3 tips to help you use LinkedIn to help you build your personal brand as a business owner
Many people ask me is it essential to have a LinkedIn profile and is being active worth it compared to other platforms? and how can they best use it. If you are business owner reading this I would definitely recommend you utilise your presence on there. In this blog post I will sharing some reasons why you need to be using LinkedIn as well as what puts people off using and some tips to help build your personal brand on there.
Why you should be using LinkedIn
Some reasons why you should be LinkedIn include :
You can build your personal brand on there by being a content creator - Being a creator on LinkedIn is different to just having a profile. People can follow you but you can create newsletters, lives and so much more. This allows you as business owner to create content that is targeted to your client group.
Market your business and services - If you use LinkedIn in the right way you can now market you business in so many ways. By using the icons under your headline as seen below to telling people about your services through lives, posts, etc.
Build relationships with people - The key to being a great presence on LinkedIn is building relationships on there and making sure you nurture relationships by supporting others so people remember you and remember you . Essentially this is networking but if you do this genuinely this help you and your personal brand more
Common concerns and what to do about it?
Some of the concerns I still hear include :
How long does it take for me to build my presence?
I really want to be seen more on LinkedIn but feel it’s not working
I am posting on LinkedIn but not getting any leads or interaction
Tips around how to build your LinkedIn personal brand
1. Having a great profile picture - Make sure you have a clear head-shot so your face can be seen clearly. It helps if its been taken professionally with a white background but if this is not possible that's OK. Use your judgement, don't put up a profile picture which looks unprofessional or unflattering such as selfie etc.
2. Your Summary - Should tell potential employers about who you are as person. Some of your personal interests. Add a little bit of personality to it. It could be you are an experienced IT consultant etc. but instead of writing that why not put something like. "A highly skilled computer consultant who is good at ......” Make it exciting to read and add some of your own personality to it so that people will want to connect with you. Show you passion here. You want people to be interested in what have to offer.
3. Connections - This section acts as the professional network of people who you are connected to. This could be people we you have worked with in past or your current colleagues etc. Or even any professionals you have met at events or training. Some people you don't know may ask to connect with you . If this happens make sure you always send them a message to find out what draw them to your profile and why they wanted to connect. As this can help build your professional network and if you are job hunting you never know this person could in fact even be able to help you. If in doubt of anyone who wants to add you and it seems suspicious or not related to what you are interested in just don't add them.
4. LinkedIn Premium - Is an optional extra which you pay a charge for. This includes the feature of sending extra messages to any connections who are not in your current network. This may especially be important if you are looking for a new role. You don't have to have a Premium account to enjoy its full benefits though. You do have an advantage of seeing who everyone is that actually views your profile in a advanced way but this may not be very important to you. So LinkedIn Premium is probably better for people who use LinkedIn everyday if this isn't you it may not be worth the investment.
5. LinkedIn groups - Are a great way of connecting with people in groups. Seeing what job opportunities are on offer and also seeing what professionals in your line of work are talking about. If you use these groups probably you never know the right opportunity or employer could be in a group that you are interested in.
6. Act Professionally - LinkedIn is not just a social networking site. So keep messages and content on your profile completely professional and in line with the type of roles you are looking for. If you feel people are trying to connect with you for the wrong reasons you have the right to not add them or even block them.
7. Help support others - Use LinkedIn as a tool to help and support your other colleagues. If the line of work you are in is going through many changes why not share articles via the LinkedIn post feature to show this. Or if you know someone is looking for a vacancy or you know of a vacancy somewhere why not share this on LinkedIn etc.
I hope this post helps you and gives you some sound advice on how to use LinkedIn properly. If you want more support with your LinkedIn why consider connecting with on there you can connect by going to my profile here and asking why you want to connect
You can also catch a Live I did on Linkedin and building your personal brand on a replay of Instagram Live I did here https://www.instagram.com/tv/CouuxooDajODaxSCvTxzJsM8uF9C0SkTCkoY-g0/
Wishing you all the best.
Soma x