Leverage LinkedIn: A Strategic Approach to Personal Branding

Introduction

This article will walk you through how to use LinkedIn to build your brand strategically.

Overview of the key points to be discussed in the article:

1. Why LinkedIn is important for personal branding
2. Use LinkedIn SEO to make your profile search-friendly
3. Upload a high-quality headshot
4. Crafting a compelling LinkedIn profile summary?
5. Optimise your content
6. Interacting and engaging with others

Why LinkedIn is important for personal branding

Personal branding can be a powerful tool to help you stand out in your industry, making you known, liked and trusted within that specific niche.

A strong personal brand will help you to:

• Build authority
• Attract trust and credibility
• Establish yourself as an expert
• Acquire new business prospects

5 ways to build your personal brand on LinkedIn

Here is a summary of the best ways to build a strong personal brand on LinkedIn.

1. Use LinkedIn SEO to make your profile search-friendly

LinkedIn SEO means crafting your profile to improve its ranking in search results. Similar to SEO on Google or Bing, the higher your profile ranks in search results, the more people will discover and see it.?

Tips for LinkedIn SEO optimisation:

• Leverage your background banner
• Add keywords in the headline, summary, experience section, recommendations, skills section
• Create backlinks
• Get recommendations and skill endorsements
• Publish content relevant to your niche
• Use hashtags

2. Upload a high-quality profile photo

Here are some tips for enhancing your profile photo:

• Use a high-quality photo that represents your brand
• Ensure your photo is up-to-date and accurately represents you
• Keep your photo simple and professional-looking
• Use good lighting and avoid clutter in the background
• Be the only one in your profile photo
• Ensure your photo is of high-resolution

Also, remember to utilise the banner space on your LinkedIn profile. This is the space above your profile photo. Include an image that stands out and a few punchy words to explain what your business does. Remember to check what it looks like on desktop and mobile before publishing.

3. Craft a compelling LinkedIn profile summary

This section on your profile is the elevator pitch of your personal brand on LinkedIn, it’s also known as the “About” section, sitting just under your profile photo. It’s an open-ended space where you give an overview of your professional life in 2,000 characters max.

Remember to keep it short, succinct and to the point. It should highlight your area of work and expertise, plus the accomplishments that make you unique.

According to LinkedIn, these are some pointers for crafting a compelling LinkedIn profile summary:

1. Hook readers with a strong opener?
2. Explain your present role
3. Frame your past
4. Highlight your successes
5. Reveal your character
6. Show life outside work
7. Tell stories
8. Ask for what you want
9. Make your first sentence count
10. Pump the keywords

Examples of strong openers

4. Optimise your content

With 740 million LinkedIn members, the content on the platform currently has great organic reach, unlike platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook where you need to “pay to play".

Some ways you can optimise your content to increase visibility include:

1. Know your audience
2. Use keywords
3. Craft compelling headlines
4. Share valuable content
5. Use short-form videos?
6. Use visuals
7. Use polls and share the results after 2 weeks
8. Use hashtags, including a hashtag with your / your businesses name
9. Post consistently
10. Analyse your results

5. Interact and engage with others

Meaningful interactions on LinkedIn, in the form of comments, is a great way to boost your profile within your target market. It will help you become known, liked and trusted in your niche.?

When you reach out to someone, mention something you have in common or discuss something you enjoyed about their post. Remember, providing value in comments is key, a simple “great post” won’t cut it on LinkedIn.

Examples of LinkedIn comment etiquette

Conclusion

Your personal brand on LinkedIn is your key to unlocking new opportunities, building authority, and establishing expertise in your field. Remember, authenticity is crucial.

Stay true to your professional identity, consistently refind your presence, and watch LinkedIn propel your professional career. Let your personal brand open doors to new possibilities and opportunities.