How to Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn
With over 774 million members worldwide, across 200 countries, LinkedIn is THE social media platform for the business world, and your personal brand is what connects your audience’s buyer mindset with your businesses products and services.
So, how can we use one to support the other?
In this blog, I share some insight into how LinkedIn can help you build your personal brand, establishing a trustworthy, reputable, and reliable name for yourself in relation to your business and industry.
Why your personal brand is so important
For my clients, personal branding is a huge part of building a connection to the customer and establishing a reliable bond through which the customer can see the brand or business as someone they should buy from.
When you put time into your personal brand you feed into the basic ideology that people buy from people, and you give your customers confidence that you are knowledgeable and that you belong in the industry.
Personal branding is, in short, a way to define your professional identity in a personable and person-focussed way - giving a face to your business and letting your customer know that you are a trustworthy individual who has built a business, rather than just a name behind a brand logo.
How to use LinkedIn to build your personal brand
LinkedIn is the go-to for the business world, and as such is the immediate platform to use when it comes to networking and establishing a professional identity.
But that’s not all.
Yes, LinkedIn is great for linking and building a business profile, but it can also do wonders for your personal brand and allow you to generate a large following of both customers and networking connections who will create tangible links between you and the industry you operate in.
Here are some of the ways in which you can use LinkedIn to build your personal brand:
1. Take full advantage of LinkedIn profile tools!
Use the profile tools that LinkedIn gives you and become a reputable name not only in your business but in the industry.
LinkedIn gives users plenty of freedom in terms of adding a profile image, linking their own job title, creating and sharing content, and commenting on the posts of others - so use all this to your advantage.
One of my biggest tips is to steer clear of using your headline to state simply your job titles - personalise it and let those who find your profile know what your expertise is in and how you can help them.
2. Make the right connections!
Did you know that LinkedIn users who aren’t connected with you will be able to see which connections you have in common as soon as they land on your profile?
If a big name in your industry sees that you are connected with several reputable names and connections, they will automatically associate you with that high level ranking in the industry - and will instantly see you as an asset.
Keep good company, connect with the right people, and use connections to build even more connections.
3. Keep showing up!
LinkedIn isn't a static website, nor is it just for groups and connections, it’s also a place to share industry related news, business announcements, and thought or opinion pieces.
Use it as a platform to share value which establishes your credibility both in your business and in your industry.
Tell your brand story - post about you and your life experiences - WHY you do WHAT you do - what challenges you have faced and how you overcame them.
Talk about how you add value and make a difference to the businesses you work with. What challenges they have faced and how you have helped them to overcome them.
4. Engage, nurture and grow!
The golden rule here is don't push your offers or services at them (this includes requesting their email address via messaging) - make them WANT to connect and speak to you.
Just like most social networks - you don't sell - you educate, engage and grow relationships.
Comment on related posts from other industry professionals - the more you engage the more personable you will become and the more trustworthy your personal brand will be.
5. Educate yourself!
Top Tips from Marketing Skills Academy
To finish, here are three tips for establishing and showcasing your personal brand on LinkedIn:
Think outside the box
It’s not just about the industry you operate it, but also what those who buy from and connect with you care about.
If you operate in a sector but know your audience care a lot about the environment and climate change, use your personal brand to show that you can about sustainability too.
When customers and connections can see that you care about what they care about, they will be more likely to buy from and connect with you.
Be vocal on all platforms and speak directly to your audience
Make them feel like you are helping them, rather than just selling a product, service, or brand.
Embrace the connectivity of LinkedIn
There is no better place to get advice and feel like part of a community!
I hope you have found this article useful. If you wish to receive more marketing goodness like this, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter – subscribe here
If you're not sure where to start with your marketing and business development plan - Download my free guide here: ‘How to create your Marketing Masterplan Blueprint’
If you need ‘a fresh pair of eyes and ears’ to have a closer look at how you market and grow your business, let’s talk / meet for an informal chat – message me or email: [email protected]
Photo 1 https://pixabay.com/