In today’s increasingly competitive professional world, it’s no longer an advantage to have a good personal brand on LinkedIn—it’s absolutely necessary. Think of your LinkedIn profile as both your digital business card and portfolio, as well as a place to network with other professionals. With millions of people on the platform already, LinkedIn is the perfect place to brand yourself, make connections, and land new opportunities. Creating a real, solid, and attractive personal brand on this particular channel takes a little bit of smart work and persistence, but the benefits to your career are well worth it.
Developing an Identity as a Professional
Your LinkedIn profile is your personal brand building block and every part of it should be telling the same story about who you are professionally. Begin with a professional headshot that shows approachability and competence. Your headline should be about more than just your job title; it should communicate the value you provide and ways in which you stand out in your space.
Key profile priorities:
- An impressive summary that presents your personality as well as your professional achievements
- Deep, detailed experience sections with quantifiable achievements
- Skills endorsements from colleagues and clients
- Regular updates that show your industry knowledge and engagement
Content Creation and Distribution Strategies
Personal branding on LinkedIn is more than just a complete profile. You have to continue producing and sharing great content that establishes you as a subject matter expert in your industry. That’s not to say you have to post every day, but your content needs to be intentional, timely and in your professional voice.
Discuss your relevant work experience, contribute thoughtful commentary on industry trends, and be a participant in others’ content. And, much like a slot machine online, your presence on LinkedIn must be worked regularly to build presence and prominence in your network.
Developing Productive Professional Relationships
Building your LinkedIn network is not about collecting connections the way you might collect baseball cards — but instead a great network is one that is built on meaningful professional relationships enabling both you and your connections to help one another. When you contact your new connections, don’t use the default invitation messages; instead, personalize them and let them know why you want to connect. Concentrate on quality, not quantity, and choose the we-connect kind of relationships based on professional needs and values.
Successful networking practices:
- Comment on others’ content before connecting
- Provide value first—sharing relevant opportunities, insights or introductions
- Follow up on conversations and relationships over time
- Participate in applicable LinkedIn groups and industry discussions
Using LinkedIn’s Professional Tools
LinkedIn provides a wealth of features that are intended to help you improve your professional profile. Leverage LinkedIn’s publishing tool to publish long-form content that showcases your expertise. Use LinkedIn Learning to fill up your skills’ arsenal and show off completed courses on your profile. The platform’s analytics can tell you which content is resonating the most with your audience.
You might use the advanced search function on LinkedIn to find a mentor or potential collaborator or job. Using the platform’s recommendation feature, you can find the right content and connections according to your activities and interests.
Wrapping Up
Creating a strong personal brand on LinkedIn is a long game, not a short one. It takes ongoing work, real engagement, and a solid sense of what you want to accomplish professionally. Concentrating on giving to your network, sharing heartfelt observations from your journey, and developing relations that go beyond the digital walls. Keep in mind that your personal brand should develop as your career progresses, so make it a point to regularly revisit and revise to make sure it’s in sync with your career goals while still representing the real you.