If you’re a member of LinkedIn, you’ve probably noticed how C-level executives are using the platform to grow social media interactions for their businesses.

How are they doing it? The key is to develop and nurture a personal brand that features your professional credentials and unique reputation, and use it as a persuasive marketing tool that highlights your company, organization, or business.

What Is a Personal Brand?

Your personal brand is more than just your job title. It’s your identity as a professional in your career of choice. It’s an authentic image of you that paints the best possible picture of your business strengths, natural talents, career accomplishments, and thought leadership. It distinguishes you from your peers and others in the business world.

Your personal brand is also influenced by:

• People’s opinions of you as a leader in your chosen field and industry.
• The interests you have, the associations you make, and the causes you champion publicly.
• The associations other people make about you as a result.

Your personal brand acts as a powerful vehicle to communicate all of this good stuff about you to the world. It’s all out there — and it’s not only working for you. Your personal brand is how to grow interactions on social media, yes. But it can also help to impress potential work partners and attract more business to your industry, organization, company, and cause. (By the way, this strategy has worked brilliantly for Angela Pointon and 11outof11).

Create a Brand Vision For Yourself

Just like your company envisioned the essence of a new product or service, you need to soul-search your professional life and write a vision for your personal brand. Start by asking yourself these questions:

• What are your top strengths?
• What are you passionate about? 
• What are you known for in your industry?
• What personality traits serve you best?
• How do you want to be thought of by others?
• What are your unique talents and skills?
• How would you describe your image?
• What do you love about your organization, company, or business?
• In the last 10 years of work experience, what are the most important achievements you’ve accomplished?

From your answers, you can craft a well-rounded vision of your personal brand that can also attract attention and interest in your business.

Tips for Improving Your LinkedIn Profile

Many professionals say their personal brand is the most compelling reason for their success. So do a complete overhaul of your current profile if you’ve ignored it for years. Here are more ways to grow interactions on social media with a personal brand profile.

• Don’t leave your profile incomplete. Update it periodically with new information that helps to distinguish you in the workplace.
• Use storytelling to draw people in and encourage them to learn more.
• Re-write your ‘About’ section in the first person. Personal reveals are much more engaging for your audience because they’re relatable.
• Re-write your ‘Professional Experience’ section in the third person. Include factual information that is achieved through the actions you take to get results (i.e. actions = results).
• Pay attention to recommendations, which help shape your professional reputation. Ask a few trusted colleagues or partners to write you a professional recommendation for LinkedIn. Let them know what you’d like them to cover. Avoid writing the recommendation for them, though. A few words written in their own voice are the most authentic.
• Spend some time creating hashtags for yourself. For instance, Angela Pointon’s LinkedIn profile includes “Talks about #hubspot, #marketing, #contentmarketing, #inboundmarketing, and #hubspotsolutionspartner.”

11outof11 Knows Social Media Content Strategy

When you’re ready to integrate personal brand content on your business social media platforms to grow engagement, connect with 11outof11. Request a complimentary call with an 11outof11 expert. Contact us to learn more.