Day 19: How to Use LinkedIn Posts to Build Your Personal Brand - How to Create Engaging Content that Adds Value
Visvanathan Sambasivam
?? Mentor, Teacher, Coach ???? Founder, Growth Catalysts Hub ?? Lifelong Learner ??Executive Director, CPG, Retail & Shopper, NielsenIQ ?? 28+ yrs of Consumer Insights & Market Research
Your LinkedIn posts are a powerful tool for building your personal brand. By sharing valuable content, insights, and expertise, you can position yourself as a thought leader in your industry, grow your network, and increase your visibility to potential employers or clients. The key to success on LinkedIn is consistency, relevance, and engagement. It’s not just about posting frequently; it’s about posting content that adds value to your audience.
1. Share Industry Insights and Trends
Posting about current trends, new developments, or insightful observations in your industry shows that you’re actively engaged and knowledgeable. You can share articles with your own commentary or write original posts that offer your perspective on a hot topic. Doing this regularly will position you as a thought leader.
Example:
Maya, a marketing professional, regularly shares articles about new digital marketing tools. She adds her own analysis, explaining how these tools can benefit small businesses. As a result, her posts generate a lot of engagement, and she’s built a strong presence in her field.
Action Tip:
Find an article or news story related to your industry. Share it with a brief commentary, explaining why it’s important and how it could impact your field. Aim to do this once or twice a week to build consistency.
2. Share Your Achievements and Projects
Sharing your achievements or recent projects is a great way to demonstrate your expertise. Whether it’s completing a major project, earning a certification, or being part of a successful initiative, showcasing your successes can help build credibility.
Example:
Vinay recently completed a successful client project where his team increased web traffic by 50%. He shared a post summarizing the project, the challenges they faced, and how they achieved such strong results. This not only highlighted his skills but also demonstrated his ability to overcome obstacles and deliver results.
Action Tip:
Think about a recent accomplishment or project that you’re proud of. Write a LinkedIn post summarizing what the project entailed, what challenges you faced, and the results you achieved. Include any metrics if possible to make your post more impactful.
3. Post Thought-Provoking Questions
Asking thoughtful questions is a great way to start a conversation and encourage engagement on LinkedIn. Pose questions that are relevant to your industry or that reflect a current challenge. This can spark valuable discussions, leading to more visibility for your profile and connecting you with new people in your field.
Example:
Anjali, a human resources manager, posted a question about how companies are adjusting to remote work. She asked her network, "What has been the most effective way your team has maintained productivity during remote work?" The post generated a lively discussion and helped her connect with HR professionals facing similar challenges.
Action Tip:
Create a post that asks your network a thought-provoking question related to your field. For example, “How is your industry adapting to recent technological changes?” or “What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned this year?”
4. Share Personal Stories with Professional Lessons
Sharing personal stories with a professional takeaway can make your posts more relatable and engaging. People connect with stories, and when you share a personal experience, it shows authenticity. However, ensure that your story has a professional angle and offers a lesson or insight that others can learn from.
Example:
David, a software engineer, shared a story about a time he made a mistake in code that caused a project delay. In his post, he explained how he handled the situation, what he learned, and how it made him a better developer. The honesty and humility in his post resonated with his network, and it received a lot of engagement.
Action Tip:
Think of a personal experience that taught you something valuable in your career. Write a post explaining the situation, what you learned from it, and how it has helped you grow professionally.
5. Use LinkedIn Polls to Engage Your Network
LinkedIn polls are a fantastic way to engage your network while gathering insights or feedback. Polls encourage quick interaction and can generate discussions around your chosen topic. They also increase your visibility because people tend to share and comment on polls they find interesting.
Example:
Ravi, a sales consultant, created a poll asking, “What’s the biggest challenge in B2B sales today?” The poll received hundreds of responses and sparked a lively discussion in the comments. This boosted Ravi’s visibility and helped him connect with other sales professionals.
Action Tip:
Create a LinkedIn poll around a topic that’s relevant to your industry. For example, if you’re in marketing, you could ask, “Which social media platform is most effective for your business: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter?” Use the poll results as a springboard for a follow-up post with your analysis.
6. Mix Up Your Content Types - Use multimedia
While text-based posts are great, LinkedIn also allows for other content types like images, videos, and documents. Mixing up your content keeps your posts fresh and engages your audience in different ways. For example, posting a video of a presentation or sharing a visually appealing infographic can capture attention more effectively than a block of text.
Example:
Samantha, a financial advisor, shared an infographic she created that explained five ways to save for retirement. The post was visually appealing and easy to digest, and it quickly went viral in her network.
Action Tip:
Experiment with different types of content. If you’ve only been posting text, try sharing an infographic, a short video, or even a document. Diversifying your content can make your profile stand out.
Action Summary
If you are more of a audio - visual person and would rather like to see / listen to this, check out my video on youtube : (it is a 15 minute video)
If you want to learn a little more about how you can create this magic, please feel free to get in touch with me. You may want to check out my course: "Unlocking the Secrets to Getting that Dream Job"??
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About the Author: Visvanathan Sambasivam
I am a corporate professional, having worked as a Marketing / Consumer Insights professional in various Indian and Global MNCs for the last 30 years, with a passion for mentoring, teaching, and coaching; with a vision of helping 1 million people in their personal and professional growth.
I write regularly on LinkedIn & Facebook and have mentored many people in their professional journey.