016

Too much generic social media advice is given to accountants that encourages you to waste matter time and free energy.

My business bill of fare includes the word 'debunker' as I like to deflate the hype and misconceptions effectually social media. You tin be bodacious that my advice is contained and reflects my broad experience of both social media and accountants' use of information technology.

It'southward all-time to recognise that LinkedIn is not like whatsoever other form of social media. It's an online business organization networking site. Aye it can be useful to job hunters and recruiters. But information technology is even more than valuable to accountants who want to secure more business organization.

You can do this passively – by ensuring yous accept a compelling profile, or you tin can exist more than active and seek out potential clients. In this regard it helps to start with some clarity as to who would make an platonic client for your do, or who else you would hope to influence – a prospective recruiter.

Log in to LinkedIn

If you've not done this before, just become to LinkedIn and register to create your profile. You tin 'get started' in a couple of minutes so refine your contour afterwards.

Tighten up your privacy settings

Earlier you get-go editing your profile it's best to plough off the setting that announces to your connections that yous are updating your profile.

Move your mouse to the pinnacle right of the screen and click the tiny photograph or grey box to reveal a driblet down card. Towards the bottom is the 'privacy and settings' link you want; click on this. Yous may be asked to ostend your countersign again.

Choose the options to turn off your broadcasts (for now at to the lowest degree).

Update your headline

Your headline is the line beneath your name. It appears on LinkedIn (and in search results) whenever your proper noun appears. 'Accountant', 'Sole Practitioner' and 'Owner' are iii of the well-nigh common headlines I see on accountants' profiles. Even if you're an employee y'all are non express to your chore championship. You can be more than inventive.

Instead of your 'title' use the facility to stand out by promoting yourself with a headline (which you lot can alter at any fourth dimension). Perchance something like: Saving tax for business organization owners and entrepreneurs.

Upload a professional looking photo

Most people would like to get a feel for who you are. A photo is a fundamental manner to show this.

Update your summary

If y'all're in a hurry, only re-create here the text from your website that describes Y'all. Non your firm. You, and your approach. What do you exercise? Why practise clients like dealing with yous?

Planning to be passive?

Passive users only create a profile and wait to be contacted by other users. It may happen. It may non. I've seen plenty of accountants say they are on LinkedIn but get no new clients from the site. This is unsurprising if they have an incomplete profile and/or they have been inactive.

Agile access to leads

Active users search out prospective clients, introducers, collaborators and/or influencers. They make their presence known on the site and in groups where their target audiences are also agile users by offer constructive advice and ideas.

You can likewise use the avant-garde search facility for pb generation activity – to detect people who are your ideal target clients.

Get-go things first

If yous are like most accountants, your LinkedIn profile will popular upwardly offset whenever someone searches for yous online (eg: using Google or Bing). This is by and large true regardless of how search engine friendly is your website. And it is even more likely if yous don't take a website or much of a profile page or photo on your ain website.

Your profile, if well crafted, volition also evidence upwards when anyone searches for someone like you on LinkedIn.

Practice it now

Do not go out updating your LinkedIn contour also belatedly. It volition piece of work better for yous if you build up your connections, activity and profile mostly over time. It may exist too late to testify your credibility and expertise when you suddenly demand to find a new job, start your own practice or want to use the site for pb generation.

Marking Lee is a professional speaker and mentor for accountants.