Jeff Bezos once said, “Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.” And, love him or hate him, he’s not wrong. Any brand, business or personal, is a reflection of your reputation. If you’re a small business owner, your personal reputation, as well as your business reputation, can affect how successful you are. It’s not a good idea to cultivate one and ignore the other.
You might be thinking, thinking, “I live and breathe my business. It IS me. Why do I need a separate personal brand?” Great question! Let me quote myself from a recent blog post on personal brand. “(Y)our personal brand is a way for clients, leads, employers, colleagues, and others to know who you are. It provides a level of understanding for those who need to know, online and off…Remember that you are the “face” of your business.”
The Face of Your Business
As the face of your business, it’s important to cultivate your personal brand as an accurate and compelling reflection of both you and your company. If there’s a disconnect, potential customers may become confused or irritated and move on. For example, don’t link your accounting agency website to your Instagram page if it’s full of photos of you chugging beers and dancing on bars. That’s not the way to build trust and confidence in your business abilities.
That’s not to say you need to suspend all of your personal social media accounts. There are certain channels where a business persona on social media is warranted. LinkedIn is on the top of that list. It’s become the go-to business networking, sales, and employment source for most business sectors. Today, there are almost 800 million members and 57 million companies using LinkedIn. It’s estimated that every connection you make on LinkedIn can introduce you to an average of 400 new people and 100 new companies. In other words, both you and your business need to be on LinkedIn.
Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
First and foremost, do you have a personal LinkedIn profile? If not, DO IT NOW! Keep both your personal brand and your business brand on LinkedIn in mind as you build your profile. Your goal is to link your personal brand profile to your business profile seamlessly in terms of messaging and tone. Keep in mind your target audience and the solutions your business provides to address their pain points. Work those messages into your profile when it makes sense.
Headline Tips
This is probably the most visible part of your profile, and you’ve only got 220 characters to work with. Create a headline that’s catchy and memorable. Use your value proposition as a jumping-off point. Include strategic keywords that grab attention and optimize for SEO. Use hashtags if appropriate. Be authentic. Don’t write something that is not readable in 10 seconds. Here’s mine.
Tell Your Story
Use the About section to tell your story. You have 2,000 characters to work with. This is where you can start forging connections by sharing your mission and vision. Think of this section as your elevator pitch. First, use a hook to attract interest. It could be your favorite quote or a quick anecdote. Then, tell your story. Highlight what you do by telling readers how you’ve succeeded. Keep in mind who your target is as you write. You want readers to understand how you can provide them value. Stay professional but use first-person narrative to illustrate your brand personality and tone. It’s ok to add some personal information so you appear well-rounded. End your story with an appropriate call to action. Check out my About section for some inspiration.
Experience
Most LinkedIn users copy and paste their resumes into the Experience section. I would suggest you continue the story you started in the About section. Write a narrative for each job that highlights your experience and accomplishments. Describe the mission of the organization and your part in furthering it. If you are a small business owner, this is the place to build awareness, not only for your personal brand but also for your business. Make sure to describe how you can provide solutions to your target audience’s problems. That last part is critical. Yes, your experience is about you, but it’s also what you can provide for others. Link to your business LinkedIn page or website.
Here’s a great example from my colleague Leah Roe, founder of The Perk.
Connect Well
Once you’ve got your profile set up, the real work begins. Success on LinkedIn only happens when you create and cultivate relationships. Building your network also builds your LinkedIn personal brand. This means connecting with people you know and people you don’t know. Start by connecting with friends, business partners, colleagues, college classmates, industry leaders, fellow members of industry associations, vendors, and other local professionals.
Don’t just send a generic connection request. Write a personal note asking for the connection and telling the person why you want to connect. As always, offer something of value for the connection. Remember that once you’ve connected with a person, that person can then connect you to an average of 400 others. That’s a huge benefit. However, that person has to feel comfortable making those connections. Help them feel that way in your connection request and any subsequent conversations. The simplest way to do that is to offer a connection to someone on your list. If you need some guidance, there are great templates and ideas for optimized connection requests here.
Engage!
LinkedIn will only work if you are active on the platform. Never let your account get stagnant. Comment and share your connections’ posts. Ask questions in either your posts or in the comments of others. Send messages to connections you may not have talked to recently to check in or ask for advice. The more present you are, the more benefits you will reap.
Ask for and Give Recommendations
LinkedIn’s recommendation section is an excellent way to show value, highlight your brand, and build credibility. A well-written recommendation from a customer or colleague can set you apart from others. We know how important reviews are for B2C companies to win customers. Now, more and more B2B companies are researching solutions and recommendations before making a purchase decision. They are researching not only a company but also the leaders. If your LinkedIn profile offers several positive recommendations, that only helps to build your company and your personal brand.
But recommendations will not just show up on your profile without some work. Be proactive and ask for them. Start with colleagues you’ve worked with or clients who have loved your work. When you ask for the recommendation, share why you are asking and offer to write a recommendation for them in exchange. If relevant, ask past professors for recommendations to cultivate your alumni audience on LinkedIn. Don’t forget to send a thank-you note when you receive the recommendation.
Deliver Valuable Content
To build your LinkedIn personal brand, every post, article, and link should be a positive reflection of you. This is your platform, your stage. Offering relevant, useful, and original content can illustrate your worth and build your personal brand as a thought leader in your industry. Be strategic here. Create a content calendar that covers the information and offers the knowledge you think your connections would appreciate. It’s ok to share content from others occasionally as long as it fits into your strategy. Keep a little wiggle room to post breaking news as needed.
Keep in mind that a post and an article are different pieces of content and should be used strategically. Posts are shorter, more immediate, and show up in your followers’ feeds. Just like almost every other social media platform, not every follower will see your post as their feed keeps moving. They have a limited lifespan. Think of posts as the place where you share updates and messages regarding your business. It can also be where you leave quick thoughts about a pertinent subject and/or link content to comment on. Make sure you attribute the original content creator by linking the content. They may return the favor someday.
A LinkedIn article is very much like a short blog post. These are pieces of content you can use to build credibility by demonstrating your knowledge, expertise, and passion for a pertinent topic that relates to your business. Offer your point of view on a relevant issue or suggestions to solve a pain point. Outline work you’ve done that might interest your followers. Again, link curated content from other authors if it makes sense but remember that your goal is to present yourself as a thought leader. Here’s an example of an article from my friend and client Stacey Woods. As you can see, it’s a great way to begin publishing thoughts and insights if you don’t have a separate website or blog of your own. I also love this example from my friend and fellow content marketer Alyssa Greenfield.
Make sure your article links to your website (if you have one) and other digital platforms so that readers can find out more about you and your business. Don’t forget a strong call to action at the end of each article. Also, share each article you write on LinkedIn as a separate LinkedIn post. If you’re curious about the differences between a Post and an Article and situations where you might use one over the other, head to this link.
Get Involved in LinkedIn Groups
Groups are a great place to contribute to the conversation and highlight your expertise to a targeted audience. Look for groups within your sector or made up of your target persona. Once accepted, bring value to group members first with relevant content, maybe a whitepaper or a webinar. Then start a conversation. Ask a question, comment on a recent news story or share a whitepaper. Be ready to react to any comments you receive. If it’s appropriate, send a private message to a commenter to continue the conversation. This is a great way to make a new connection.
Even as you share content, don’t forget to react to others. Conversations go both ways. Offer advice or answers to questions. Bring other people into the conversation. This kind of engagement will make your involvement in groups much more beneficial.
You Are On Your Way!
A healthy and strong brand is critical to success in business. If you are a one-person show, your personal brand is just as important.
When you are building a brand, it can be difficult to break through the noise of content, conversations, and promotions appearing on digital feeds. This is an especially critical challenge for small businesses with limited resources.
LinkedIn is the most active professional publishing platform right now. It’s worth your time to cultivate and build your LinkedIn personal brand. With some strategic thinking and creative storytelling, your brand will stand apart from the noise.
If you’d like a bit more help with using LinkedIn to tell your personal brand story, I’m here. Give me a shout and let’s get started!