Most people set up their LinkedIn profile when looking for a job, or just after landing a job, hoping to build a reputation for themselves. Sadly though, not everyone does. So how exactly do you get the most out of LinkedIn? We asked branding and LinkedIn expert Wendi to share some tips about building a personal brand on LinkedIn.
Here’s a summary of our chat.
Guest: Wendi Weiner
Topic: Building a Personal Brand on LinkedIn
Format: Eight questions directed at the guest. Everyone’s welcome to answer.
It’s no news that LinkedIn is the most professional social channel. That’s why it’s important to have a presence on the platform—to show people who you are and what you can offer them in a professional context. As with all things online, your LinkedIn profile is the key to your brand discovery—it brings people to you. As our guest said, it’s one of the most important digital assets, aside from a website.
A1: When someone Googles your name, your LinkedIn profile appears at the top of search results. LinkedIn is your professional brand and digital footprint. It’s how people see you online. (1/2) #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/56lGELSu5A
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
Remember, though, your LinkedIn profile isn’t all about what you do for a living. Sure, you can include your job specifications and even showcase other skills and volunteering experience. But your profile should essentially reflect who you are as a person and what matters most to you. Talk about what makes you you, why you’re a valuable member for your team, and what makes you want to continue to do what you do.
A1: Your job is what you do, but your personal brand is who you are. Several questions to unlock your personal brand:
• What is your unique value?
• What differentiates you in your work?
• What is your core asset to a company?
• How do others see you? (2/2)#TwitterSmarter https://t.co/pDUMjZBd8O— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
Anita made a great point distinguishing having a brand and projecting your brand. As she said, all us inherently have a brand. What matters more is how we showcase our brand. And so, to have a brand on LinkedIn refers to how you plan and present your brand on that platform.
A1 #TwitterSmarter I would counter this, with the fact that you HAVE a personal brand… so why is it important to carefully PLAN and CURATE your personal brand? Everyone HAS a brand whether or not they realize it. But we can shape it to our advantage. https://t.co/rXOGKIiQAH
— Anita Kirkbride (@anitakirkbride) April 16, 2020
LinkedIn rose to fame as the job seekers’ platform. Though that’s rapidly changing now, finding new jobs is still a large part of LinkedIn. If you’re looking for a new job, make sure your profile is thorough and you have consistent activity—other than just commenting on hiring posts. A majority of recruiters rely on LinkedIn to reach out to candidates and evaluate them.
A2: LinkedIn is the 1st place companies research you. 94% of recruiters search for candidates on LinkedIn. If you're a job seeker, your LinkedIn presence should be robust to attract recruiters and hiring managers. (1/3) #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/px7VJrO4fh
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
Of course, you don’t just wait for recruiters to come to you. You can also apply for jobs through LinkedIn, follow and interact with brands and companies you’re interested in, connect with others in your industry or the business you’re keen to join, and initiate conversations.
A2: Job seekers can apply for jobs on LinkedIn through the job search portal, they can connect with key people at companies, follow those companies, connect with recruiters, and even reach out to hiring managers. (2/3) #TwitterSmarter
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
All that said, the most important thing to remember, is to never upload your resume on the summary section of your LinkedIn profile. It’s hard to keep updated, and it just doesn’t look professional. After all, your resume is personal and it should always be directly handed over to a potential recruiter. Here’s our guest’s post on why you shouldn’t flaunt your resume on LinkedIn.
Kofi made an interesting point about storytelling. When you’re on LinkedIn, you’re not just a passive profile that recruiters will analyze. Take the initiative to share opinions, lessons, and thoughts related to your industry. When recruiters arrive on your profile, give them a full picture of who you are and what you care about; paint them a picture, tell them a story—albeit not a fake.
A2): ? Connect and engage with Industy leaders
? Share industry expertise
? Story telling
? Connect with people in and out of your industry
? To position yourself for job recruits and opportunities #TwitterSmarter— Kofi Social Media Strategist?? (@kofigramm) April 16, 2020
Certainly. Though most people only use LinkedIn as a job search medium, there’s a lot for everyone else too. Just like Twitter, LinkedIn is also a great way to build professional relationships.
For instance, like our guest said, if you’re a business owner, you can list your services on your profile.
A3. YES! LinkedIn is not only for job seekers – it’s a great place for business owners to showcase and market their products and services. In fact, LinkedIn allows you to post on your profile the services you provide for your business. (1/3) #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/UukHEK2qYd
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
This is a dedicated feature that lets you showcase your business better to potential customers. What’s more, it even gives you some extra visibility. Who doesn’t like free publicity, huh?
A3. This feature allows LinkedIn members to message you about your services for free and it’s publicly displayed on your profile = MORE VISIBILITY for your brand! ?? (2/3) #TwitterSmarter
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
Oh, and if you’re a business owner, it doesn’t hurt to say a little more than the name of your business. Most people enjoy getting to know the person behind the brand, and just by specifying who you are and what you do, you’ll increase your chances of making good connections.
A3: If you’re a business owner, be sure to tell us WHAT you do besides the name of your company.
Ex: Owner of XYZ Tools | Selling IT Software Solutions to Small Biz Owners (3/3) #TwitterSmarter
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
LinkedIn has so much more to offer than job advertisements. As our friend Ganesh pointed out, the platform is also a major source of news, industry opinions, editorials, research papers, and survey analyses. Depending on what you’re after, you’ll have so much to consume.
A3: LinkedIn is a source of information on various aspects – cost of recruiting, industry trends, basis of reference check, & so on. Everyone benefits according to their search & thirst. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/22lERqNG1Z
— SG ?? (@Ganesh_Sabari) April 16, 2020
Obviously, make sure you properly fill out the top questions in your profile. Important sections include headline, summary, location, skills, and endorsements.
A4. Must-haves to rank higher in search results: headline, summary, location, skills and endorsements. (2/3) #TwitterSmarter
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
Include keywords (don’t stuff, though) to make sure your profile is search engine friendly. If you’re a business owner or a recruiter, look through tools like SEMRush and Ahrefs to understand your keywords. If you’re a job seeker, you can also tweak your details based on common terms you come across on job postings.
A4. Your headline should have keywords built around what you do. Job seekers need keywords found in targeted job postings. Business owners should focus on SEO Google search keywords. @semrush and @ahrefs are my 2 favorite sites for researching keywords. (3/3) #TwitterSmarter
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
Nerissa shared some other elements you should keep in mind, such as your work experiences, samples from your portfolio if you have one, and a professional photograph that captures your face properly. This isn’t a place for you to upload photos emphasizing your latest hairstyle or a flattering side-pose.
A4.
— smiling and in focus profile photo
— enticing headline
— informative summary
— work experience that highlights key achievements
— references so folks know how others see you
— work or portfolio samples, if applicable#oellc #twittersmarter https://t.co/cNySXDk7df— Nerissa Marbury (@OneEpiphany) April 16, 2020
Wendi also shared a simple template to help job seekers optimize their profiles. Here’s how it goes:
Job Title/Target Role | Industry | Additional skills
Here’s a LinkedIn post where Wendi explains the template more.
BONUS TIP for A4: If you’re a job seeker, here is an easy template and strategy to create a powerful LinkedIn headline: Job Title/Target Role | Industry | Your Value Add-Skills #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/bWxxoBn43g
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
Take some time to think about this one before you fill up that profile. Your summary should be the perfect culmination of who you are, what you have to offer, and what makes you great at what you do. You’re not directly addressing a potential employer, so it doesn’t have to sound like a cover letter. However, you’re still selling yourself and your skills to a large network of professionals.
Write your summary from the heart—write in the first person (using words like I, me, and mine) and tell your personal story.
Think about your values, life goals, professional targets, and your community and what it means to you. All of these will help you convey a heartfelt message. Include details about your current job, what you do there, and the value to bring to the table.
A5: Write your LinkedIn summary in 1st person because you’re connecting person-to-person. Include: career goals, background, value to industry, and the type of role you currently hold. Think about what would make you attractive to an employer or customer. (2/3) #TwitterSmarter
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
All the while, remember that people will be looking at your profile on various devices. Make your summary easy to read by adding bullet points and concise sentences, and by proofreading your copy.
And of course, as we mentioned earlier, keep an eye on keywords and make sure to hit them. Add your certifications and volunteer experiences—they have important phrases and can help present your passions.
A5. Also, focus on keywords, skills, and other industry specific items (relevant certifications and training) that will position yourself more strategically on the platform so you can get noticed by targeted employers or customers. (3/3) #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/XLp1IUDUVh
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
Just be careful though, as Debi reminded us, even though your summary is an excellent place to advertise your skills and sell yourself as a professional, it’s also a good place to be a normal human. You’re not a robot, and you shouldn’t sound like one. Try and bring in your human tone and voice that people can relate to.
a5 Linkedin Summary is an awesome place to personalize your bio. ? Here you can highlight not only your experience but also your human-ness. ? Which I believe is more important than ever. ? #TwitterSmarter
— Debi Norton (@BRAVOMedia1) April 16, 2020
The key to creating successful content anywhere is to be interesting and helpful. See that your content answers questions people have. Share opinions, resources, studies that help others learn and understand industry concepts. As a branding consultant, our guest writes about social media usage, strategies and tips, career advice, and more.
A6. Focus on quality not quantity of content. I like to write about career and resume advice, LinkedIn strategies, personal branding tips, and even personal stories of struggle and achievements. Connect expertise and personality with your audience. (2/3) #TwitterSmarter
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
As always, what you say is more important than how much you say. Prioritize quality content. Include material that raises your audience to the next level. That doesn’t mean you can’t share personal stories and achievements. You can. Just make sure you have a well-balanced variety of posts.
And the most important of all is not to rush. Consistency matters in LinkedIn, but if you’re posting three or four posts a day, you might quickly run out of ideas and inspiration. It’s also mentally demanding to post multiple times a day. Don’t burn yourself out. Take it slow and steady.
A6. If you’re just starting out on LinkedIn, when it comes to publishing or posting your own content, slow and steady is the best approach. (3/3) #TwitterSmarter
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
One way to take it slow is to follow Doug’s suggestion. You don’t always have to be creating new content. Mix up your posts with media curated from other sources—and tag them. Aside from that, make sure you engage with your audience. Comment on posts, share, react, and participate in conversations to show that you’re involved in the community.
A6 #TwitterSmarter For starters make sure YOU are engaging & not just posting. And try to make sure you’re providing knowledge that people can use – just selling into the LinkedIn feed sucks. And make sure it isn’t just personal fluff – remember it’s a business community. https://t.co/v333hs3rDy
— Doug Cohen (@dougcohen10) April 16, 2020
The fundamental feature of LinkedIn is communication. To widen your network, as our guest suggested, follow industry experts, hashtags, and topics. Participate in conversations, share your learnings, and always have an open mind about learning new things. The more welcoming you are, the more chances you have of improving your feed.
A7: Be sure to like, comment, engage, share, and post! This is a cycle. LinkedIn has algorithms that push certain content out – they place a score on content of high value and reward you based on it. Content is king, but relationships are queen! (2/2) #TwitterSmarter
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
Remember, LinkedIn’s algorithm promotes posts that get a lot of engagement. That means you need more than likes. Comment and share relevant people’s posts and they will do the same for you. Relationships are everything on social media.
When you’re starting out and looking to expand your network, think about people you know in real life. As Jeremy pointed out, your high school and university mates, former colleagues, and local community organizations are all great connections to add.
A7: Great places to start your network:
-Your university
-Within your industry
-Community connections
-Organizations that interest you#twittersmarter— Jeremy Linaburg (@jeremy_linaburg) April 16, 2020
We’ve spoken a lot about customizing your social media copy to each platform. For instance, never post your Instagram copy word for word on LinkedIn or Twitter—having so many hashtags will only make you look like a spammer. However, you can—and should—still cross-promote your LinkedIn profile on other networks. Scott explained how he built his Instagram network by promoting it on Twitter. You can do the same—when you have conversations on other platforms, invite people to connect with you on LinkedIn.
A7: Cross promote your profile on different social platforms. For example, I built 240K on IG just by promoting it heavily on Twitter for one year. Obviously at the same time, you have to make sure you are pushing out relevant and consistent content. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/v8l0kZiKkY
— Scott Eddy (my DNA is ?? ?? ??) (@MrScottEddy) April 16, 2020
As Jeremy answered in the previous question, start off by connecting with people you already know—friends, alumni, team mates, other work acquaintances, and people from companies you’re interested in. That last point doesn’t refer only to companies you’d like to work at, but more importantly, companies you admire and respect. It gives you a good opportunity to be part of that company’s culture.
A8. If you are new to LinkedIn, create your network by connecting with other members of your company, alumni, professionals in your industry across the country & world, & professionals at targeted companies of interest (ex: Starbucks, Google and Amazon). (1/2) #TwitterSmarter
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
Then connect with people of interest. For example, Wendi has connected with influential writers and journalists, and as a result of regular interactions, she’s been featured in their work.
A8. I like to connect with writers and journalists – they have great content and I have been featured in various articles as a result. (2/2) #TwitterSmarter
— Wendi Weiner | The Writing Guru® (@TheWritingGuru) April 16, 2020
As Jim said, it’s important that you don’t connect with everyone randomly. Though that’ll increase your numbers, it won’t do you any good. Instead, focus on those who matter most to you like people within your industry, people you can learn from, and people in other industries you care about.
A8 Connect with people who have meaning for you on LinkedIn. Following for following's sake is just a numbers game with you as the only player. #TwitterSmarter
— Jim Katzaman – Get Debt-Free One Family at a Time (@JKatzaman) April 16, 2020
Another good sect to connect with, like Deb pointed out, is people you meet in your business. That could be your clients, leads, or potential customers you chat with at events. That way, you can keep conversations going even after your meeting.
A8: I love connecting with people I've met. Keeps the relationship moving forward! -deb #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/Y6p50NcfyJ
— Agorapulse (@Agorapulse) April 16, 2020
Oh, and for more great LinkedIn lessons, connect with Wendi.
Don’t forget to include a message with your invitation. Tell her how you found her and why you want to connect—not only is that a best practice, but also good manners.
That’s all from me this week. Thanks for reading, and for more insight from our conversation with Wendi, take a look at this Twitter Moment that our team member Joana put together. If you’ve got some time this Thursday, please join us for the next #TwitterSmarter chat at 1pm ET.
I hope you’re all staying safe and sane. If you’re having trouble coping in these troubling times and feel like you need someone to talk to, hit me up anytime.
Cheers, folks.
About me, Narmadhaa:
I write all things—technical and marketing copy to fill the pocket; haiku and short stories to fill the soul. A social media enthusiast, I’m a member of the #TwitterSmarter chat crew, and always happy to take on writing gigs.
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