How can I effectively use LinkedIn to build my Personal Brand?

#LinkedIn?has become an important part of my life. From my point of view, to

succeed on this amazing platform, you need to follow this?7- step roadmap:

1. Define your goal

First of all, define your goal what do you want to achieve using LinkedIn. Whether you are an entrepreneur, freelancer, professional or job seeker, you can get benefits by effectively using LinkedIn. For me LinkedIn is a fusion of various opportunities: speaking opportunities, networking, learning and finally – business opportunities. I am building my Personal Brand and business through LinkedIn.

2. Develop strategy

Learn from best LinkedIn trainers and influencers. Read blogs, attend webinars and LinkedIn Lives. Include LinkedIn in your Marketing strategy, if you do not have it yet, develop it. Identify your Ideal Customers’ profiles on the platform, understand their needs and wants, work on your UVP, include CTA in your content.

3. Make your profile as a lead magnet for opportunities

In the beginning, make profile analysis. Customize banner, and headshot (use background color), write Headline that differentiates you from the crowd, (240 characters). Your Headline, About Section and Intro Video should be variations of your UVP. Do not forget to put key words in your Headline, About, Experience and Gained recommendations’ sections. You can add your Intro Video to Featured section too, just to make it visible to those people who has not this feature (Intro Video) got yet. Add rich media to Experience and Featured Sections. Optimize your profile to keep in mind your ideal customer’s interests.

Time by time refresh info in your profile and use this free tool to check how it is optimized for programs :?Free LinkedIn Profile Review by Resume Worded.

4. Create original Content

To show up, you should create your original content which resonates with your target segment. Content might be:

- Educational

- Motivational

- Entertaining.

I try to follow 80/20 rule, which means that I post 80 % professional and 20% private content.

Use various formats of content: text, text with photo, video, pdf, create poll and etc. Write articles, they get less views than posts, but they are indexed by Google.

You can take content ideas from questions asked on?Quora?in your field. Actually, Quora is an awesome platform to get content ideas and on the other hand, test your ideas.

5. Engage with other’s posts

Engage with other relevant content makers’ posts. In this way you help them. On the other hand, you show your expertise and position yourself as a Thought Leader in your industry. Remember, as they say “Your network is your net worth”.

6. Engage in DMs, Lives and off platform

Be proactive, send personalized connection request to potential customers (do not sell), experts in your industry and of course colleagues. If they accept your request, engage with their content, attend their Lives or invite them to attend your online events and engage, engage and engage before asking something / selling something.

Because I engage with other people in various ways, I am able to build relationships with them. I invite some of them to my free monthly educational webinars on Personal Branding as the speakers. Now I am sharing the link to the webinar “How to build a Powerful Personal Brand Through LinkedIn”?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFxqoq70xAM&t=68s

The speaker, Virginia Bautista, shares her knowledge and experience about LinkedIn. She is featured in 60+ international publications, gives trainings and keynotes globally and builds LinkedIn Local Philippines community.

7. Use analytics to plan better

Time by time, check your LinkedIn S.S.I. score:?Measure your sales success with Social Selling Index?. My S.S.I score today is 84. It never ever has been so high. It changes daily. If your score is more than 80, your posts got more views.

Make a thorough analysis. For example, free version of this tool :?inlytics | Pricing Plans?gives you some analytics and enables you to schedule posts. I do not use scheduling function, because as I know LinkedIn’s algorithm does not like scheduled posts.

The more important tool is Shield?Shield Analytics | Your LinkedIn analytics tool?. It helps you analyze which of posts are doing better, identify what time to post and who are the audience. According to package you choose, you get various type of detailed analytical data. If you want to achieve success, you need to make choices based on analytics.

So, to sum up, if you want to succeed on LinkedIn, try to be friendly with people and programs (algorithm, LinkedIn search, Google). Furthermore, never stop learning LinkedIn’s new features/functions and experimenting content’s new types and approaches.

Find useful? Please, follow me and my hashtag?#MarinaMchedlidzeonLinkedin

for daily tips on?#personalbranding

This article was initially published as an answer on #Quora