[Template] How to Write a Powerful LinkedIn Summary that Attracts Clients

Revealed:  An Easy Way to Update Your LinkedIn Profile 

LinkedIn is a powerful platform for attracting clients, especially if your ideal type of client is in the B2B space.  After speaking with a couple hundred people over the last month about the power of LinkedIn, I’ve decided to create a template to make it easy for you to make a start and boost your online presence.

Why Bother with Updating my LinkedIn Profile?

We all know that the foundation of having a great business is to have a great reputation.  For many of us business owners, we know that our clients will refer our services when we’ve helped them to achieve a great result.

Once you’ve been referred, many people will become curious about you, and type your name into Google.  What comes up will be your website, and a social media profile (usually LinkedIn).

I want the first impression to be a good one, which has motivated me to share a template for you to update your profile so your prospective clients and referral partners get excited to be speaking with you.

 

This should take you 30 – 60 minutes and is worth doing if you want to position yourself as one of your industries leading experts.

Your LinkedIn Headline

This short statement sits underneath your name and is very important because it comes up in search results.  It should use the keywords that people would use to find someone with your type of services, and the LinkedIn headline must give people a clear picture of what you do.

You’ve got 140 characters to use in your LinkedIn Headline.

LinkedIn Summary

When someone Googles Your name, they will usually click through to your LinkedIn profile, and if they want to find out about you, they will go to your summary.

This section provides an overview of who you are, what you do, and why you do it.  Its important to write this section with your ideal type of client at the forefront of your mind.

So think about a client that you’d like to work with over the next 12 months, envision them having a $100K – $1M budget to spend on your services.  Think about all the things they would want to know about you, and jot them down on a notepad.  Now think about all the hesitations and concerns they might have to engage your services.

Your mission is to address these points in your summary section, as succinctly as possible, so they start to feel confident that you understand their situation, and you know how to help them.

You’ve got 140 characters to use in your LinkedIn Summary.

Here is an outline of the main points you could include to strengthen your positioning and attract your ideal type of client:

• What – Explain what your business does, use laymen’s terms so a fourth grader could understand.
• Who –  Describe who you help (your ideal type of client) in terms of industry or some other criteria
• Passionate Statement – Insert a statement that shows why you are passionate about what you do, and who you help.
• Awards – List any industry or business awards you’ve won over the last 5 – 10 years to build credibility.
• Client Problems – Describe the top 3 challenges or problems your clients have that compel them to engage your services
• Solutions – List the products, services and programs you offer to help your clients
• Social Proof – Insert a testimonial that confirms you have generated great results
• Guarantee – Outline any guarantee you provide that will help move your clients towards contact you.
• Call to Action – Offer something interesting for your prospective clients to download from your website.
• Contact Details – Invite them to contact you – provide your website address, company phone number and email.

 

Once you’ve drafted your summary, read it out loud and think about how the words flow together.  Do some basic editing so you are generally happy with your piece of work, and then re-read the summary as if you were that million dollar client that you want to attract in the next 12 months.

Make sure that the language you use is congruent with the way that you speak to them in person or over the phone. Consider editing any statements that don’t clearly articulate the key messages you want to communicate.

Finally, send your summary to someone who knows the type of client you want to attract more of, and who also has great attention to detail when it comes to editing.  Ask them to look for ways they could improve the piece, and ask them to insert the changes directly into the document so you’re not spending hours on this project (use MS Word, Track Changes function so you can see what edits they’ve made).

 

Your Media Section

This is one of the most fabulous sections of a LinkedIn profile because if you have taken the effort to create ‘digital assets’, you can promote them right here, so your prospective clients can see them.

Digital Assets that Attract Your Ideal Type of Client

1. Talking Head video of you providing an introduction about your company services
2. Talking Head video of you providing helpful tips and suggestions to your ideal type of client
3. Digital Brochure outlining your products and services
4. One Pagers describing particular products or services you want to promote
5. Video Testimonials that capture what clients love about working with you
6. Infographics that help your audience understand your methodology and frameworks
7. Images that promote written testimonials you’ve received from clients

Examples of Media You Can Create to Attract Clients

If you go to my LinkedIn profile, you’ll see about a dozen various types of media including videos, infographics and testimonials.  I’ve copied a screen shot for your convenience so you can see examples:

LinkedIn Background Image:

I use Canva.com to create images that have the right dimensions for LinkedIn.  Here’s an example of my background image, plus the LinkedIn headline:

Video Marketing:

 

PNG Images Showcasing Your Testimonials:

Infographics Showing Your Frameworks or Methodologies:

Your Personal Bio if You’re a Consultant, Coach or Speaker