Dear Danielle:

How would you recommend transitioning my LinkedIn profile from having a 9-5 job to being in business as an Administrative Consultant without giving the impression you are unemployed and want to start your own business? The reason I ask is I am a caretaker and executor of my uncle and his estate and handle all his finances. I am also a fitness coach. I also created my own website. Currently my profile shows all my administrative experience, but I just don’t know how to make it sound like I am in business to help others and am just starting out. I would appreciate if you could give me a tip —GR

Oh, this is SUCH an easy one!

Get rid of EVERYTHING you have on there now in the “Experience” and only list your admin business.

Just because LinkedIn focuses everything on employment doesn’t mean you have to. 😉

How you market a business is different from how you go about finding a job.

You don’t need to list every job or bit of experience you’ve ever had.

For the purposes of your LinkedIn, you don’t need to focus on the “features” of yourself, “features” being things like your work history and all the jobs and positions you’ve held. That’s all just a bunch of blah blah blah.

Plus, you’re not applying for jobs or seeking employment, you’re looking to attract prospective clients, not employers, recruiters and HR people.

Instead, use the “Summary” section for your marketing message.

In a conversational voice (i.e., write how you would speak with anyone in person), talk about how you help clients, how the work you do helps them grow and what kind of benefits and results they can look forward to from your work together.

And have a good headline that clearly states what you are/do and who you do it for (your target market).

For example, mine would be “Administrative Consultant. Administrative rescue for IP and entertainment law attorneys.”

In looking at your profile, you also have wayyyy too much going on that is going to confuse and detract from your business purposes. You’re putting your entire life history in there and trying to make your profile do too many different things, work to too many different “titles.”

Get rid of anything that doesn’t relate directly to your business and stick to ONE term (i.e., Administrative Consultant).

Also, move the “Summary” section to the top of the page. That’s your first opportunity to educate those who come to your profile with your message. That’s the first thing you want to focus them on and what you want them to see.

Remember, LinkedIn is just another inbound marketing avenue.

While yes, you’ll be participating in groups and connecting with people, you want your profile to just be a stepping stone leading them to your website. Give them just enough to intrigue them and provide a clear call to action directing them to your website where your full marketing and client education happens.

Let me know if that helps!