You represent your business on LinkedIn, which is why building your own personal brand is extremely important. We have prepared 15 ways for you to strengthen your personal brand on LinkedIn.
It is easy to spend a lot of time and focus on activities related to your business. However, don’t forget to spend enough time building your personal brand on LinkedIn.
Don’t forget that you are a direct reflection of your brand on LinkedIn.
You represent your business, therefore building a personal brand is a must. One way to do this is by creating an excellent personal profile on LinkedIn.
Discover 15 ways to strengthen your personal brand on LinkedIn.
1. Optimize your profile for search
LinkedIn is as much a search engine as it is a social media platform, so the keywords you choose are of the utmost importance.
What keywords do you want to use when prospects or employers search LinkedIn?
Specify these keywords and use them in your headline, job title, summary, and job descriptions.
Choosing the right words determines whether your profile will be found or left invisible.
2. Approach LinkedIn as an active resume
Your LinkedIn profile isn’t something you can set and forget.
Update your profile every time you take a career step, speak at a conference, publish a new article, take a new course, etc.
3. Use the description to sell your brand on LinkedIn
Take the time to really sell yourself in your description.
Be specific: be sure to include facts and figures.
For example, you may find that you’ve increased your website traffic by X% – it will be much more convincing than simply calling yourself an SEO expert.
Highlight your most outstanding achievements that will be relevant to the clients and/or jobs you want to attract.
4. Think about your profile picture
Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing a profile photo:
It should cover the face and/or arms – do not use too close a close-up of the face or a zoomed-in view of the whole body.
• Your photo should be clean and non-pixelated.
• No hats, sunglasses, or other obstructing your view of accessories.
• Smile.
• Take care of great lighting.
• Don’t use a selfie (or at least something you can say is a selfie).
• There is no one else in your photo.
• Dress professionally.
All of this can be done without a professional photoshoot – all it takes is a little planning.
5. Get creative with a background photo
LinkedIn also allows you to add a cover photo to your profile. It’s a great way to stand out and add an extra element to your profile that can support your brand on LinkedIn
Consider placing your company logo or image related to your profession.
6. Customize the URL of your LinkedIn profile
Take the time to customize your LinkedIn profile URL. Ideally, you will be able to change that name of yours.
However, if the last name is already taken, consider adding a middle name or using an occupation.
Note that you can only change your URL once every 30 days, so make sure you 100% agree with the URL you intend to submit, as you will be stuck with it for at least a month!
7. Write articles on LinkedIn
Consider posting articles directly on LinkedIn.
You may wonder why you’re posting an article on LinkedIn and not your own blog.
The advantage of posting on LinkedIn is that when you click the publish button, all of your connections will be notified and appear in their feed. This will help you strengthen your brand on LinkedIn.
You can increase the chances of your LinkedIn audience reading it.
Of course, you can always publish an article excerpt on your blog or website and direct your LinkedIn audience to read the rest on your website.
8. Show your skills
Each LinkedIn profile can add up to 50 skills.
You should choose the right skills to fill all 50 slots, plus you should strategically think about what skills to include.
Fifty may seem like a lot, but as you start adding skills, you find that there really aren’t that many of them.
The 50 skills you choose should match the skills that potential employers or clients are looking for.
9. Make your profile public
You want your profile to be public, no matter what you’re using LinkedIn for.
Why would you alienate prospective employers, colleagues and clients from seeing your work?
The only reason you may choose to keep your profile private is if you want to check other people’s profiles without them knowing.
But in that case, you can just log out of your account and before viewing the profile, and they will never know.
10. Join groups
Don’t underestimate the power of participating in LinkedIn Groups.
Joining groups is a fantastic way to find other professionals whose interests align with yours. Thanks to contacts with them, you will strengthen your brand on LinkedIn.
Find groups that are relevant to your industry and not only join them but take an active part.
Comment, start threads, ask questions, give advice – try to be a useful, active member of several key groups.
11. Accept all connection requests
There is no reason not to accept a connection request, whether you know the person or not.
Given that your profile is a professional, publicly visible component of your personal brand, you should welcome any connection requests.
Developing your contacts will only lead to a wider network and more opportunities. Additionally, you will appear more on the main channel of your contacts.
Each time you accept the request, you will now be part of the network of that connection and therefore appear as a second-tier connection in their network.
12. Get involved with the content on LinkedIn
LinkedIn should not just be a platform where you only publish your own posts.
Set aside time to browse your LinkedIn feed and find opportunities to share, like, and comment on other content.
This is the key to building relationships with your network of contacts.
For example, if there is someone you want to work with in the future or a client you want to land with, try to get interested in their content on LinkedIn.
That way, if you are ever able to engage with them or make an offer to them, they have a past with you – you will not just be another connection, but someone you actually interacted with.
13. Personalize your connection invitations
Taking the time to write a personal note along with the call request will increase your chances of acceptance as well as open the door to further communication.
Write a short message and mention how you met, why you want to connect, or something you admire about their business.
14. Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations
Don’t just wait for recommendations – be proactive and follow them!
Reach out to your contacts asking for a recommendation!
Be sure to include a personal note, politely asking for a recommendation on LinkedIn.
It also helps to share why you need a referral (i.e. you want to improve your online reputation, apply for a new job, look for good customer testimonials, etc.).
Once they give you a recommendation, always take the time to thank them and write a proposal for them in return.
15. Create positive, educational and valuable content
LinkedIn is your professional business card – do not comment/share / publish anything you would not tell the client or the employer.
Keep your posts and comments positive, thoughtful and encouraging, and always treat LinkedIn as a professional workspace, not a personal social media profile.
Building a valuable personal brand on LinkedIn is a positive step for growing your business. Get the most out of LinkedIn.
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