How To Succeed With Personal Branding On LinkedIn - Steps To Building An Outstanding Personal Brand

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Jul 06, 2022

Keith Peterson - I'm an expert IT marketing professional with over 10 years of experience in various Digital Marketing channels such as SEO (search engine optimization), SEM (search engine marketing), SMO (social media optimization), ORM (online reputation management), PPC (Google Adwords, Bing Adwords), Lead Generation, Adwords campaign management, Blogging (Corporate and Personal), and so on. Web development and design are unquestionably another of my passions. In fast-paced, high-pressure environments, I excel as an SEO Executive, SEO Analyst, SR SEO Analyst, team leader, and digital marketing strategist, efficiently managing multiple projects, prioritizing and meeting tight deadlines, analyzing and solving problems.

Everyone knows how important it is for a business to have a good brand, but what about building a personal brand that people associate with you?

Never undervalue the power of your personal brand. If you do it right, it can be your best asset.

But how to succeed with personal branding on LinkedIn?

This article will show you the secrets of personal branding and the steps you need to take to make a great brand for yourself.

First, let's talk about what personal branding is really all about.

COPYRIGHT_MARX: Published on https://marxcommunications.com/how-to-succeed-with-personal-branding-on-linkedin/ by Keith Peterson on 2022-07-26T09:54:08.272Z

What Is Personal Branding?

A man wearing suit holding a tag 'I am brand' written on it

People's ideas about a person are based on what they know about their personal brand.

Personal branding is all about building your reputation, making an image of yourself for the outside world, and marketing yourself as an individual.

Your personal brand is basically the story that people tell about you when you're not there.

Seeing yourself as a brand might make you feel a little weird.

But in reality, everyone already has their own brand.

How do people talk about the work you do?

What words do they use to talk about you?

Are they helpful or hurtful?

The Internet is also telling your story.

What are people saying about you online?

You can either take charge of your brand or leave it up to chance.

By building a personal brand on purpose, you can tell your story the way you want it to be told, show that you are an expert and leader in your field, and connect with your customers and clients in ways that go beyond your products and services.

Personal Brand Examples

In the business world, there are some people who are bigger than life.

They know exactly who they are and what makes them special. They have mastered the art of personal branding.

Gary Vaynerchuk website screenshot

Gary Vaynerchuk is a great example of a person who knows how to brand himself. He successfully brands himself as Gary Vee, the brash businessman who tells it like it is and isn't afraid of self-promotion or speaking his mind.

Another great example is Marie Forleo's personal brand, which is based on her quirky personality and positive, supportive attitude.

Her personal brand is beautifully made, feels real, and is all about encouraging other women to start their own businesses.

There are examples of great personal brands everywhere, and how a person shapes their brand depends on the image they want to create and what they want to accomplish.

Think Oprah.

Branson, Richard.

Beyoncé.

Chef Gordon Ramsay.

Personal branding can take many different forms.

Almost any successful YouTuber, blogger, or business person with an online following will show you that their personal brand is a big part of their success.

Their personality is what makes them easy to talk to, trustworthy, and easy to remember.

Their businesses are built around who they are as people, so they can't be separated from who they are.

Their best asset is their personal brand.

For Whom Is Personal Branding On LinkedIn Worthwhile?

Personal branding is important for anyone who wants to persuade others of who they are and what they have to say:

Early on, students can sell themselves and their skills to employers they want to work for.
Traditional workers can network with others in their field to get more and better job offers.
Executives can use their brand as a way to lead and persuade employees to change and bring them along with them.
Through personal branding on LinkedIn, CEOs become the face of their company.

10 Steps To A Successful Strategy For Personal Branding On LinkedIn

These 10 steps will help you become a personal brand on LinkedIn yourself:

Define Your Own Positioning

Personal branding on LinkedIn needs a plan, just like any other branding.

This says what the goal is and how to reach it.

Choose a strong image that fits your goal.

I want to be known as "Mr. Marketing" at Siemens or "Ms. Reliable" in the solar industry, etc.

Be sure of your decision and don't care what other people say about it.

Because you can tell no one about this goal.

Retell Your Resume

In the second step, you should start telling your resume's story so that it fits the position.

Instead of saying, "My name is Karl and I'm 30 years old," you could say, "I was born 30 years ago, during the golden age of television advertising."

Make a list of everything you already think of when you think of your positioning.

You can then use that to build your personal brand everywhere, not just on LinkedIn.

Tailor The Profile To Your Own Positioning

Fill out your LinkedIn profile in a way that fits with your own brand.

Use the profile tagline, the "About" section, and the details of each career station to highlight activities that can help build your personal brand on LinkedIn.

Instead of using official language, use "talking phrases."

For example, instead of "Marketing Manager, Industry Sector Siemens Drives," you could write "Marketing Expert who makes big machines more appealing to customers" or something similar in the profile boxes.

Invest In The Profile Picture

When building your personal brand on LinkedIn, you should use a picture that says something about you. This picture is more important than any other part of your profile.

It should show you how people at the office would see you on a good day.

Photos of you in a shirt and tie are only required if you wear them every day at work.

You can put information about your own positioning on the cover photo, like in the profile slogan; see point 3.

Create A Mind Map To Find Ideas For Content

As a follow-up to point 1, make a mindmap of all the things you could write about.

To be successful with your personal brand on LinkedIn, these should, of course, fit with how you want to be seen.

In the case of "Ms. Reliable in the Solar Industry," this could include articles about the growth of the solar industry, new funding opportunities, etc., as well as pleas for projects to be finished on time, the effects of not meeting employees' expectations, etc.

You can do this with just a pen and paper, but there are also many helpful tools for making mind maps.

Plan Your Content With A Content Board

To keep track of content, it's best to use platforms like Trello to make a content board with columns for:

potential topics
posts written in coordination
posts ready to post
contributions

Then you can just move the topics up or down to match their status.

So, you always have a good idea of how your posts are doing.

Trello Board Content page screenshot

Post Regularly And Block Time For It

You should post at least once a week so that people don't forget about you.

You should pick a ready-made post that has a current reference if possible.

You should set aside an hour once a week to update the mind map from point 5 and the content board from point 6. This will make sure that your LinkedIn posts for personal branding go out regularly and that your content board doesn't get empty.

Be Personal In Your Posts

The reason LinkedIn is so popular is because people who are known as such post content there.

Even if you're the founder of a company or a representative for it, show your personality when you brand yourself on LinkedIn, both in your text and photos.

The more you are in the picture, the more likely you are to succeed.

Networking - Get Out And About On The Platform

Not only will active posting help you do well on LinkedIn, but so will other things.

Personal branding on LinkedIn is just as important when you take part in discussions, thank people for their posts, and talk to contacts in private messages.

This makes it easier for you and your contacts to stay in touch.

Just Get Started

It's much more important to just start than to do everything perfectly.

In this way, start with your engagement, even before you've worked through all of these points.

Personal branding on LinkedIn is like soccer: you can only score goals if you're on the field.

Learn To Love LinkedIn

LinkedIn logo in phone's screen with mug, hearphones, and keyboard beside it

There are a lot of different social networks out there, but LinkedIn is the one that professionals use.

Here are some quick tips:

Invest In A Professional Photo

It's worth spending money on good photos. If you don't want to spend money, at least ask a friend with a good camera to help you out.

You need a nice smile, good lighting, and a plain background.

Please, no ducks with pouty faces or badly cropped wedding photos.

Also, when you upload a photo of yourself, make sure it's search engine friendly (e.g. anna-lundberg.jpg).

Customize Your Headline

Come on, you're so much more than a "freelancer" or "side-hustler"!

Think about using your elevator pitch (you do have one, right? ), or at least the most important parts of it, to describe everything you can do.

And don't rely on your job title if you're an employee.

Instead, use words that show what your main job duties are.

If you're trying to start a business or change careers, you'll want to use words that will help you get things moving in the right direction.

Write A Compelling Summary

After the title, the first thing people will see is the summary section. This is a great place to put the most important parts of your personal brand framework.

This is your chance to introduce yourself to the reader and get them interested enough to read the rest of your profile.

Write the summary in the first person ("I work with...").

Think about your main points and who you're talking to.

Show off your biggest accomplishments and, if you need to, explain any gaps or detours in your career path that might not make sense otherwise.

Try to include a call to action, such as your email address, so it's easy for people to get in touch with you.

Elaborate On Your Work Experience

Job titles don't say much on their own, so make sure that each position or project you list on your profile adds to your story.

Highlight your most important responsibilities and accomplishments that support your main message (remember that "credibility" piece from your brand framework in #2?).

Get Recommendations From Past Employers

Reviews and testimonials are great ways to build trust and credibility.

Don't be afraid to ask people directly, even if it means giving them examples of the kinds of things you want them to say.

Most people won't write anything unless you ask them to.

Add Your Key Skills

Make sure that the skills section has all of your most important skills and strengths.

You can also change the order of the skills so that the three most important ones are at the top.

Want Results On LinkedIn? Be Consistent

One last Linkedin tip for building your brand:

There is no such thing as an overnight success when it comes to building a personal brand on LinkedIn.

Even if you post once a week for a month, you won't get a ton of traffic and a lot of profile views.

You have to show up every day if you want to build a strong personal brand.

Every day, set aside 30 minutes to work on LinkedIn.

Spend 15 minutes working on new content, 10 minutes reading and responding to content in your news feed, and 5 minutes connecting with at least one new person.

Over time, your work will start to pay off, and you'll see real results.

Conclusion

Building a successful personal brand on LinkedIn isn't just about what you share; it's also about who you know.

Spend time connecting, talking, and engaging with people whose target audience is the same as yours.

Join groups for your industry or your ideal customers and talk to business leaders and people with a lot of power.

In short, make friends!

A successful personal brand is more than just talking about yourself and your business. It's also about getting to know people so that when they have a problem, they think of you (and your brand!).

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