LinkedIn for Government Contractors
May 26, 2025
“It’s not what you know, it’s WHO you know!”
LinkedIn is the most powerful social selling tool for increasing your government contracting network. If you want to maximize your LinkedIn presence, you need to understand how it works and where to engage.
The 250 million American LinkedIn users include small business government contractors, government buyers, prime contractors, and experts in the GovCon space.
The largest LinkedIn influencer in government contracting is Neil McDonnell, president of the GovCon Chamber and co-founder of GovCon in a Box. With 40,000 personal followers, more than 600 LinkedIn live federal sales trainings, LinkedIn for GovCon newsletter with 25,000 subscribers, Neil is a foremost federal sales trainer.
Visibility is essential to success on LinkedIn but it takes time and strategy.
In this post, we’ll focus on the LinkedIn foundations required to become fully visible so that federal buyers can actually see you.
In upcoming posts, we’ll dive into specific strategies to grow your network and be seen as a thought leader and authority in your industry niche.
How Government Contractors Benefit from LinkedIn
This 2025 Guide will walk you through the key steps—whether you’re new to LinkedIn or already have some experience.
LinkedIn is like a global town square where people come to trade, sell, buy, and find new opportunities. It’s a vital part of your digital marketing strategy and offers 3 key opportunities:
- Strategic Positioning: LinkedIn lets you frame your message to market and brand both yourself and your company.
- Networking: LinkedIn helps you find your tribe. Whether you're seeking peers, employees, experts, or federal buyers, you can build a diverse and strategic network that continues to grow.
- Authority Building: LinkedIn allows you to demonstrate your subject matter expertise to a wide audience using content, video, events, polls, and document sharing.
According to LinkedIn expert Richard van der Blom's 2025 State of LinkedIn™, the typical user–
- spends only 90 seconds scanning 18 posts
- only 4.2 seconds per post
- 72% use LinkedIn on their phones
- average mobile session: 1.27 minutes
- average desktop session: 2.42 minutes
This means your profile must be clean and scannable so visitors can immediately find the key information they need
LinkedIn’s algorithm now prioritizes quality content that people save or engage with.
Posts that keep users on the platform longer are favored.
How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile for Government Contracting
Your LinkedIn profile must clearly communicate: who you are, what you do, and why it matters. It is one of your six key marketing assets and should align with your overall brand strategy.
Basic Profile Elements
Profile Photo
Your photo should be clean, recent, and professional. Don’t be afraid to smile. You want to appear approachable.
Profile Banner
Your banner sets the tone. It should be clean, on-brand, and consistent with your other marketing assets. Tools like Canva or Bannersnack can help you design one easily.
Profile Headline
Your headline is not your job title. Instead, use keywords to show: “I do [THIS] to help [TARGET CLIENTS] [ACHIEVE THIS OUTCOME]”
- Pro Tip: Only the first 43 characters of your headline show when commenting in live events—make them count.
About Section (2,000 character limit)
The About section is your introduction to your network. Most readers will skim the first few lines—be strategic.
Clearly state your expertise and the value you offer prospective clients.
Use the same keywords from your headline and capability statement. These are the topics you’ll write about in future posts.
Make it easy to skim by using 1–2 line paragraphs, bulleted lists, and subheadings.
Customized Profile URL
Customize your LinkedIn URL for a more professional look. Go to Settings > Public Profile & URL and remove the default numbers. Use just your name—not your company or a marketing slogan.
Visibility Settings
Make sure your profile is set to Public so people can find you. If your settings are too strict, it is like putting your phone on silent. It might be unintentional, but it is easy to fix.
- Problem 1: No One Is Tagging You
Dynamic conversations happen in comments and during live events. When someone tags you, their network often sees the post too—not just yours. This puts your name and expertise in front of new audiences.
Caution: Don’t tag people just to hijack their network. This can get you blocked or reported. - Problem 2: No One Is Messaging You
If people need your email address before they can reach you, you’re limiting your visibility.
And if only your direct connections can message you, how can new contacts reach out with sales or networking opportunities?
I often share documents and connect like-minded professionals through DMs. Keep that door open. - Problem 3: No One Is Inviting You to Events
If you don’t allow DMs and tagging, it’s hard for others to include you in valuable events. Events are great for networking and collaboration. If you’re not getting invited, you’re missing out.
Skills and endorsements
You can showcase special competencies and expertise and industry-specific knowledge in various sections. If you have specialized knowledge or expertise in a particular industry or niche, be sure to highlight it.
How to Remove Your Cloak of Invisibility
- Go to: Settings > Visibility Set your Profile Photo to Public
- Choose Full Last Name Visibility
- Enable Mentions and Tags
- This will make your LinkedIn profile discoverable in google, bing and other search engines
You need to be everywhere the government is looking to ensure buyers can find and evaluate your company.