Make the Connection with a Re-Introduction Vol. 9

“All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” Tom Peters, writer.

Hi, my name is Melanie Borden, and I lead a team of creative, high-performing experts to help businesses and executive teams on LinkedIn to increase their reach, impact, and brand marketing effectiveness at The Borden Group.

People always ask me…how’d you get to 180K followers on LinkedIn? Here’s the truth…

I show up and be me. Day after day. Post after post. Over and over for 3+ years.

I started figuring out LinkedIn because I was scared I’d lose my VP of Marketing job and be left starting over with just a resume and my smile in 2020 when the pandemic hit the US. Being out of control and powerless is scary. I hate it. So, I took control using LinkedIn.

Here’s more truth…anyone can do it.

Rather than going looking for a job, You can have jobs (and clients) come looking for you.

A personal brand on LinkedIn opens doors.

A personal brand makes you personal.

Your voice.

Your views.

Your expertise.

You boost yourself and others while building allies.

Here’s another truth…Some people laughed at me when I started. They also said LinkedIn wasn't social media.They thought what I was doing here was silly.

Now, I speak to 180K people via LinkedIn. 180K people know my voice. 180K people know my values.180K people know my expertise. I have 180K allies…and they have an ally in me. This is power, and it can be yours. But it doesn’t just happen.

When I help executives, their brand is a business.

I build a strategy with them.

I show them how to engage.

I teach them how to grow.

I show them what happens with organic engagement, reach and frequency.

They take control of their destiny… And it feels so much better than being afraid.

I started my business in August 2021 with companies and executives who asked me to do for them what I did for myself. Since then, I’ve led social strategies for over 43 brands. I specialize in increasing reach & revenue with organic social.

AND

I help C-suite execs?

Build their personal brands.

Build their influence.

Build their audience.

Create more public speaking opportunities.

Get invited onto popular podcasts.

(Sure, they have marketing teams, but they’re focused on the company brand, not personal brands.)

I love helping both companies and their execs, but something was missing. Until one day,?I realized something I should have known all along. I’d been missing out on the power of teamwork.

What could happen if I managed the company and execs’ brands as a combined team?

I was excited. I got to work creating a new team strategy. I didn’t have to wait long to see the results.

After just a few weeks, my client raved:?“Melanie, everybody is talking about how much they love our social media and how personal it is!” ??

Now that you know my secret, I’ll tell you why it works:

Synchronized Messaging

Execs and their company have separate, but related audiences and networks.?So, when there’s a product launch, event, or fundraise planned, the combined brands amplify the message in different ways to slightly different audiences. The delivery is authentic to each personal brand,?but the message and call to action are aligned.

Even casual scrollers notice.?It seems like “everyone” is talking about the same thing…and they want to find out more. PLUS, we can use the company’s branded content, colors, style, and graphics in the executive’s posts to add brand recognition.

But a warning…This strategy will fail if the executives are inauthentic.

No one wants to read an exec repeating talking points.?

But, when we help them create a story about:

Why they support a certain initiative

What they’ve learned

What surprises them

Why they believe in their work

People read the story,?and the message comes along for the ride. Looking back, I’m surprised it took me so long to realize the power of the team approach. But, it’s working so well to deliver results to our clients, it’s now our main strategy to deliver maximum ROI.

If you think transferring your personal brand from offline to LinkedIn is a waste of time, think again. I went from a place of fear over losing my job to my own consulting agency, all driven by my dedication and outbound activity on this platform.

Bottom Line: You need to start by starting. Act as if you are the CEO of Me, Inc.

I hope you enjoyed my newsletter today. Thank you for following me and subscribing. I am very grateful to have you in my network and appreciate the daily support!?

We are taking on new clients. We provide LinkedIn strategy, managed services, and LinkedIn profile re/Brands. All of our services are geared toward executives, teams, and businesses. If you want help building your brand on LinkedIn, please message me on LinkedIn or reply to this newsletter to arrange a discovery call.

Your Marketing Consultant,

Melanie