When I began posting on LinkedIn in 2020, I didn’t know what I was doing. I had zero direction or strategy in place at all. An idea would come to me and I’d share it. Over the years, I’ve learned how to build my LinkedIn personal brand with 3 steps:
- Engagement
- Posting Content
- Connecting
This is an easy process I’ve helped others learn how to do as well. It starts with crafting the best stories for LinkedIn. But first, let’s not forget that I also started off without knowing what building a personal brand on LinkedIn meant.
See also:
- What Is Personal Branding On LinkedIn?
- Who Should Build A Personal Brand On LinkedIn?
- Why Build A Personal Brand On LinkedIn?
- Best Way To Build A Personal Brand On LinkedIn
- Need Help Navigating LinkedIn? Don’t Do This.
- Key To Building A Valuable Personal Brand On LinkedIn
My First LinkedIn Post
When I made my first post on LinkedIn on May 26, 2020, I was sure that no one was going to read it. And I was right. But I had something I wanted to share so I opened myself up and put it out there. The stats on that first post are sad:
- 432 impressions
- 8 reactions
- 2 comments
But the funny thing is, three years later, I still have posts that don’t perform well (though never this low!). It’s important to keep in mind that we must all start somewhere. Anyone who makes success look easy is lying. Success never happens overnight, it takes many hours behind the scenes putting in the work to build something valuable. Rather than reading an entire book on this topic, here are the things that work for me.
3 Steps To Building A Personal Brand On LinkedIn
LinkedIn Personal Branding Step 1: Engagement
The first step I took in building a personal brand on LinkedIn was engagement.
What is engagement?
Simply put, engagement is commenting on others’ posts to add value and drive a conversation further. What does that look like? It’s as simple as leaving a compliment or question as a comment to a post. It might sound ominous or intimidating, but it’s not.
Engagement isn’t just commenting on others’ posts though, it also includes responding to questions or providing insight within the comments from other users too. If you have something useful to bring to the conversation, speak up. Once you’re ready to move on to the next step, posting content, be sure to engage with those who leave you comments as well. Leaving a comment without a response is like ignoring someone who just approached you at a networking event. Don’t do it. Always remember to add value when taking time with thoughtful engagement.
LinkedIn Personal Branding Step 2: Posting Content
The second step to building a personal brand on LinkedIn is posting content.
What does posting content mean?
When you’re ready to start posting content regularly on LinkedIn to build your personal brand, keep in mind that it’s a social media platform where written content performs best. Short posts between 300-500 words do well on LinkedIn as they’re easy to read quickly. Headlines need to be short and attention grabbing. Bulleted lists make it easy for readers to take away some key points. Videos might do well on TikTok and Instagram, but not on LinkedIn. However, LinkedIn posts with photos often outperform those without.
It might make you feel anxious to think about being vulnerable and sharing personal stories, but that’s what creates trust when you show up as your authentic self. There are plenty of consumers across TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn who don’t post content. You can continue to sit back and take it all in by staying an observer or your can jump in by joining the conversation. Show up and show off that you have something worthwhile to say. Once you’ve created some representative pieces, save them to the Featured area on your profile.
LinkedIn Personal Branding Step 3: Connecting
The third and final step of building your personal brand on LinkedIn is connecting.
How do you connect on LinkedIn?
The Connect button on LinkedIn is the key to surrounding yourself with inspiring professionals to learn from. No other platform works like LinkedIn, giving you direct access to the world’s most successful people. It might sound scary to put yourself out there and fear potential rejection, but this is how you build your network.
It’s important that you connect with people on LinkedIn who you can learn from, but also with those who may have something to learn from you. If there is a brand or role that inspires you, do a LinkedIn search to see who works for that brand or in that role. Go ahead and click the Connect button and then look around their profile and activity to find engagement opportunities where you might have additional value to add, or just a question of your own.
Ready To Get Started?
If you’re interested in spending some time learning how to build your personal brand on LinkedIn, I can help. Click on the Work With Me link to schedule a chat and get the ideas flowing. Let’s tell your stories.
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