Do you know what the KLT factor is, and why it is so important in business and in the professional world? Did you know that LinkedIn is the perfect ally to work it? I explain it to you in this post.
The KLT factor is the acronym for Know, Like, Trust which summarizes the process you must go through if you want to be hired or contracted for your services.
Developing your KLT factor on LinkedIn
The KLT factor is booming. This is logical, considering that interpersonal relationships, and trust, increasingly have a greater weight in business and in the professional world.
As I just told you, that they know you, like you and trust you, there are three steps you have to go through to develop your KLT factor, and achieve your goals:
- Know: First you have to make yourself known. Because if they don’t know you, it’s impossible that they won’t even start to take an interest in you.
- Like: Once they know you, you have to like them (your potential clients or employers); which is a way to differentiate yourself from other professionals, and to start to awaken special attention among your target audience.
- Trust: But all this is not enough – the next step, and the most difficult to achieve, is that once they know you and like you, they trust you. A trust that normally takes time and dedication.
To successfully go through this process, you have a great ally: LinkedIn, the main professional social network; the great showcase in which your potential clients or recruiters are, and in which you have to make yourself known to them, make them fall in love, and trust them.
Here is how to work your KLT factor on LinkedIn.
How to make yourself known on LinkedIn
Be clear about your goals and the target audience you want to target
This is basic, and will determine the rest of the actions that we are going to see next. For example, when writing your profile on LinkedIn, or publishing content on this social network, it is essential that you define your objectives and your audience, and that you focus on them.
Have an excellent LinkedIn profile
Do not forget that it is your business card:
- Take care of everything, but especially those sections in which the headhunters, potential clients and employers are most fixated: the photo, the background image, the professional headline, the extract, the professional experience.
- Include multimedia content: you will give more visibility to your profile and make it more attractive, helping your target audience to notice you from the first moment.
- Make it clear what your value proposition is, what your expertise is, what you can contribute to others (your potential clients or employers).
Differentiate yourself. You are unique: do not go unnoticed among other professionals who may appear to be similar to you, but who are not at all. You have to show all this and demonstrate it in your profile; Take advantage of the resources that LinkedIn offers you, such as: personalize the background image, take care of your photo, and your professional headline.
Give visibility to your LinkedIn profile
It is useless to have an excellent profile on LinkedIn, if the persons that is interesting to you to visit do not know it. So be sure to give it visibility:
- Choose the keywords that define you and which you want to be found for when someone searches for a professional like you, and include them throughout your profile. Remember: SEO exists on LinkedIn!
- Customize the URL of your profile, and include it in the signature of your emails, other social networks where you’re present at posts you write on your business cards, etc.
- Visit the profiles of other professionals. In this way they will know that you have visited them (as long as you do not do it anonymously), and most likely they will be curious and will return the visit by accessing yours.
Be active on LinkedIn and post valuable content
To make yourself known on LinkedIn, it is not good for you to remain “mute” on this social network. On the contrary, you have to be active:
- Post valuable content that is useful and relevant to your target audience. This way you will attract attention to yourself, and it will help you to stand out as an expert in your specialty.
- Interact with other users’ posts: recommend them, share them and, above all, comment on them. A good comment that adds value is an excellent way to make yourself known (especially to the person who has published the content you are commenting on).
How to like on LinkedIn
Several of the actions that we have seen in the previous section to develop the KNOW, are also valid to promote LIKE.
The same thing happens in real life: when you make yourself known, it is important that you like from the first moment. In fact, the first impression is usually very important, in such ways that KNOW and LIKE sometimes go totally hand in hand.
This also happens on LinkedIn. For example, when someone first accesses your profile on this social network, they are getting to know you, yes. But from that moment he is also evaluating (consciously or unconsciously) if you “like” professionally speaking.
There are other specific actions you can take on LinkedIn to boost LIKE:
Build a valuable network of contacts and network with them
LinkedIn is the professional network: do not miss all the opportunities it offers you to create a network of contacts that responds to your professional objectives, and enhances your KLT factor.
But when building your network, don’t just “collect” contacts: connect with them:
- Interact with your posts.
- Congratulates on birthdays, promotions, professional anniversaries, etc.
- Send them messages to bring them valuable content. For example: information about an event you create may be of interest to them; feedback on articles or presentations they have made, etc.
Be helpful and generous on LinkedIn
- Post on topics relevant to your audience.
- Participate in debates that are generated in this social network.
- Help whenever you can (with information, advice or a suggestion; answering a question that someone has raised on LinkedIn, etc.).
- Support others’ posts by interacting with them.
All these actions allow you to demonstrate your professional worth and experience. But they also show that, in addition to being a good professional, you are a person with values, generous, proactive, and empathetic, who cares about others. Without a doubt, an excellent way to strengthen your KLT factor.
How to earn trust on LinkedIn
Gaining your trust on LinkedIn is a task that normally requires perseverance, time and dedication.
Here are some keys to get it on LinkedIn:
Be true to your word
For example, if you’ve announced that you’re going to post to LinkedIn every week, do so.
If you don’t keep your promises, however small, how do you think others will trust you on matters of greater importance?
Make your contributions on LinkedIn quality
Especially your publications; but also the messages or comments you make on this social network. In all cases, quality must be one of your distinctive features:
- Maintain a certain level; make your contributions relevant, useful and attractive to your target audience.
- Make your contributions quality in substance and form. For example: don’t make spelling or grammatical mistakes; take care that the multimedia you include (photos, infographics, videos) is at your height; try never to give a careless image that undermines your professionalism.
Include testimonials that support your worth
The LinkedIn recommendations is an excellent tool for other professionals to support your worth.
You can request them from those with whom you work or have worked. Those of clients, bosses or ex-bosses are the ones that have more weight.