If you're an animator, networking is a key part of your career. In addition to meeting people in person at industry events, it's important to use online platforms like LinkedIn to reach out to potential clients and collaborators. This article will provide tips on how best to optimize your profile on LinkedIn and connect with others in the animation community.
How to Get Clients on LinkedIn: Professional Profile
Read our blog on Tips for Building an Impressive Animation Profile!
Creating a well-formatted LinkedIn profile is important. It's the first thing potential clients will see when they look at your page, so it needs to be attractive and professional.
So if you’re probably wondering, how to get clients on LinkedIn with your profile? Use an editor (like Grammarly) to make sure that all of your information is formatted properly. The editor will help you avoid typos or mistakes in formatting, which can make all the difference in how people perceive your credibility as an animator!
Make sure that all of your text is easy to read by using bolding and italics where appropriate (e.g., "I am currently working on..."). This makes it easier for recruiters and hiring managers who may be scanning through hundreds or thousands of profiles every day!
You should also keep paragraphs short - no more than three sentences per paragraph is best practice here because longer ones tend not only to take up too much space but also slow down readers who might think they're boring them unnecessarily.
How to Get Clients on LinkedIn: About You Summary
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The summary is your chance to sell yourself, so make sure you use it to explain why you are a good fit for the job. You should include keywords that are relevant to your industry and show what you have done.
You should also be clear and concise in this section, as well as honest and not exaggerate (unless required).
The conclusion is your chance to leave a lasting impression. Make sure you reiterate how well your skills and experience align with the job requirements and make a final call to action.
How to Get Clients on LinkedIn: Your Animation Skills
Read our blog on 8 Essential Animator Skills You Need to Learn!
Now that you've created the ‘about you’ introduction, it's time to add some information about your animation skills.
Include a description of your animation skills in the "Skills" section. Include links to any portfolios or websites where people can see examples of your work, as well as links to other social media accounts where they can follow (or hire) you.
How to Get Clients on LinkedIn: Images and Videos
Don't underestimate the importance of images and videos on your LinkedIn profile. Images can show off your work, while videos can help you convey your personality and skills in ways that written text alone cannot.
One of the best ways on how to get clients on LinkedIn is to use images to showcase your best work. If you have a portfolio site or blog where you post animations and illustrations, add those images as part of your LinkedIn profile. This will give potential clients an idea of what kind of work you do without them having to hunt down links elsewhere on the internet - and it also makes for great eye candy!
Use video clips as well as still images: You don't necessarily have to have professional-looking footage shot specifically for this purpose; using clips from existing projects can be effective too (as long as they're clear enough). If nothing else, try making some simple animated GIFs using tools like Gifmaker or LICEcap (both free).
How to Get Clients on LinkedIn: Credibility
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You can also use recommendations and endorsements to show your credibility. Recommendations are a way of having others give their opinions about your work, while endorsements are more focused on the personal side of things - they're a reflection of who you are as an individual.
Recommendations provide insight into how others perceive you, so they can be great for building trust with potential clients. If someone known and respected in the industry has written that they'd hire you again in a heartbeat, that's going to carry weight with potential clients who may not know much about animators or animation studios yet but want to see what kind of work is being done out there before making their decision.
Endorsements are similar but differ from recommendations because they reflect how much confidence someone has in himself or herself - not necessarily another person's opinion.
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How to Get Clients on LinkedIn: Build Relationships
The best way to get clients is by building relationships with people who are already working in the industry. If you can build a rapport with someone and show them that you're a good fit for their project, then they may hire you when they need another animator.
How to get clients on LinkedIn is to start by finding people who are already working in the industry and reaching out to them on LinkedIn Messenger (if they have their profile set up).
Send them an introductory message asking about their work and what they like most about being an animator. If possible, ask if there's any way that you could help them out with any projects or tasks before hiring an outside agency/freelancer - this will show your commitment while also giving both parties valuable insight into each other's skill sets!
If all goes well during these initial conversations and everyone agrees that there is a mutual interest, then offer yourself as an option for future projects that come up, and don't forget about referrals!
How to Get Clients on LinkedIn: Testimonials
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Another important step to getting clients on LinkedIn is to add testimonials from past clients.
This is a great way to highlight your skills and experience, as well as show that you have been successful in the past. You don't want to use testimonials in place of a profile, but adding them can help you stand out among other animators who don't have any testimonials listed on their page.
How to Get Clients on LinkedIn: Join Groups
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Joining groups on LinkedIn is a great way to network with people in your industry. You can join groups that are relevant to your location and interest, or even skills and goals if you're looking for an internship or job.
In addition, joining groups will help give you more visibility than just having a profile on LinkedIn. If anyone searches for animators in the area where you live and sees that there are over 1000 members in the Animation Networking Group with only 100+ members being from that area (and therefore likely being local), they might consider contacting one of these individuals instead of someone who lives farther away!
How to Get Clients on LinkedIn: Interact
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Use the messaging feature to up your chances of getting clients on LinkedIn. If someone sends you a message on LinkedIn, respond to it as soon as possible! You never know when that person might be looking for work or an artist referral.
Join groups related to your industry and participate in discussions there whenever possible - but only if they're relevant to what you do (and don't spam).
Check out the events calendar and attend any relevant ones that match up with your skillset or interests (but again, don't spam).
Subscribe to any notifications from companies where animators may have posted jobs or internships (again: don't spam).
How to Get Clients on LinkedIn in Many Ways
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You can get clients through LinkedIn in many ways, but make sure that you always include high-quality content when you post updates on your profile!
Include links to your portfolio. This is the best way for potential employers and clients to see what kind of work you've done before. Also, don't forget about hashtags! They'll help increase visibility and engagement with others who might be interested in your skillset as well.
If someone else has a similar project or skill set, reach out and ask them questions about their process! The more connections made between animators from around the world, the better chance we have at improving our craft together through sharing ideas/advice/inspiration (and some good laughs too).
For more information about how to get clients on LinkedIn, as well as answers to any other questions you might have, be sure to follow our blogs, check out our free masterclass, and our Animation Business Accelerator Program, download a copy of our free marketing handbook, and check out our blog on “How to Start an Animation Studio”!
