If you’ve attended an Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute training recently, you’ve probably heard me joke about my status as a “LinkedIn influencer.” It’s a title that always gets a laugh because, let’s face it, being a LinkedIn influencer sounds pretty nerdy.
Despite the humor, LinkedIn is a powerful platform for creating a personal brand. Throughout my career, my substantial LinkedIn network has been key to achieving great results. Even if you operate in a different industry, having a strong LinkedIn profile, network and presence is essential for personal branding.
Here are three essential tips for building a personal brand on LinkedIn.
Authenticity: Be Genuine and Human
One of the reasons I appreciate LinkedIn is because it allows me to be myself. LinkedIn lets you share facts, events and resources that are meaningful to you without the corporate filter. People on LinkedIn understand that they’re engaging with individuals. However, it’s important to balance authenticity with professionalism.
LinkedIn isn’t like other social media platforms; it’s not the place to rant or risk burning bridges. Always consider the brand of the organization you represent, as people often find it difficult to separate an individual from their professional identity. Despite this, LinkedIn offers more flexibility for people to feel like they are talking to you rather than a faceless entity.
Building an authentic LinkedIn presence takes time and cultivation. My personal brand has benefited from my 15+ years of experience in the economic development space. Following up with key people, checking out their LinkedIn updates and using the platform for research helps build deeper connections. Overall, my LinkedIn presence has thrived because of longevity and consistent engagement.
Defining Your Personal Brand: Know Your Values
Understanding and defining your personal brand is fundamental. LinkedIn provides many opportunities to showcase your brand through your posts, profile image, title and interactions. This doesn’t have to be an overly complicated exercise.
Start by identifying your key values—the principles you bring to every position you hold. What do you care about most? How do you integrate these values into every aspect of your LinkedIn profile? Conveying your values consistently helps build a recognizable and reliable personal brand.
Many professional tools exist if you’re really interested in defining your core values. If you take a look at my LinkedIn, hopefully it will be no surprise to you that I value trust, quality, impact and joy. You’ll see all the things that have shown up for me on tools like Strength Finders, Meyers Briggs and quizzes about my spirit animal (which is a labrador retriever for those of you interested).
Listening and Engaging: Foster Meaningful Interactions
A successful LinkedIn personal brand is as much about listening as talking. Many local leaders have established their brands by posting thoughtful content that sparks conversation. Not every post needs a photo of the latest event you attended. Instead, share the knowledge you gained and pose questions to encourage interaction.
Authentic engagement is crucial. Comment thoughtfully on others’ posts, start meaningful conversations and listen to your LinkedIn community. By doing so, you present a genuine personal brand that resonates with people over time. While LinkedIn is a professional platform, remember that people seek authentic interactions. The more you engage authentically, the more powerful your brand will become.
Finding the best time and day to post on LinkedIn can help you reach more people and boost engagement. Since you’re investing valuable time into growing your personal brand on the platform, tracking when your posts perform best is key. By combining insights from other LinkedIn members with your own data, you can make smarter decisions about content creation and scheduling.
A Tool for Lifelong Networking
Relationships are everything in a professional career. LinkedIn is a tool that helps build and maintain these connections across time and space. It’s a platform where you can define your professional goals and showcase your journey. At different points in my career, I have been an entrepreneur, worked for organizations and taken on specific passion projects. LinkedIn has given me the opportunity to take the relationships I built at each point with me as I step into new phases of my professional journey.
LinkedIn is just another communication tool—one of many that should be used in a way that works best for you.
While I may not receive free offers to Coachella or the latest skincare products because of my LinkedIn presence, I believe I can help more entrepreneurs and reach a broader audience by leveraging this platform. To me, that impact is more powerful than any concert ticket, even if it’s admittedly less cool. I’d rather hang out with entrepreneurs anyway.
LinkedIn is a powerful platform for building a personal brand, regardless of your industry. By being authentic, defining your values, and engaging meaningfully, you can create a LinkedIn presence that enhances your career and entrepreneurial endeavors. As we navigate an increasingly interconnected world, using LinkedIn effectively can open doors, create opportunities, and build lasting professional relationships. Starting with in-person connections is a great first step, and then nurturing those relationships on LinkedIn is a solid strategy. Begin by attending an Edson E+I event and build from there.
So, take the plunge. Embrace authenticity and start growing your LinkedIn personal brand today.
