LinkedIn has changed its “who’s viewed your profile” feature — for the better. Now, the site provides more demographic information on the individuals, or “viewers,” who have landed on your profile. For financial advisors, this means a better understanding of whether your profile is reaching members of your target audience — and what needs to be improved if it is not. But you have to know how to acquire and make use of that information.
First, your privacy settings must be adjusted so that others can see your name and headline when you view their profiles. If you remain anonymous, your profile statistics will be disabled.
Second, the more people you’re connected with, the better your visibility will be through LinkedIn search results, says Amy McIlwain, president of Financial Social Media in Denver, Colorado. Joining LinkedIn Groups is a good way to connect with people within your target audience.
McIlwain explains how to make use of the information you receive about those who have viewed your profile:
> Note your viewers’ cities
LinkedIn now tells you where your viewers call home.
If you have a basic LinkedIn profile, you will see the most common cities of your viewers. You can also find the names and cities of the last five viewers to see your profile. If you pay for a premium account, you can see that information for a greater number of viewers.
Knowing these details will allow you to see whether members of your own locale are looking you up. There may be an opportunity to connect with them.
Says McIlwain: “Find out if you can help them, and ask what prompted them to visit your profile. That can lead to a conversation.”
Use a detail from the visitor’s profile to start this conversation. For example, you have noticed a frequent viewer whose profile states he volunteers at your local community centre. Send him a message stating that you exercise there, and then ask about his work. The conversation may present an opportunity to find out why he has shown an interest in your profile.
> Find out what industries your viewers work in
“You want to know that [members of] the right industries are checking you out,” says McIlwain. “If not, how do you tweak your profile so that you’re getting the right industries?”
If, for example, you specialize in working with doctors and your profile statistics show that only three people in the medical profession have viewed your profile recently, that’s an indication that you need to update your profile. Perhaps you need more keywords that will relate more directly to that profession.
> See which keywords brought them in
Users with a premium LinkedIn account can see which words attracted the most viewers. This feature will allow you to determine whether your keywords are working, says McIlwain. It will also tell you which words you need to use more efficiently.
For example, maybe your top two sets of keywords are “financial advisor” and “retirement planning.” You can’t really differentiate yourself through the first term but you can modify your profile further to emphasize your work with baby boomers and increase the use of the word “retirement.”
This is the seventh instalment in an occasional series on using LinkedIn to promote your practice.