LinkedIn remains the number one professional social media network. It is important, now more than ever, to stand out from the crowd by highlighting your key services and accomplishments. This can increase your credibility and your ability to make long-lasting partnerships and referrals. With this being said, some physicians do not have a LinkedIn profile, much less a company page. There may be some stigma around this field that creating a LinkedIn profile is unnecessary, especially if your findings and publications are being posted on press release sites and similar boards.
Nevertheless, physicians that do attempt to get more views on their LinkedIn profiles are at a loss as to how to do this. Physicians Thrive has conducted the proper research necessary on many profiles and has determined key steps to take to increase your standing and your client turnover.
Table of Contents
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a social media platform that is geared toward professionals. It functions much unlike a typical social media platform, such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. While the other platforms may be reserved for making people viral through engaging content, much of the information is lost due to it being focused on creating content that is digestible for the masses, rather than focusing on creating high-level partnerships and a professional network. Generally speaking, LinkedIn has the same problems as the new up-and-comer TikTok; users of the platform digest more content than they create.
Why LinkedIn?
LinkedIn presents a huge opportunity for small businesses and clinics such as those often run by physicians. Most people who are on LinkedIn are there to consume content, rather than create it. Because this is a professional platform, your audience is already more qualified than other social networks. Your publications and posts that you make on LinkedIn are therefore much more likely to be seen and read due to that very factor. LinkedIn is largely used by job seekers, recruiters, and small businesses/solopreneurs to connect and receive referrals.
LinkedIn also provides credibility. Doctors and physicians are well-known for their studies and expertise, but their brand and presence on the web are usually lacking. This is because, due to regulations, physicians may be unable to list their accomplishments or communicate with their prospective clients on the web. The model is not looking to change anytime soon, as communication is highly regulated to ensure confidentiality.
This means that LinkedIn is your best for creating a personal brand while maintaining general professionalism for both yourself and your business. Check out this extremely beneficial and viral post titled the 7 reasons Why Doctors Should Use LinkedIn.
While things such as building a network, finding your dream job, and reading about industry developments are true, they are also true for every other profession as well. Doctors specifically should use LinkedIn because:
Revenue Streams
It creates new revenue streams and opportunities to build authority. The article states that over 30% of your speaking gigs can come from LinkedIn, and more so if you have never attended a symposium or speech. Administrations often contact physicians within the network to add an esteemed line-up to certain crowds and panels. This can create an entirely new vertical for your brand. It also allows you to meet other distinguished practitioners in your space.
Collaboration
It allows you to collaborate on projects you may not have known about. LinkedIn provides a great platform for research groups. An advanced search on LinkedIn can find the necessary criteria for locating individuals that you can collaborate with on papers, projects, or theses. You are also able to form groups, where you can bounce ideas off one another in a professional/technical sense, or in terms of building your practice.
Visibility
Search engines are more likely to direct you to your LinkedIn profile. A LinkedIn profile that is 100% complete will rank more highly than those who have not taken the extra time to go through the prompted steps. Conduct a quick experiment and Google your name or someone that you know, and view the results. Now conduct that same search for someone you already know who has a full LinkedIn profile and you will see that it will be near the top. You can heavily impact your brand positively by creating a LinkedIn Profile.
Read this: How to Start Your Own Medical Practice.
Strategies To Increase Views On Your LinkedIn Profile
You must optimize your profile for views and also conversions. While this may mean creating posts with distinctive call-to-actions, there are many steps you can take before creating scholarly articles to demonstrate your prowess. In general, the more views on your page, the more you are likely to build a network and client base. Both of these will help you form professional partnerships.
Create a Vanity URL
A vanity URL is an extremely effective and easy way to stand out from the crowd when others are looking to view profile LinkedIn. It is the first step towards creating your brand, and most people do not do this with their profiles, for lack of awareness. A vanity URL is a slug that is placed after the domain name, found in the URL of your profile link. Before someone clicks through to your page, they will take a look at the link to see if there is any evidence that this can be a fraud. Most people are on the lookout for possible scams and phishing attempts, so your vanity URL, combined with a great and credible message will perform a noticeable tick in your profile views on LinkedIn.
Your Headline Should Be A Mission Statement
Headlines and positions should contain keywords that your partners, clients, and desired fanbase are looking for. For example, most people make the mistake of putting their headline as their current position, or the field that they are in. While this does serve a minimal purpose, it does not optimize search results for your profile. It is also generally a good idea to not make things extremely specific either, as very few technical users will know how to look for this exact search word. Some examples of common headlines that are too general or specific include
“Optometrist”
“Specialized oral surgeon with 15 years of experience in Prosthodontics and Orthognathic surgery”
While many job titles can be specific, it is great to look at your client base for words that they may be searching for, and add credibility. While some do know the term “Optometrist”, for example, it is extremely vague and does not set you apart from the crowd. Additionally, many clients are searching for “eye doctor”, “eye problems”, “emergency eye care” and other keywords related to that. Think about the last time you searched for a service on a search engine. Were you specifically looking for a job title, or did you address the problem?
To put it into perspective, think about the last time you needed emergency plumbing services. Chances were, you were not typing in “experienced plumber” or anything of the like. Most commonly, the searches would be for problems such as “toilet clog”, “slow drain” or “emergency plumbing near me”. Try to incorporate your mission statement and what service you are providing in your headline and job experience section.
Moving to a new state? We can help understand how to get licensed!
Profile Summaries Should Tackle Key Issues
Two key issues that many have when filling out their profile summaries are:
- Leaving it blank, letting their headline do the job
- Inserting their resume
Leaving your profile summary blank is a huge mistake. This reduces the number of keywords that are available on your profile to rank. This does not mean that your profile summary needs to be as long as possible, but does need to be filled in with some of the steps learned in the above paragraph. Optometrists should focus on certain words related to eye issues, eye surgery, and lens prescriptions. When you write your profile, make sure you write it in the third person. You want to answer the question “what’s in it for me?”
Do not exceed 2,000 characters, and remember that this is not a resume. Buzzwords should be avoided, and replaced with milestones and statistics. It is extremely credible if you have data to back up your claims. As an example, you could share the number of patients that you have helped serve over the years.
Social Proof
LinkedIn is a social media platform. This means that social proof is extremely important in not only being found but also to increase conversion. Profile views on LinkedIn are one thing, but views do not pay the bills by themselves. Once someone is on your page due to your complete profile, your professional headline, and your engaging summary, it is time to fill in your credentials, degrees, awards, publications, and other relevant information.
Remember that less is more and that you should not list every achievement you’ve ever had. Include 3-5 pieces that prove you are a thought leader in this space and provide a few publications that you have written. Furthermore, it is important to write LinkedIn from time to time to demonstrate your understanding of the current situation within your field.
Finally, the best social proof you could have is found in the “Endorsement” section. If you do not know which relevant skills to place in your profile, search for the keywords that you are trying to rank on LinkedIn or Google. This should bring up partners or competitors in the field, perhaps in different geographical locations. If their profile looks well done and maintained, it is safe to say that you can consider using some of their “skills” to be endorsed. Encourage professionals in your field to collaborate with you and to write each other a short review.
Social proof is one of the best ways to prove to clients that you know what you are doing. It’s a much easier sell for your services, or for recruiters looking to employ you in a well-compensated position.
Related Reading: What It Takes to be a Traveling Physician
Optimize Your Creatives
Your profile picture should be a professional headshot done by yourself, a friend, or a skilled photographer. No matter the upfront cost. Physicians provide some of the most executive and unique services on the planet. Thus, your brand should be associated with the highest degree of professionalism. Your first impression will often decide whether or not someone will connect with you going forward.
This is also true for your media publications on LinkedIn. Use rich media for your creative assets to increase LinkedIn profile views and conversions.
Personal Vs Company Page
If you are looking to be employed at a hospital or on a team, a personal page is enough. Your personal and professional brands will align on your LinkedIn page. This will provide recruiters and peers with the necessary information to increase their perception of your abilities.
However, physicians with their practice or partnered clinic should have both a company and personal page. A company page can easily be created by following these steps. Key benefits include:
- Creating relevant and shareable content. While publications can be shared on your page, your company page can be a hub for shareable content that keeps people informed about updates from your company, and more importantly, the industry. For example, if the legislature increased the insurance coverage provided for employees for their medical benefits, this could be shared on your company page and could increase views for your LinkedIn profile and business.
- It allows more flexibility with services. You are not able to list services on your profile, and this may dilute your brand. List them on your business profile instead.
- Communicate and humanize your team and culture. Humanize your business by displaying your team and communicating their hobbies and culture. Your employee profiles can also be added to your company page to demonstrate authority and credibility.
- Further increases your awareness and rank. Having another page listing your services, business, brand, and the team will increase the chances someone can find you on Google, Bing, and LinkedIn.
Should I Do Paid Ads?
While a company profile does allow you to create paid ad campaigns, these services are not as effective as organic search and building credibility on your profile for a business owner who does not specialize in marketing. It is better to consult with a professional digital marketing agency, as paid ads can often cause more financial burdens than they create, especially if done incorrectly. Medical field ads are highly regulated and could suspend your account.
Conclusion
When looking to increase profile views for your LinkedIn profile, remember to include:
- A fully complete profile (100% completion)
- A professional headshot and rich media creative assets.
- Make your headlines appealing by “scratching an itch”
- Keeping titles focused on problem resolution rather than technical language.
- Using social proof and posts to boost credibility.
A LinkedIn profile is a great way to boost your network if used properly. With just a few hours invested, you will already be standing out from the rest of the pack.
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