This Northern Beaches Council on LinkedIn Case Study is just for you.
The surrounds and the people are extraordinary so we were chuffed to be working with the Northern Beaches Council (formerly Pittwater Council).
Sydney’s Northern Beaches: 1 hour from Sydney airport is a stunning location.
Amongst green juices and beach walks, we designed a Program to engage leaders to refine their LinkedIn profiles to STANDOUT. This has benefits for each individual, the Northern Beaches Council and their stakeholders.
We were on site at Northern Beaches Council for 3 days and refined the profiles of 66 people. This included:
- 45 minute, one-on-one coaching sessions with 16 senior leaders where we co-edited their Linkedin Summary, tagline and other details on the spot,
- Reviewed Linkedin profiles of 4 senior leaders who couldn’t make it to face to face sessions and emailed tips so they could update their profiles at a convenient time,
- Two, 2 hour group sessions, each with 23 people, updating their profiles via strong (yay!) WIFI,
- Provided an online workbook for further Linkedin updates, and
- Reviewed the Council’s Linkedin page and content and provided suggestions.
Participants gain significantly increased numbers of ‘people who viewed my profile’, look highly credible to people who are viewing their profile and attract relevant customers / leads / opportunities.
Focusing and updating your Linkedin profile is quick, effective and pretty simple to do. Here is insight on the sort of increased numbers you can receive (600% increase).
Our intention for this program is for everyone in the organisation to look progressive, wise, professional and brand-aligned when their targeted Linkedin readers see their Linkedin profiles.
We’d love more organisations to do a quick Linkedin audit to improve how they look online and make the relevant tweaks.
It can take as little as 30 minutes to look highly professional on Linkedin.
Our Linkedin executive and senior leadership coaching approach
Often senior leaders social media coaching questions can be wide-ranging from strategic business through to simple tech questions and onto philosophy, such as:
- why should I share online?
- who will see it?
- who should I accept when I receive a Linkedin invitation to connect?
- who should I follow?
- which photo of me looks the best?
- how can I grow my audience and influence?
They’re all great questions and it’s wonderful to address questions for leaders and help clear the way for their easeful online style and promotion.
The Northern Beaches Council leaders were humble, wise and their experiences and work history was fascinating. Quite possibly the magnificence of the local area attracts such professionals.
Every person we coached was keen for the suggested, quick updates and interested to see how their profile could be enhanced. A joy to work with!
Part of the reason we do one-on-one sessions for executives and senior leaders is because it’s tailored and quick learning. Just as important is the on-the-spot editing so that leaders feel a sense of pride, accomplishment and relief (!!) within 45 minutes.
For senior leaders, their profile is viewed by a lot of people – stakeholders of all kinds – press, influencers, customers, local community, staff, potential staff and more.
Having their profile standout and look progressive, professional and industry-leading can have massive and surprisingly great ripple effects.
Let’s check in again to the local area! This is the Boathouse Cafe at Palm Beach.
Please add this on your ‘must-visit’ list.
Our Linkedin group training approach and learnings
The 2 hour sessions we lead are designed to be fun, action-orientated, and empowering. People leave with a very-much-improved Linkedin profile and continue to review and improve their profile in months to come.
We cover:
- Getting to know your Linkedin readers – who are you writing your Linkedin profiles for? what will have them keep reading from the first moment and beyond? how do you want your readers to feel and react? What action do you want them to take after reading your profile? What jargon / words will they be searching for and want to see in your profile?
- Your intentions and objectives for doing Linkedin?
- Your picture, background picture tagline, and Summary are the first things people see … so make them count!
- Updating essential sections of your Linkedin profile: role titles, descriptions, skills & endorsements, education, honors & awards, influencers, companies and news, recommendations, groups, connection requests (& personal rules), email and privacy settings, and bonus aspects such as banner / background images and new technology to enhance your Linkedin experience.
- Increasing searchability to be found by your target Linkedin readers
- 20+ examples of successful profiles
- Liking your organisation’s posts and encouraging Linkedin sharing throughout the organisation and in other media such as newsletters
- Learning to combine work and personal aspects to your own level of comfort – e.g. what’s the equivalent of meeting someone at a BBQ who’s interested in what you do vs someone on Linkedin – what are you comfortable to share?
And here’s Avalon beach.
There’s a cafe with a dynamic vibe just behind me.
New learning styles
Our training is designed with the understanding that professionals are mature enough to direct their learning. We encourage questions and doing throughout our classes.
We answer questions as they come up as they questions are useful to others. Sometimes we offer to answer later if the topic is covered as part of a later topic.
Towards the end of our training, the room becomes deliberately chaotic for great reason.
Having taken people through the important parts of their profile, they’re then updating their profile, starting to explore new sections, calling out for help on specific questions, and wondering how to best represent themselves. As a facilitator, having 3 helpers who had knowledge of Linkedin was extremely productive as we could address everyone’s questions.
This training encourages an individual’s creative process – especially as after the 2 hours, each individual will be updating and directing their Linkedin profile – so we want them to start doing so in the session.
At the end of the course people feel empowered to follow their own map and to continue learning.
Impressive senior leaders’ Linkedin profiles
Ben Taylor, Melinda Hewitt and Matt Hansen‘s profiles are fabulous – they reflect their individual talents and their Summaries are both contemporary and engaging.
Mel’s inclusion of media within her Summary (links to the organisation’s website) are colourful, insightful and brand-strengthening.
Ben’s Summary is impressive and great for his target readers and he’s covered pretty much everything with his profile – including his Linkedin unique URL being “bentails“.
Matt was one of many people that WOWed and delighted me. From working in London at Kensington Gardens to Taronga Zoo in Sydney and beyond, his experience is impressive and his down-to-earth, humble style was wonderful to be around.
More runways were prepared… and great lift-off achieved for 65 online pilots, who are now flying high on LinkedIn!
It’s a treat to see the strong profiles of Northern Beaches Council on Linkedin.
This Program took 3 days and it resulted in amazing outcomes in such a short time.
Plus… we got to enjoy the beach! (Everyone’s winning which is how we all like it.)
We want people we’ve worked with to show their professional, individual selves on Linkedin.
The bonus from this is that when someone meets them face to face after seeing their Linkedin profile they won’t be distracted by seeing someone who looks different online and can start a conversation with something they’ve seen on the profile that’s of interest. Conversation openers or leading subjects on your Linkedin profile are GREAT!
A huge thankyou.
Big thanks to Julie Steele for being an exceptional client, to rockstar organiser Kim Reading for effortlessly bringing everyone together, and wonderful Christy Bishop for her support. You are true delights!
If some of this sounds like it could work for your organisation, get in touch to explore your organisation’s needs. We’d love to see your people and organisation fly high.
