LinkedIn is a powerful tool and can be a good place to connect with your next big client. You can best LinkedIn Strategies as an African freelancer when you know what to do on the platform and how to put yourself in the limelight. A strong LinkedIn profile will give you an edge and push you to big success in your freelance career. 

LinkedIn is a professional-oriented social networking website. Yeah, the platform means business! With over 1 billion members, its purpose is to assist registered members in establishing and saving professional networks of people they know and trust.

LinkedIn is also a site where professionals can search for employment opportunities, research companies, learn about industry news, build business contacts, and take online classes.

LinkedIn aggregates data from LinkedIn accounts to provide policymakers, businesses, employees, and teachers with data-driven evidence on trends to help match labour supply and demand around the world.

Some Useful Features On LinkedIn

LinkedIn, as a social platform, is a great place to find freelance work. It works pretty well like regular freelance job sites. It houses so many opportunities; they are endless. A LinkedIn freelancer has many features within their reach if they want to get the most out of LinkedIn. 

Here are some top features on LinkedIn to land your next job offer: 

• LinkedIn’s search feature: LinkedIn’s search feature can be a great way to find potential clients looking to hire freelancers with your background and skill level. They have a gap in the company, and then there’s a you to fill it. 

• LinkedIn’s groups: Joining your industry-relevant groups on LinkedIn is a great way to network with potential clients and other freelancers in your industry.

• LinkedIn’s Recommendations: These are testimonials from your past clients, and they serve as a great way to introduce potential clients to evidence that you’re an experienced and talented freelancer.

• LinkedIn’s profile views: LinkedIn’s profile views feature can assist you in getting a glimpse of how many individuals have viewed your profile. This information can help you discover what components of your profile are most interesting to prospective clients.

• LinkedIn InMail messages: LinkedIn’s InMail messages can be an outstanding way to contact prospective clients to whom you’re not connected.

Now that we’ve seen some of LinkedIn’s available features, let’s discuss other tips that can help African freelancers get the most out of it. But first, what makes LinkedIn different from other social media platforms? Remember, it is a well of opportunities; you’ve got to know how to draw from it. 

Difference Between LinkedIn and Other Social Media Platforms 

Knowing how to get the most out of LinkedIn means understanding that it is a platform built differently. Unlike many other social media platforms you may know of, like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Thread, TikTok, and Instagram, LinkedIn is strictly for business networking. You want the glamour and lifestyle content? There’s Instagram for that! But here on LinkedIn, we mean business! 

LinkedIn is a less open network. Users will typically connect with those they already know or have been introduced to by someone in their network. This, therefore, makes LinkedIn the ideal site for forming professional rather than personal relationships.

LinkedIn has almost the same features as any other social networking site, such as discussion forums, pictures, post updates (like Facebook’s what’s on your mind?), and groups. However, its social media platform targets enterprise users, and LinkedIn is the only social media platform that has been developed with business users in mind.

Best LinkedIn Strategies As An African Freelancer 

Many African freelancers have skills that clients all around the world want to hire freelancers for. There’s the opportunity, but how can you maximize it? Let’s get right into it! 

Optimization of Profile 

LinkedIn is a search engine. Recruiters and employers look on LinkedIn for search terms that are related to the skill set they are looking for. So, you must take up optimizing your LinkedIn profile to match those related searches. It makes it easy for them to find you. 

To create a LinkedIn profile, do the following: 

• You first need to sign up for free if you don’t have an account yet.
• Add a professional profile image and background image.
•  Fill out all details in your “About section, like work experience, education, and skills.
•  Craft a good LinkedIn summary. 
• Add work samples where relevant. Check out how to set up a LinkedIn profile. 

One properly written, complete profile that’s keyword optimized can get you found more frequently in searches when employers and business owners are looking to hire freelancers with your skills and experience. If you really can’t think of anything, it might be well worth it to hire professional LinkedIn optimization services. Just make sure to research who you’re buying the service from.

Build your network

The best place any freelancer wants to be is to have so many business opportunities knocking at their door that they can select and choose the exact projects they want to work on. But in the beginning, you’ll likely be going out to companies and informing them you’re in business. Referrals are a treasure trove in this case.

Referrals have long been the go-to means of securing higher-quality talent for businesses. Recruiters view referrals as their top source of hire, even freelance platforms like Fiverr and Upwork are big in reviews. 

In building your network, don’t focus only on brands and businesses. Network with other freelancers. They enjoy bringing their networks along when their clients need help. You never know when you’ll be needed.

Sell Yourself 

Selling yourself might seem uncomfortable, and understandably so. However, you’d be amazed at all the potential work opportunities that might need your expertise. You can’t get hired if you’re not visible. Someone in your network might need you today.

Let your network know on LinkedIn that you’re ready to work. You could post that you’re open to taking on specific types of projects. Put in a call-to-action for your network to refer you if they know of someone with a need for your services. Go get that job! 

Optimized Content 

One of your best LinkedIn strategies is to regularly have content on your page. It’s not just about sharing what’s on your mind on your LinkedIn post; remember, it is not Facebook or Instagram. You should do some extra work to get keywords that can make your content pop on a Google page. Create a content calendar, share your thoughts, and talk about your journey. That way, you might be making yourself a top voice in your skill industry. 

Final Words 

Even if you’re currently doing some freelancing work that’s keeping you happy, the long-term goal is to obtain more high-paying and more satisfying work. LinkedIn is a great tool for achieving this if you maintain an optimized presence on it so that the best opportunities always drift in your direction.

Just like you apply the best LinkedIn strategies when you find your feet there, as stated above, you can also enjoy the benefits of our freelance community by joining us today.