Branding is a strategy that does not succeed through luck. It requires planning and using the right resources to create ta-da moments. One of the most effective platforms that professionals and businesses use to brand themselves is LinkedIn. How do you know if your LinkedIn profile is good or not? What are the mistakes to avoid on the platform? What will make you stand out? We’ve compiled actionable advice from Ilia Francis to help you get started.
A LinkedIn coach and public speaker with a strong focus on building brands, small businesses, and helping professionals, Ilia is also the co-founder of Hustle in Heels, an organization that helps immigrant women in the workplace.
At The Tech Effect’s Diversity in Digital – All Brands on Deck career summit in April, Ilia a.k.a the ‘LinkedIn whisperer’ joined us as a workshop facilitator. During the session, she detailed LinkedIn’s features and how they can be customized to make your skills or services stand out. It’s a prerequisite for individuals and businesses to brand themselves through LinkedIn, she says. Here’s some of her top advice:
To establish your brand, make your LinkedIn profile more visually appealing
Consider how many LinkedIn profiles exist across the web. How are you going to get your profile to stand out if it doesn’t look attractive? It only takes a few seconds for a connection to send you a message or lose interest based on how your profile looks.
First things first, a good headshot is a must
Invest the time and money in getting some professional photos taken to exhibit your brand on LinkedIn. Your profile photo will give your audience their first impression of you. It’ll be worth the effort!
Don’t forget to update your banner
Ilia strongly recommends uploading a banner image to help bring your LinkedIn profile to life. Consider uploading a picture of something meaningful like a quote or a city landmark.
Your LinkedIn profile deserves relevant keywords that describe your brand
Millions of professionals worldwide use LinkedIn, which means it has a high search ranking. It will be one of the first things people find when they search your name. However, you’ll want to get noticed by the right audience. The secret to this is to use the right keywords in your profile copy.
Sections that need keywords
Ilia shared the main sections in your LinkedIn profile that should have keywords. Those include your headline, summary, and job experience – add keywords that relate to your profession or business.
Consider the words that your audience type in their search engines. If you are pursuing a particular job, then your profile will need to have the same keywords as the job requirements. If you are a business owner, your profile will need to have the same keywords that potential consumers type when purchasing your service or product.
Make your profile more authentic and your brand more relatable
One effective strategy you can use to brand yourself is by telling your unique story. Captivate your audience and let them know about how you got to your current position. Storytelling is always effective because of the ability to connect emotionally with your audience. There are professionals that have gone through similar things to you, and they will be able to relate.
Everybody loves a good story!
Ilia’s profile has a great example of a brief, yet touching story that can grab anybody’s attention. It was only a few sentences, but it still contained enough emotions to compel an audience.
Your story will add to your personal brand and give you a unique edge that cannot be replicated.
On LinkedIn, offer help to your connections
People that support others will always be of great value. As a professional, your connections ought to know how they can benefit from your skills and background. In your summary, include how you can solve a problem for them or add value to their lives. As a business owner, a few sentences about how your products or services help others will go a long way in building your brand on LinkedIn. Be as detailed as you can and try to avoid any jargon!
Show your audience how you can support them
Remember that you have something that is in demand. Once your connections can see that you genuinely enjoy helping others, you will unlock a treasure chest of opportunities.
If you’re looking for more tips about personal branding on LinkedIn, check out our blog post on how to Revive Your LinkedIn Personal Brand With This CPR Method.