LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to make your profile more worthy. Looking for ways to bring your profile to the next level on LinkedIn?  Before you think what the major sections are needed to optimize in your LinkedIn account, get to know the LinkedIn extract growth. Why I thrust you to get to know that because if you know the real clear information then only, you’ll fully optimize your profile without any smaller mistakes.

“Do you know the relationship between LinkedIn and digital marketing?”

LinkedIn is a part of your digital marketing strategy. When it comes to networking and making new connections with prospects, clients, and business partners, comparatively LinkedIn is the most important social media site. Because It’s a professional social media platform with 675 million+ users from over 200 countries, according to their LinkedIn stats report.

If you want to be a successful networker on LinkedIn, you need to have a solid profile, it’s crucial. If you are a marketer, you have a very few minutes to make an impression on your potential client or partner. But from LinkedIn, your profile can showcase your accomplishments, education, the ways that you’ve helped others to solve problems and moreover, a good profile can help you to secure the connections that you need to grow your brand and your business.

Hope now you have the clear clarity on what makes a good LinkedIn profile for digital marketers, am I right?

Let’s jump for the main topic. If I’m the digital marketer, what are the section must I need to optimize on my LinkedIn profile?

Tips to optimize and re-design your LinkedIn profile for 2020

 

1) Complete your LinkedIn Profile: 

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

—— Will Rogers —— 

Most of the digital marketing companies are selecting their new employees based on their LinkedIn profiles. So, when someone visits your profile, they really need to impress with your profile. Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card. Thus, chose a great professional headshot for your profile picture.

When you choose your profile picture, you must know the Dos and Don’ts.

Don’t…

• Selfies are not appropriate as profile pictures.
• Avoid using filters.
• Don’t crop yourself from group pictures.
• Avoid pictures with your pets.
• Don’t use the full-body motion picture.

Do…

• Look approachable
• Take a headshot
• Pick an up-to-date photo
• Choose the right expression
• Take the photo straight on

Check out Aleyda Solis LinkedIn profile. She is an International SEO Consultant and founder of Orainti -a highly specialized, boutique SEO consultancy, blogger, speaker and author. You can learn from her LinkedIn profile. She pays more attention to her profile picture and background picture. Her professional photos give more benefits to her potential partners and prospects.

 

2) Modify your Headline and Summary

Headline: LinkedIn’s default setting is to mention your current job title as your headline. This is allowing limited characters (120 characters) to express your current job. If you have multiple jobs, don’t mention all the titles on your headline. Write your headline with the most relevant keywords. It’ll make easier to find when someone looking for professionals in the same field on LinkedIn. The highlighted value proposition will capture more visitors’ attention and make them want to learn more about you.

When you are going to write/ re-write your headline, keep the following points in your mind.

• Know Your Audience
• Highlight your USP (your value proposition)
• Don’t Try to Impress with Big Words
• Avoid Bragging

Summary: The LinkedIn summary section is your professional bio. It’ll be going to support your headline and expand on your experience. So certainly, provide an overall description of your qualifications and previously what you’ve worked. For write your full summary, you can use 2000 characters. Keep in your mind this is the section with key points that makes the visitor want to connect with you or not. Before posting your summary, find someone to proofread grammar and spelling count!

Here are some tips to write your summary.

• Describe what makes you tick
• Explain your present role
• Frame your past
• Highlight your successes
• Reveal your character
• Show life outside of work
• Make your first sentence count
• Use the keywords

3) Customize Your LinkedIn Url

When you create a profile on LinkedIn, it’ll give you a profile URL but from your end, you must customize your LinkedIn URL. Once you customize your profile URL, It’ll far more friendly from an SEO point of view. And it’ll give you an opportunity to rank higher in Google and to make it easier for people to find you.

Still, your URL is not customized; follow these three methods to customize the URL.

Step 1: Click “Me icon” at the top of your LinkedIn and select View Profile.

Step 2: On your profile page, click “Edit Public Profile & URL” on the right. Then under Edit URL, click the “Edit icon” next to your public profile URL.

Step 3: Enter your name without spaces and “click Save”.

 

4) Add your Workplace, Experience

Highlighting your previous work experience is critical on LinkedIn. When listing your experience, certain to follow common resume writing style. And don’t list all of your previous works. If you have the same industry level experience you can list all. But if you have different field experience, don’t add them all because it’ll damage your reputation. Instead, focus on the workplaces and experiences that benefit you the most, and list your greatest achievements.

While you add your experience and workplace, watchful with recommended characters. Company Name: 100 max characters, Job Title: 100 characters, Position Description: 200 minimum and 2000 max characters.

 

5) Add Skills and Get Endorsements

An endorsement on LinkedIn is a considerable way to have your skills certified by others but be careful of having too many endorsements. Make sure endorsed people are really valid from your side.

If you didn’t get any endorsement, use some ethics to get an endorsement to your skill. Like, from your side, endorse your friends and colleagues’ skill then they’ll unquestionably endorse your skill too. Once a week or once a month continually check your LinkedIn skill and update your skills.

 

6) Get Written Recommendations

Presently getting recommendation in LinkedIn is becoming more and more popular and important. you can gain the recommendation in the following ways.

1. You can send a request to your LinkedIn contact to recommend you.
2. If you’re truly generous to supporting others, they’ll be more likely to return the promote to you.

Don’t wait for others to recommend you, because probably you must wait forever to get their precise. Therefore, from your end give more precise and valuable recommendations to them. Optimistically, you can expect to gain back!

High profile persons’ recommendations are more powerful to build your reputation.

 

7) Write & Publish

Write and publish relevant articles on LinkedIn because this is a powerful way to reach your target audience and generate leads. LinkedIn also let you know when some of your followers publish an article on LinkedIn. So, your post notifications also probably reach them.

While you publish your article, there are some techniques you need to follow to gain the extract post value.

• Try to write a new hot article
• Pay attention to pictures and title length
• Add relevant hashtags
• If specific people will enjoy the article, tag them
• Add keywords to get the LinkedIn organic reach

8) Join Groups

LinkedIn Groups are hubs on LinkedIn which provide a “professional place for the same industry people to share content, find answers, post and view jobs, make business contacts, and establish themselves as industry experts.”

Find LinkedIn groups that are related to your industry or niche, then join with them and be active to bring your profile for their attention it’ll help you grow professionally and personally while advancing in your career.

 

9) Monitor Your Connections

Pay more attention to monitor your connections. Under ‘Settings & Privacy’, LinkedIn gives you more options that allow you to choose “how other users are viewing your profile and more. So all of the settings are VERY important.

If you noticed any industry-related profiles, view your profile or activity, then send a relevant and personalized message to connect them with your circle. Once they accept your request, there are high chances the person on the other side may start engaging with your content too!

10) Be Supportive & Encouraging of Others.

Like and comment on others’ posts to get more engagement. If you are going to engage with others’ post then initiate with a question. Your one question will bring more engagement. There are two ways that you can boost your own engagement:

1. You can gain new connections – If you’ve provided a valuable comment for your out circle people’s post, definitely they’ll interact with your circle and initiate the engagement with your post.
2. People love to return the favor – If you do more likes and comments on your circle’s posts, unquestionably they love to return that favor.

Therefore, provide a proper valuable engagement for others’ posts, then you’ll get in return.

 

Conclusion

Optimize your LinkedIn profile and increase your visibility. It can make it easier for others to find you and help you to reach your professional goals.

So, what tip did you receive from this post to boost your LinkedIn profile? Please share your open thoughts in the comments section below!

When it comes to your business growth, the marketing mix is a very important tool to build the most effective marketing strategy plan. It will help you to show your potential customers why your product or service is unique and better than your competitors. Today in this article I will talk about what is the marketing mix? Why does the marketing mix important for your business? And the 10 most effective steps to develop the ideal marketing mix for your business. So, Stay tuned with me till the end!

An Introduction to Marketing Mix

The marketing mix refers to the various elements of your business that helps you to put your product or service in the right place, at the right time with the right price. The marketing mix is primarily connected with the 4P’s elements of marketing, the 7P’s elements of service marketing, and the 4 Cs theories formed in the 1990s based on the 4p’s elements of marketing.

 

A Quick Look at Marketing Mix 4P’s

The Marketing 4Ps was developed by the marketing expert named E. Jerome McCarthy in the 1960s which has been used throughout the world as the basic concept of marketing. It also the ground foundation for marketing mix.

 

marketing-mix-4P’s

1.Product

A product is an element that is manufactured to fulfil the needs of a certain group of people. It can be quantifiable or unquantifiable as it can be in the form of goods or services. You should ensure to have the right product that your target market demands. So, in the product development stage, you must do a broad study on the life cycle of your product involving product branding and product packaging in order to make the right product mix.

 

2. Price

The price of a particular product is basically the amount of money that a consumer willing to pay to get the benefit from the particular product. Price is a very essential factor in your marketing plan as it defines your firm’s profit and survival level. Modifying your product price has a great influence on your entire marketing strategy, sales and the demand for the product. While fixing the product price be sure to examine competitors pricing methods and price your product accordingly.

3.Place

Planning the distribution or positioning of your product or service is a very crucial part of the marketing mix. You have to position or distribute your product or service in a place that is easily accessible to your potential buyers. For this, you need to have a deep understanding of your target market. By having a clear understanding of your target market inside out, you will find out the most efficient placing and distribution channels for your product that directly connect with your target market and target audience.

4.Promotion

Promotion is very important to boost your brand’s recognition and products sales. Promotion is about informing your target market about your product or service. This action will involve direct communication among sellers and potential buyers. Promotion is comprised of various elements such as sales organization, public relations, advertising and sales promotion. Your promotional strategies will depend on your budget and your target market.

A Rapid Check of Marketing Mix 7P’s

The 7Ps of the marketing mix is a modification from the 4Ps model which is generally used in the service industries. Here is a quick look at the extensions from the 4Ps to the 7Ps version.

 

5.People

Target market and people are directly linked to your business, therefore it’s essential to find out whether there is sufficient amount of people in your target market that is in demand for specific products or services that you are offering. Your firm’s employees also play a crucial part in marketing because they are the ones who deliver the product or service that your target market demands. Thus, it’s really essential to appoint and train the right people to deliver superior product or service to the clients, whether they run customer service, or they are copywriters, designers, or etc. The people in your target market and the people who work in the company will help you to scale and grow your business.

 

6.Process

The systems and the processes in your organization affect your execution of the service and product. That’s why it’s essential to have a well-tailored process in place whether it’s your sales funnel, distribution system, a payment system or other procedures. An effective process of working helps you to run your business efficiently.

7.Physical Evidence

Physical evidence is very important for a business, especially in service industries. There should be physical evidence of how a business and its products or services are perceived in the marketplace. Physical evidence is the establishment of a business’ presence in the market. For example, when you think about sports Adidas or Nike comes to your mind and when I say Pizza “Pizza Hut” instantly pop up in your mind because these brands establish strong physical evidence in their niche market, thus their brands appear first in line when we asked someone to “name a brand” in their industry or niche.

4Ps to 4Cs Marketing Mix

The 4Cs model is a modification of the 4Ps marketing mix model and it’s not a basic part of the marketing mix. But an extensive version of the marketing mix. Let’s check out the 4Cs components one by one.

1) Cost

Price is not the sole cost being incurred when purchasing a product or service. It may be the cost you incur to satisfy a consumer, so, cost of time, cost of conscience or opportunity cost are also the elements of the cost

2) Consumer

You should only sell a product or service that addresses your consumer demand. Therefore, you carefully research your consumers’ needs and wants. So that you can give valuable products and services to your consumers with a Unique Selling Proposition.

3) Communication

Based on the needs and wants of your customers, you need to create open communication with your customers because your customers want to be engaged with meaningful interactions to understand your products and services.

4) Convenience

Usually, consumers looking for products and services readily available to them. Thus, while marketing, you should strategically place your products or services in several visible distribution points that are convenient to your consumers. In simple words make it convenient for your consumers to buy.

Importance of Marketing Mix 

In your everyday business activities, it’s become hard to focus on the big picture, especially when you’re handling multiple things. In this condition, your marketing mix strategy gives you a clear roadmap for your business objectives.

It will help you to be on track while keeping your target market in the forefront of your mind that helps you to market the right product or service to the right people at the right time with the right price.

10 Steps to Build an Effective Marketing Mix 

Above I explained to you about Marketing mix, it’s elements and why it’s important for your business. Now I am going to tell about the 10 effective steps that will give you assistance in building your ideal marketing mix for your successful business. Have a look at them below.

1. Get to Know Your Goals & Objectives

To create the right marketing mix for your business, first, you need to define what you want to achieve as an end result, for example, define whether you want more customers, increase brand awareness or want to get higher sales.

Every marketing plan has its own goals and objectives. So you need to find out your own goals and objectives and have to set a specific time frame to achieve them.

 

2.Create Your Budget Plan

After getting to know about your goals and objectives for your marketing mix plan, then you need to define how much money are you willing to spend? Like how much money you are ready to spend on product innovation, product promotion and consumer research. It’s really important to create your budget in order to build an effective marketing mix for your business.

 

3. Decide Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) Method

In a world of competitors, it’s really important to advertise and market your product in an effective and unique way and we call it a “unique selling proposition” (USP). Describe your users about the benefits they will get from using your product or service. And tell them what unique problem you’re solving with your product and service better than anyone else in the market.

4.Define Your Own Target Market

In order to have effective communication with your target audience, you need to know who they are, their expectations from your product or service, their preference and how they want to be communicated with. Build an in-depth profile of your ideal buyer. Make sure you have collected all the essential customer information to create a complete picture of your ideal customer with enough details.

 

5. Get Advice from Your Customers

Ask your customers what they are thinking about your products or services and what the expectations they have are. You can gather this information by asking your customers questions like What do they think of your product?, How satisfied are they with the quality? Are the benefits apparent? and How is your product effectively or not effectively meeting their needs?. Use their answers and feedback to improve your service or product. This tactic also helps you to appear more relatable and approachable to your customers.

 

6.Describe Your Product or Service in Detail

To plan a perfect marketing mix, first, you need to have a good understanding of your product or service. Therefore, take your time to describe the specific qualities and value of your product or service. Get to know the unique features that show the worth of your product or service. Knowing your product worth help you to build an effective marketing mix that enhances your products or services.

 

7. Be Aware of Your Distribution Channels

Identify which distribution channels you are going to use for marketing your product or service. Because your choice of distribution channels will influence your promotion methods and the pricing of your products or services. Depending on your product and target audience your distribution channels will be: Selling to wholesalers who will sell to retailers, who will then sell to the consumers or selling directly to the retailers or selling directly to your consumers.

 

8. Make Your Pricing Strategy

You need to find out the smart ways to differentiate your product on price. Do proper research on your competitors and make sure you are not overcharging your customers for the product. Also, get to know what your target audience might be willing to pay for your product and what it costs to produce your product. Based on these facts you can create a better pricing strategy.

 

9.Select Your Promotional Methods

You should make your target audience to be aware of your product or service offering. Successful promotional methods include numerous tactics like:

• Direct Marketing –Directly connecting with the targeted individuals through catalogues, telephone marketing or mobile marketing.
• Public Relations –Connect with the massive amount of public through Press releases, exhibitions, conferences and sponsorship deals.
• Advertising –Introduce your new product or service through advertisements on Television, radio and print advertisements in the newspaper.
• Personal Selling –Do personal presentation and demonstrating how your product works through your sales team.
• Word of Mouth –Creating positive word about your product or service through social media and buyers’ recommendations.

Based on your product, target audience and your industry niche select your promotional methods and plan your promotional strategy.

 

10. Make Use of Inbound Marketing

Inbound Marketing also plays an important role in developing a marketing mix for your business. So, in your Marketing mix plan, you should include effective inbound marketing as well. In your inbound marketing plan include the below elements:

• Website –Nowadays customers want to interact with the brands where they are making their purchases. So, having a business website for your brand will provide a platform for your customers to interact with your brands and products.
• SEO –Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will help you to rank your website on search engines like Google so the online users can get directed to your website where you can convert your website, visitors, into customers.
• Email Marketing –You must collect your customer contact database and follow up them regularly. Email is an effective way to communicate with your customers and keep then information about your new products or offers.
• Social Media– Having a website is not enough, you should use popular social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram to deliver messages to your target audience and build brand awareness in your target market.
• Blogging –By putting out regular content through blogging you can make your business stay in the top in the mind of your target audience and there are high chances to get leads through your blogs. So, make sure to write good content.

Conclusion

Creating a perfect marketing mix will help you to develop the best products and services that better fulfil the needs and wants of your target customers. It also helps you to make your target customers know why your product or service is better than the product or service of your competitors. Even though 4P’s remain the core to create a marketing mix, you should include inbound marketing in your overall marketing strategy for your business. I am pretty sure that the above 10 steps will help you to build a perfect marketing mix for your business.

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading my post. Please leave a comment regarding the blog post or let me know if you’re interested in learning more about the marketing mix.