How to become “Open for Business” on LinkedIn.

At the end of October 2019, LinkedIn has launched a new feature, that will enable users to network more precisely.

Please mind that this feature is being launched gradually, so it may not be accessible for all the users. However, it will become soon.

How does it work?

Basically, it allows you to add specific information about the services you offer, while other users, who are looking for the services — would be able to access a specific search interface for that purpose.

Overall, it sounds like a great option to build B2B relations in a more efficient way. However, it leads to a privacy change you should know about.

Enabling this feature will also affect the visibility of your LinkedIn profile. That does not mean you will reach higher positions in searches, however. Some of the “private” settings of your profile will automatically be changed to “public”. For example — everyone will be able to see your profile photo, regardless of your visibility settings.

What are the benefits?

To feel the real difference, we would need to compare this feature with the usual LinkedIn search. Let’s say, you would need to find a LinkedIn Lead Generation Specialist who works within the Real Estate industry. We’ll breakdown the algorithms both for basic LinkedIn Search and the Open for Businesses search.

Basic LinkedIn Search

To find a LinkedIn Lead Generation Specialist in the Real Estate industry, you would need to:

1. Set up the Industry filter;
2. Set up the Title filter (you would need to be careful at this point, as Lead Generation can be done by Business Developers, Marketers, or Sales People, depending on the size of the company).
3. Set up the keywords filter to exclude Email Marketers, Content Marketers, and so on.
4. Use Boolean Search to add a “LinkedIn” keyword.

Sounds pretty complex, doesn’t it? Well, from a service provider’s perspective it is even more complex. If you are a LinkedIn LeadGen specialist — you would need to fill your profile with proper keywords so people can find you. That is why we always insist on Profile Optimization before we start our campaigns.

Moreover, there is no keyword research tool that will show you the keywords people use to find particular specialists on LinkedIn.

Open for Business Search

This feature provides you with a simplified search model. All you would need to do is to:

1. Choose the industry filter;
2. Use the “service providers” filter, where they will insert the type of service they are looking for.
3. Voila! You have found what you’ve been looking for!

Needless to say that it enables service providers to become much more discoverable than before, which is a great opportunity for freelancers and small businesses to find relevant clients.

How to enable the “Open for Business” feature?

Like was mentioned before in this article — this feature is being launched gradually and may not be accessed by everyone. However, it was introduced to Europe last week, which means it is growing quite rapidly.

If you are using a LinkedIn ProFinder feature — you need to consider that enabling Open for Business will overwrite categories you previously selected in ProFinder services.

So, here are 5 simple steps to enable this feature:

1. Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
2. Click View profile.
3. Click Add services from the Showcase services section in your introduction card.
4. Follow the prompts in the pop-up window that appears.
5. Click Add to profile.

You can then edit the enlisted services anytime you need by clicking the little pencil icon in the top right corner of the section.

Check the Open for Business Member checklist to make sure you leverage the maximum potential of your LinkedIn profile.

Conclusion

By launching features like that, LinkedIn shows special care about SMBs and freelancers, who have the urge to promote their services but cannot afford additional marketing expenses. This way, LinkedIn provides them with an opportunity to leverage their network in order to promote their services.

We will definitely test this feature with all our SMB clients and keep you updated!