April 2021 - Infinity Marketing Group

When you first create a LinkedIn profile, chances are you’re mainly focused on filling out your previous experience and connecting with as many people as possible. Once you’ve worked on your profile, however, don’t forget that there are many useful features to the platform to take advantage of. By maximizing every aspect of LinkedIn you can ensure that people can easily find you and that they’ll be captivated by your professional value. For example, consider the LinkedIn headline.

A commonly forgotten aspect of LinkedIn is your headline, the description that comes after your name. LinkedIn provides 220 characters in its headline and there are ways you can leverage this space to stand out. It’s an excellent opportunity to introduce yourself, share your value, and encourage people to click on your profile to find out more.

How Important is a Great LinkedIn Headline?

Even though it’s tempting to spend all of your time crafting the perfect “About Me” section and listing out your extensive experience, this all may be going to waste if your headline doesn’t grab attention first. Alongside your profile picture, your LinkedIn headline is your best bet to making a great first impression to recruiters, peers, and customers alike.

Your headline is the aspect to your profile that will be seen the most, since it:

Is put at the very top of your LinkedIn profile
Is listed on LinkedIn job applications
Appears when you post in your newsfeed
Helps you come up in search results

Since you have 220 characters, there is plenty of space to add a creative description in your headline to explain not only your job position, but also what you have to offer and what makes you unique. This will help increase the visibility of your profile so you generate leads and connect with more people.

Common Mistakes People Make in Their LinkedIn Headline

While your headline offers plenty of opportunities, utilize it wisely. There are a few mistakes that people commonly make as they change their headline (or don’t change it at all). These mistakes will make it harder for you to show up in search results or achieve organic connections.

Leaving the Headline on Default

The first mistake people make is simply leaving their headline as it is. LinkedIn automatically provides a default: your current job title and employer. Your headline may look like this:

Sales Representative at John’s Package Store
B2B Marketing Specialist at Imagine Marketing
Senior Account Manager at Creative Film Supplies

While there is nothing wrong with wanting to tell people your position and where you work (especially if you’re very proud of it), there’s a lot of empty space in your headline that you could be taking advantage of. You can still provide your job title and include something after it–the main mistake people make with their headline is not adding anything to it at all.

Leverage your LinkedIn network with Infinity Marketing Group’s LinkedIn marketing service. Learn more here or contact them at info@infinitymgroup.com or at (303) 834-7344 today.

Leaving out Keywords for a Position or Industry

Your LinkedIn headline provides a great opportunity to incorporate keywords so you show up in search results; LinkedIn functions as a search engine and will provide relevant results when people type words into the search box. Profiles that show at the top of results have these words throughout their profile and in certain areas such as the headline.

The more keywords you have, the more times you will appear for different things. For example, the Sales Representative at John’s Package Store will show up in search results for “sales” and “representative,” and if anyone is looking for that specific company, but not for much else.

A key trick is to include the necessary skills for your position or industry in your headline. A sales representative can mention their years of customer service or their success in closing leads. The more that is in the headline, the more chances they have to be found.

As your skills change over time and you move into higher positions that give you more in-depth responsibilities, you can consistently update your headline. If you are looking for new opportunities, include skills you already have or important terms from your educational background. Don’t simply write “seeking opportunities” or “looking to connect” in your headline, because no one searches for those keywords.

The Two Steps to a High-Converting LinkedIn Headline

Great LinkedIn headlines can be broken down into two main parts: keywords, and a short description of the unique value you bring to companies or customers. You have 220 characters to list hard skills you have that are common to your industry, describe specializations, and even invite people to connect.

Incorporate Keywords from Your Industry

Try to include about a half dozen keywords in your headline that provide an overview of your position. You can put these in first, or sprinkle them naturally throughout your description.

If you’re unsure what to include, take a look at the job descriptions for your position. Even if you’re searching for your next role, you can find descriptions of your dream job and include keywords that apply to what you’ve done so far. For example, sales representatives can include keywords such as:

CRM
Outbound calls
Inside sales
High volume
Relationship management

So a sales representative headline may look something like: “Sales representative at John’s Package Store, experienced in customer relationship management and inside sales. Expertly handles a high volume of outbound calls.” Now the headline will appear in search results in several different ways.

While keywords are a great place to start, they are just the beginning to crafting a successful LinkedIn headline.

Illustrate Your Value

Don’t just stuff your headline with keywords–make sure you cohesively present what you will be bringing to the table. Illustrate what you have to offer with results or metrics you’ve achieved in the past. Some numbers to include are your user or customer base, number of years in experience, and quotas you met or exceeded.

The sales representative’s headline from above can be expanded to illustrate their value: “Sales representative at John’s Package Store, 12+ years CRM and inside sales experience | Expert in handling a high volume of outbound calls and closing deals.”

Not only will this show up in several different search results, but you also get much more information than you would from just “sales representative.” With longer descriptions, you can use a line or slash to break up your key points and make your headline easier to read.

Using a Call to Action

If you’re an entrepreneur or leader in your field and you would like to be found by potential prospects, you can further utilize your headline space to encourage people to take action on the services you offer. Focus on the unique value you, and only you, have. Get the reader interested, and direct them to where they may find more information by including a call to action (CTA).

While this doesn’t involve as many keywords, it is another opportunity to use your headline and provides a way to grab interest. Useful CTAs in LinkedIn headlines include:

“Check out my new ebook.”
“Let’s talk! Info below.”
“Sign up for my next webinar!”

Put your call to action at the end of your headline. This way, you describe who you are and what you offer, then provide readers a way to get further information. Typically it directs them to your LinkedIn profile or your own website.

Want to convert your LinkedIn network into a business pipeline? Infinity Marketing Group’s done-for-you LinkedIn service delivers warm leads right to your sales team. Contact us at (303) 834-7344 or at info@infinitymgroup.com to learn more.

Examples of Effective Headlines

You have a lot of options for creating your own LinkedIn headline. The following examples illustrate the different ways you can incorporate keywords, provide value, and include a call to action.

1.) Marketing Specialist at Star Marketing | B2B copywriting and content optimization | Digital strategy | WordPress and Adobe Creative Cloud

This headline focuses on keywords that help expand on the person’s position, which is listed first. The reader gets a quick rundown of the person’s specific skill set and which software programs they are familiar with.

2.) Sales Manager | 20+ years | Contact me to see how I can reduce the amount of time your reps spend on qualifying leads

Rather than showcasing the company they work at or their personal hard skills, this headline focuses on the value the person is able to bring. It ends with an effective CTA.

3.) Customer Success | Team Management | Problem Identifier | Senior Account Manager

This headline bumps the person’s position to the very end, and provides relevant keywords first. This adds context and helps this person appear for specific search queries.

4.) Executive experienced in marketing and customer analysis | Dedicated to developing a solutions-based approach for top companies

This one is great for someone who has been in their field for a long time and may already have a lot of connections. They bring the focus on their passion, and explain what they can do for companies.

5.) SaaS | Product management | Technology and analytics | Graduate, Sorrell College of Business

This is a great headline for someone who has just graduated from college or is otherwise looking for new opportunities. Putting keywords and their area of expertise first, then leading up to the fact that they have a business degree, is much more beneficial than simply saying they are job seeking.

Use LinkedIn to Your Advantage

A specialized LinkedIn headline provides many benefits. By putting in keywords and expressing your value–and simply changing your headline in the first place–you’ll stand out among the crowd. Take advantage of your headline to come up in more search results and to pursue more opportunities for connection.

There’s even more to LinkedIn that you can leverage to expand your network and discover prospects. Infinity Marketing Group helps you drive leads and maximize other opportunities on LinkedIn so you can successfully use the platform for all it has to offer. Contact us today at info@infinitymgroup.com or at (303) 834-7344.

Email marketing can be confusing and intimidating. When done correctly, however, email marketing connects your business to customers and boosts sales. From growing a subscriber list to best practices, we’ve answered the most common email marketing questions to help you develop a successful strategy.

1.) Why is Email Marketing Essential?

Even with the rise of social media, emails remain the best way to reach a large number of people directly–an email campaign connects with three times more people than Twitter and Facebook combined. Unlike creating a blog or posting on Facebook, sending an email allows you to ensure that many customers see your content, even if it is just the subject line and name of your business.

On top of that, you’ll be able to release timely content, create highly targeted messaging, and monitor your campaigns. It’s easier to measure the performance of emails, and you can make small changes to increase engagement. Having an email marketing strategy is essential no matter your industry.

2.) How Can I Tell if my Email Marketing Strategy is Successful?

The best way to tell whether your strategy is improving your business is to establish clear goals and keep careful track of the performance of email campaigns. What is your email marketing goal – to boost sales? To drive more traffic to specific landing pages on your website? Determining your end goals will help you build a successful strategy.

Then, there are common email marketing metrics you can use to determine how your campaign is performing. Two of the most important metrics are:

Open rate: The number of people who open a specific email out of the total number of subscribers you sent it to.
Click-through rate: The number of times a link within your email is clicked on out of the total number of subscribers the email was sent to.

3.) What’s Considered a Good Open Rate and Click-Through Rate?

It’s helpful to know the numbers you should be aiming for. According to Mailchimp, the email open rate on average across all industries is 21.33%, and the click rate on average across all industries is 2.62%. You can also conduct research on your specific industry to find averages for companies like yours, which will provide a useful baseline.

These numbers also help you set realistic goals; some opens at all may be a great achievement if you are just getting started. It all depends on how you and your team measure success.

The email experts at Infinity Marketing Group help B2B tech companies build their email list and increase engagement through successful email campaigns. Contact them at info@infinitymgroup.com or at (303) 834-7344 to learn more today!

4.) How Do I Get Potential Customers to Open My Emails?

To ensure your emails are opened, offer the type of content your customers are most likely going to be interested in reading. One of the best practices to email marketing is to fully understand your audience–what type of deals are they looking for? How often will they be making a purchase from you? Familiarizing yourself is the first step to crafting engaging and timely content.

You also need to ensure you grab people’s attention in the first place with an intriguing subject line that’s eye-catching and encouraging.

5.) How Do I Craft a Great Email Subject Line?

Writing a great email subject line is easy once you fully understand your customers and you’re knowledgeable about subject line best practices, such as:

Your line should be 50 characters or less, and a general rule of thumb is to aim for 10 words or less.
Include numbers and lists to promise a quick read.
Tap into customer’s emotions; create a sense that time is running out on certain deals, or promise exclusive content that only certain people will gain access to.
Ask questions to open a dialogue.
Use punctuation and emojis to catch attention–but only one or two at a time.

6.) How Do I Get People to Click On Links I’ve Put Into My Email?

An effective method to encourage subscribers to click on content in your email is to include CTAs (calls to action). These are quick, simple instructions that provide readers the next step and explicitly describe the action they should take, such as “Click Here,” or “Shop Now!” CTAs clear up confusion and add urgency to any exclusive or intriguing offers you are providing.

7.) Are There Any Other Email Marketing Metrics I Need to Know?

A combination of email marketing metrics will help you set goals and truly measure whether your strategy is working well for your business. Foundational email marketing metrics include:

The acceptance rate, or rate of email deliverability. This is the rate of an email being successfully delivered to a person’s email address. Sometimes emails are bounced (rejected) by servers. Other times, people delete the email address they originally used to sign up.

Spam reports: This is how many times people who received your emails marked them as spam or junk mail.

Unsubscribes: How often recipients ended up unsubscribing from your list completely.

Your email marketing strategy will likely involve several metrics. For example, you might aim for a high open rate and a low amount of spam reports.

8.) How Often Should I Email My Whole List?

While the frequency of your emails will depend on a number of factors, a general rule of thumb is that sending too many will cause your readers to unsubscribe. The trick is to figure out what “too many” is for your business, and to find your email marketing strategy’s sweet spot.

It’s a safe bet that your subscribers will not like daily emails. According to Smart Insights, the average rate of successful email frequency is 1-2 a week. To find your company’s sweet spot, you can run tests and analyze the performance of different frequencies, then continue with the number that brings you close to the metrics you are aiming to achieve.

9.) Is There A Time and Day I Should be Sending Emails?

The answer to this question is the same as email frequency – it depends. There is no universal time and day that’s been identified as “making an email campaign successful.” For example, according to Mailchimp, Tuesdays and Thursdays between 2-5 PM is the ideal “send” time best. But a study conducted by Wordstream determined that early mornings on Thursdays were better.

One of the biggest factors for your perfect time and day is whether you are a B2B or B2C business. Take into consideration when your subscribers are likely to see and open your email. For B2B, that’s likely during the workday. Since your specific audience will respond differently, it’s best to conduct experiments and study your own data to determine the best time and day for your business.

10.) How Can I Test My Emails to See What Works Best?

People will open emails for different reasons. Most of the time, it’s based on a person’s preference or a particular and immediate need that they have. It is possible for you to run tests on your emails to understand which factors–subject lines, images, content, even layout– work best so your campaign hits the metrics you’re looking for.

An easy way to accomplish this is to perform an A/B test, a simple experiment that allows you to compare two versions of one variable and determine which is more effective:

Create two emails that are similar in every way except for one factor (a different subject line, sent at a different time, different email body, even differently-colored call to action buttons).
Send the emails to subscribers who are randomly selected.
Observe which email performs better according to the goals you’ve established.

The more you test your emails, the more you’ll come to understand your subscribers’ preferences. It’s a simple but effective way to establish successful email campaigns.

Want to increase email conversions? The email marketing experts at Infinity Marketing Group help B2B tech companies increase ROI with high-converting email campaigns. Contact them at info@infinitymgroup.com or at (303) 834-7344 to learn more today!

11.) How Do I Segment My Emails?

Once you’ve run A/B tests, it is possible to segment your subscriber list so that certain people get certain emails and your marketing is tailored to specific preferences. For example, you’ll be able to send one email in the morning to certain people, and one in the afternoon to others. Breaking it up in this way can boost your overall rates.

Many email platforms allow you to manually segment subscribers based on specific factors. Interestingly, you could also use an algorithm to tailor your marketing campaign.

12.) Are There Tricks to Getting More Subscribers?

Growing a great list of subscribers takes time, and the best method is to grow your list organically. Start with current, past, and potential customers; this will be the largest aspect to your list. Branch out from there and make sure people have chances to sign up for your emails through boxes and other opt-in opportunities on your website and marketing materials.

Keep in mind that having a large number of subscribers doesn’t automatically mean your email campaigns will be successful. The key is to have the right people on your list–qualified leads who will actually open your emails and click through them. Even a small list of subscribers can be prosperous if those people consistently engage with your content.

13.) Are There Any Email Marketing Laws I Should Be Aware Of?

Yes. Your emails do actually need to be in compliance with the law. It may seem intimidating, but these laws were mainly put in place to protect against unsolicited advertising and spam. While each country has its own laws dictating what email marketers can and can’t do, the main law for the U.S. is the CAN-SPAM Act.

If you are using email marketing for commercial purposes, CAN-SPAM requires that you:

Don’t include deceptive or misleading information in your subject lines and headers.
Disclose that your message is an advertisement.
Include a valid physical address so recipients can see your location.
Include a link to opt-out in every single email so people are able to unsubscribe.
Honor unsubscribe requests in a prompt manner and never email the person again unless they opt back in.

14.) What Are Some Other Email Marketing Best Practices?

One of the main best practices is to avoid coming across as spam, but there are other things you can do to ensure your email marketing resonates with your customers:

Keep it short and simple. People get dozens of emails each day and don’t have much time, so try to convey your message as quickly as possible.
Communicate your intentions when asking people to subscribe so they understand what they are signing up for.
Remember that sending too many emails will cause people to unsubscribe.
Personalization is key to engagement, so take your time getting to understand your audience and make sure your emails are tailored to their needs and preferences.

15.) What Makes an Email “Good”?

This is another email marketing question where the answer simply depends. What makes an email “good” for your business relies heavily on your own practices and standards. For one company, a good email may be one that performs to the expected metrics. For another company, a good email is one that appeals to their customers and brings a boost in sales. Other companies may value high-quality content that simply teaches subscribers something new. Your own expectations and standards will determine the success of your email marketing.

Developing Your Email Marketing Strategy for Success

There are no dumb email marketing questions; it’s a complicated business strategy that takes time and practice. Success depends on a variety of factors, and an important takeaway is to test and monitor your campaigns to determine what works the best for your business. Make sure you adhere to best practices and established laws.

If you have further questions about email marketing, contact Infinity Marketing Group at info@infinitymgroup.com or by calling (303) 834-7344 today!

How to Write a High-Converting LinkedIn Headline