What does a LinkedIn Coach Do?
I can’t speak for others but what I do is:
Provoke and meld your strategy with your personality with the mechanics to get your LinkedIn profile done and looking good.
In some ways coaching people to use LinkedIn is like what I did as a theatre director, a manager, and a teacher before I became a coach. It’s also something like a psychologist does. We all work to bring the best out of people without necessarily telling them exactly what to do. I see myself as a mentor to support you on your LinkedIn journey.
What you can do with me or on your own
Develop an appropriate philosophy/strategy for your own use of LinkedIn e.g. numbers of connections, who to connect to, and how to connect appropriately. I encourage people to move as far as they’re willing to go at the time – e.g. anything from getting people to add or update their photo or talking about themselves in the first person, no matter how uncomfortable they are, and find a way to present themselves effectively but not too self-promotionally.
Identify relevant key words and place them for effect. I help with language examples and wording choices. I wordsmith. I suggest options – the client makes the final choice. Your LinkedIn profile should be written with your “voice.” For someone who thinks they absolutely can’t write, I may write for them. For the dyslexic I may enter the data for them. The goal is for my clients to look good and enjoy the whole process.
Explore the possible ways of using LinkedIn to help identify what approach will be of most value to you (appropriate techniques for reaching out for connections, finding jobs or employees or building your thought leadership.) I also help with the mechanics (everything from adjusting settings to adding useful sections to helping to get rid of duplicate profiles and using some of the cool features LinkedIn has.)
Believe in yourself. I only know the amazing person I talk to. You may share your insecurities with me but I see a successful and intriguing professional with so much to offer. Quite frankly I’m not interested in your failures – only your potential.
Sit down and get it done! I help people get it done in a couple of hours and they can move on to their primary business.
Learn how to use LinkedIn on a daily basis to make it an ongoing part of your professional growth and branding plan. Part of the philosophy/strategy plan we build will include the amount of time you’re willing to spend on LinkedIn.
Choosing a LinkedIn coach
There are a variety of LinkedIn coaches and consultants out there. Some are career counselors who work on resumes and give some assistance with LinkedIn profiles as an extension of that work. Some are recruiters who are focused on getting their candidates into new jobs. Some are writers who offer LinkedIn profile writing as one of their services. And the largest growing area for LinkedIn is in the area of marketing and sales for businesses. If these are things you need, there’s the right match out there for you.
What I don’t do
- I don’t offer career counseling though I work closely with professional career counselors.
- I won’t place you in a new job though I may help you get one.
- In general I don’t write the profiles for most of my clients. (I do offer that service but it’s not a main focus of my business)
- I don’t focus on marketing and sales though I’ll get you started.
So…What the heck do I do?
I work with busy professionals who know they should have a good LinkedIn profile but don’t have the time and/or interest in figuring out how to accomplish this goal by themselves.
I understand what it’s like to be uncomfortable putting yourself out there so publicly:
Social Media for the Socially Reluctant
Whether it’s a generational thing or the product of your personality or profession, I focus on making it safe and fun to have an online presence. Google is going to create a brand for you online anyway, with or without your permission, so why not manage that brand? LinkedIn is the most significant part of your online brand.
Save you time
If you were going to fix up your LinkedIn profile, you probably would have done it by now. In the space of a couple of hours, you can have a complete and polished-looking LinkedIn profile.
Save you from losing great opportunities
You may not have got the job or promotion, got the new business, or hired the great new employee solely on the basis of your LinkedIn profile but you will never know what business opportunities or potential employees you’ve lost through having a lousy LinkedIn profile. Can you really afford to ignore it?
I would love to talk with you about the benefits to you of having a great profile on LinkedIn and how I could help you with your professional goals. Please schedule a free 30 minute strategy consultation to see how I might be able to assist you.