LinkedIn is today's cornerstone social media platform for professionals and professional networking at all levels and for most industries. This makes it an essential place to be for leaders or those looking to become leaders in their fields.
For upper-level decision-makers in larger enterprises, leveraging LinkedIn personal branding isn't just a value-add; it's an increasing strategic necessity. So, let's talk about the importance of personal branding on LinkedIn and how it can be a game-changer for professionals at the helm of business decisions.
What is LinkedIn personal branding?
LinkedIn personal branding is about crafting and managing your professional identity online. It's a way to showcase your expertise, values, and leadership qualities to a network that includes peers, industry leaders, and potential business partners.
Here's why you should do more of it:
1. Build credibility and trust
A well-cultivated LinkedIn profile establishes credibility. By sharing insights, achievements, and endorsements, decision-makers can develop a public image that connects with others in their industry.
While many CEOs and influential company managers prefer to keep themselves out of the spotlight, many of the most successful companies have profited tremendously from having a prominent face representing their company on social media.
People are more popular than companies, especially larger ones, so this is your chance to give your company that human touch and demonstrate that the people behind the curtain are just people like anyone else.
2. Expanding professional networks
This one should be fairly obvious. LinkedIn personal branding on opens doors to new connections, partnerships, and opportunities that might otherwise remain inaccessible. If we embrace the mindset that all employees are in sales, even the C-suite can play its part in driving conversions, whether it is done directly or via soft power.
3. Influencing industry conversations
As a decision-maker, your viewpoints can influence industry trends. LinkedIn provides a platform to voice opinions, share insights, and contribute meaningfully to relevant conversations, and personal branding means developing yourself as a stand-out member of this community.
4. Talent Attraction and Retention
A strong personal brand on LinkedIn can also be a beacon for attracting top talent. It reflects the culture and values of your organization, making it more appealing to prospective employees.
Read more about how our client HDI was able to use Social Share for their employees on LinkedIn to increase sales in our HDI success story.
How to do personal branding on LinkedIn
To maximize the benefits of LinkedIn personal branding, consider these best practices:
- Optimize your profile: Ensure your profile is complete, professional, and reflects your current roles and achievements. This is as true for leaders as it is for interns.
- Content is king: Share valuable content regularly. This could be articles, thought leadership pieces, or industry insights.
- Engage actively: Interact with other profiles, join relevant groups, and participate in discussions to increase your visibility and network. This point cannot be overstated; engagement is the true pathway to value on social media.
- Endorsements and recommendations: Seek endorsements and recommendations to add authenticity to your skills and experiences. While the size of a company's social media following is not usually its most valuable KPI, social proof on personal LinkedIn profiles can be extremely valuable in establishing credibility. Like it or not, social media is a popularity contest.
How Facelift now supports LinkedIn personal branding
With Facelift, managing your personal brand on LinkedIn has become more streamlined and effective than ever before. In our most recent product update, we released support for personal profile management.
This means that not only can your business put its best foot forward with its page, so can you and your team.
This addition means decision-makers can now manage their personal and professional brand identities more effectively, all within a single platform.
It also means that your social media team can help construct and guide messages and content for your employees, simplifying their own lives and ensuring that they represent the company.
Read all about the changes to Facelift and how it lets you take LinkedIn Personal branding to the next level right here in our product update.
Conclusion
For stakeholders, employees, and members of the C-suite, LinkedIn personal branding is not just beneficial; it's imperative. And, the larger your enterprise, the more important it becomes to stand out.
With Facelift, use your LinkedIn personal branding to build trust, expand your networks, influence industry dynamics, and attract talent.
Curious to know more? Schedule a demo with our product experts and find out how Facelift can improve your success on social, no matter which platforms you're on or what your social media strategy is.
