Probably the most asked question of 2024, irrespective of industry and genre: “How to build a personal brand on LinkedIn?”
It doesn’t matter if you want to get a job, grow your corporate career, build your own business, or network with industry leaders, LinkedIn is the go-to platform. It has 310M active users that create content or engage in one or other way.
And how do you do all this? By building a personal brand on LinkedIn. The original LinkedIn way was to build a profile and connect with your industry professionals. But the creator economy has shaped a new LinkedIn-way.
In the last article, I talked about how to become a social media ghostwriter. I do it for a living and have built 20+ personal brands on LinkedIn. So, in this article, I’m going to help you build your brand on LinkedIn.
Or at least show you the way.
Why LinkedIn?
I mean, why not LinkedIn? First of all, personal branding on LinkedIn is the easiest of all. It is hard to grow on platforms like YouTube and X. When you compare, LinkedIn is a cakewalk.
As we’ve already established, LinkedIn is the best platform for making professional connections. Unlike other social media sites, LinkedIn is all about work and careers.
It’s where professionals, job recruiters, and industry biggies hang out, making it perfect for growing your professional and personal brand and finding new opportunities.
Your LinkedIn profile acts like your online resume, showcasing your skills and experience. This makes it easy for employers, clients, and peers to see what you’re all about and trust what you say.
My LinkedIn personal branding has gotten me 10+ inbound clients till date. More than any other source. So, the question isn’t ‘Why LinkedIn’, the question is – ‘Why not LinkedIn?’
Why do Personal Branding?
Building a personal brand isn’t fancy anymore, it has become a necessity. Here’s why:
1. Gets you back in competition
Firstly, having a strong personal brand doesn’t set you apart from the competition, it brings you back in it. Everyone is building a brand these days, you can’t afford to miss out.
In this crowded and full of layoffs job market, employers and clients are looking for individuals who stand out and offer something unique.
And that is decided by your LinkedIn personal brand. It is supposed to showcase your skills, expertise, and personality, making you memorable and desirable to potential employers or clients.
2. Gets you Credibility and Trust
Secondly, a solid personal brand builds credibility and trust. When you consistently deliver valuable content, engage with your audience, and demonstrate your expertise, you establish yourself as a trusted authority in your field.
This credibility opens doors to new opportunities, such as job offers, partnerships, speaking engagements, or collaborations. I once posted a case-study of how I got my client great results.
That post only has a thousand impressions, yet it get me 2 inbound prospects. Here’s a rule for personal branding on LinkedIn: Be vocal.
3. Gets you Visibility and Reach
Thirdly, a strong personal brand increases your visibility and reach. By sharing your insights, experiences, and achievements on LinkedIn, you can attract a larger audience that includes your ICP (ideal customer persona).
This visibility not only enhances your career prospects but also allows you to connect with like-minded professionals, mentors, and influencers who can support your growth and development.
A good professional network never hurt someone.
4. Gets you more Control
Finally, building a personal brand on LinkedIn gives you more control over your career trajectory. Tell you how:
Instead of relying solely on traditional methods like resumes, college placements, and job applications, your personal brand acts as a 24×7 portfolio that is accessible to everyone across the globe.
Now, the more you create content, engage with people, and optimize your profile, the more control you gain over your career. This can lead to exciting opportunities, such as freelance projects, consulting gigs, or even starting your own business.
7- Steps to Build a Personal Brand on LinkedIn
Let’s now get the main agenda of how to build a personal brand on LinkedIn. Here’s how to do it:
1. Profile Optimization:
Your LinkedIn profile is the first impression you make on potential followers, connections, and clients. And this is the most important step of personal branding on LinkedIn.
So before putting out any content, shooting DMs, or selling anything, what do you need? Right! An optimized profile that establishes you as an authority.
1.1 Create a Compelling Headline
- Use a headline that expresses your expertise.
- Mention your industry or niche to attract the right connections.
- Highlight your unique value proposition.
Example:
I’m a personal branding strategist that helps founders build a brand. This is how I optimized my profile headline:
1.2 Write a good About You section
- Use the About and Featured sections to tell everything about yourself.
- About: Must showcase what you’ve done, what you do, and what you excel at.
- Featured: Must showcase your expertise or positioning just like ‘Twitter Pinned Tweet’
- Mention your achievements and what you can offer.
Example: my LinkedIn about and featured sections
1.3 Showcase Skills and Endorsements
- List key skills and ask connections to endorse them.
- Ensure skills are related to your personal brand.
- Return endorsements to maintain positive connections. (not really the best practice but, hey, everyone’s doing it!)
1.4 Request Recommendations
- Seek recommendations from colleagues, mentors, or clients.
- Personalize your requests to make it easy for the recommender.
- Use recommendations to build credibility.
Your LinkedIn profile is your business card, make sure it’s polished and professional. And oh, use your industry keywords to help LinkedIn pop your profile up at desired places.
For example – I’m in personal branding and writing space. You’ll find the keywords brand, personal brand, and writing all over my profile.
2. Share Unique and Useful Content:
Content is king on LinkedIn, so share posts that showcase your expertise and provide value to your audience. Whether it’s industry insights, tips and tricks, or personal anecdotes, aim to share content that sets you apart and resonates with your target audience.
I generally help my clients with 3-content pillars:
- Personal stories: These are mostly opinionated posts and stories that reflect your personality. A personal brand isn’t a personal brand if there’s nothing personal.
- Authoritative posts: These are educational, researched, industry-related posts that establish you as an authority in your space.
- Case-studies, Results: These talk about your workflows, achievements, results, etc. to bring in interested people. You could talk about the projects you built, results you produced while serving an employer or client, etc.
3. Use Multiple Content Types:
Don’t limit yourself to just text posts. Mix things up with visuals like photos, infographics, carousels, and videos along with textual posts.
The idea is to see what works for you. The LinkedIn algorithm is same but it acts different for all. What’s working for me may not work for you. You need to test things out.
Try posting 4-5 days a week and experiment with different content types for 2-3 weeks. Then double down on what’s working for you.
4. Interact and Engage:
Now, you don’t want to sound all robotic with 5 posts a week and no real-time engagement with real people.
Building a personal brand isn’t just about dropping your content and going AFK. You also need to engage with your audience and build meaningful relationships. Take the time to respond to comments, answer questions, and show appreciation for others’ content.
Find people who could be your customers or employers, build relationship with them. Engage, connect, talk. Remember to be authentic and genuine in your interactions.
The idea is to connect with as many relevant people as possible and infusing an idea in their minds. I follow this notion.
I interact with people with a single in mind, i.e., whenever they think about digital writing or LinkedIn branding, they should think about Sushrut. Network with this idea and it’ll work wonders.
Tried and tested!
5. Join and Participate in Relevant Groups:
LinkedIn groups are a great way to connect with like-minded professionals, share insights, and stay updated on industry trends.
Join groups related to your field or interests and actively participate in discussions to establish yourself as a thought leader and expand your network.
You could also try LinkedIn Events. Search for events in your field or industry. Look through the ones that interest you, and click on ‘Attend’. The moment you agree to attend the event, a tab of ‘Networking’ pops up.
Go through the networking tab, find people who you want to connect with, and drop them a DM.
6. Seek Endorsements and Recommendations:
What’s better than an optimized LinkedIn profile? An optimized LinkedIn profile with endorsements and recommendations.
Social proof is powerful on LinkedIn, so don’t hesitate to ask colleagues, clients, or mentors for endorsements and recommendations.
The more endorsements you get for your skills, the better. The more recommendations you get for your work, the better.
These act as your social, validated proof and can boost your credibility and reinforce your expertise in the eyes of potential customers.
7. Accept only Relevant Connection Requests:
Your answer on how to build a personal brand on LinkedIn ends with the six-steps above. Treat this one like a bonus:
You must’ve seen a lot of LinkedIn profiles with thousands of followers but no content and poor optimization. Do you know how they get those followers? They send out random connection requests.
Those thousands of followers are nothing but numbers. You have to refrain from that. Be strategic about who you connect with on LinkedIn.
Send and accept connection requests from people who align with your professional goals and interests. Don’t be afraid to decline requests from individuals who don’t fit your criteria.
FAQs
- Is LinkedIn good for personal branding?
Yes, LinkedIn is an excellent platform for personal branding due to its professional focus and extensive networking opportunities. - How do I 10x my personal brand on LinkedIn?
Consistently provide valuable content, engage with your audience authentically, and leverage LinkedIn features effectively to amplify your personal brand presence. - How do I brand my LinkedIn profile?
Brand your profile by creating a compelling headline, crafting a captivating About section, showcasing relevant skills and endorsements, and seeking recommendations from colleagues and clients. - What is personal branding on LinkedIn?
Personal branding on LinkedIn involves strategically presenting yourself, your skills, expertise, and personality to establish credibility, trust, and visibility within your professional network.
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