How to get noticed on LinkedIn and consequently get results to grow your business? This is what Michelle Griffin taught in our November 2021 event of the international Powerful Mastermind Club. Michelle is among the top 1% of LinkedIn Content Creators. She is a Certified International Personal Brand Strategist, Credentialed Digital Marketer & Copywriter. She is the founder of BRANDthority and the Host of The Business of You Show, which is a LinkedIn Live show. Here's the recap of her presentation.
Are you missing out on bigger opportunities?
Not being active on LinkedIn may mean that you are missing out on some serious business opportunities. Putting yourself out there may be scary, but we cannot stay stuck in our comfort zones.
We need to access our growth zone. And the growth zone is where we get out there, we become visible, credible and recognized, so that we can grow our brands and our business. If you're not out there, people don't know you, so how can they know you can help them?
One of the reasons why LinkedIn is so amazing is that it's not your digital resume, it's your digital reputation.
The world does business on LinkedIn. That's where people go to check you and your business out. Another reason why this is so important is because having a profile on LinkedIn boosts your findability on Google. If you don't have a profile on LinkedIn, you're denying yourself the opportunity to be found.
LinkedIn is no longer just a recruiter site, they have evolved into creator mode. People are in there building brands, sharing content, becoming thought leaders, and most importantly, building communities. LinkedIn can be your business card and your blog, you can do articles and even newsletters on LinkedIn, you can get on LinkedIn live, and so much more. So, it's definitely an asset to take advantage of for absolutely free!
There are 800 million members on LinkedIn and roughly 310 million of them are active (meaning that they log in from time to time), and out of those only 3 million share content actively. This means that the possibility to get organic reach is huge!
Personal branding roadblocks
Many people are afraid of being active on LinkedIn for the following reasons:
The key is to flip the switch with your internal monologue: yes, a personal brand is about you. But it's not for you, it's for others.
If you have this amazing service or product that you know changes lives, transforms people, then it is almost your duty to get out there and not stay hidden. You just need to personalize yourself (to differ from competitors) and put content out there that helps people. And that's what a personal brand is about: people want to do business with people that they know and trust.
How to get started with personal branding on LinkedIn?
- Start by building your personal brand foundation. If you don't have clarity on who you are, what you do, when you do it, for whom you do it and why you do it, it will be confusing for both you and your audience. When you have clarity, it really translates into everything else you do and it connects every piece of content that you put out there.
- Construct a well-branded headline and profile so that people can easily connect with you.
- Work on regular content creation as this is fuel for your brand.
- Comment on other people's posts. You will get on people's radars by commenting on their posts. The law of reciprocity applies here: the more you give, the more comes back to you on LinkedIn.
- Reach out to people and make connection requests.
- Form relationships by having conversations. You don't have to be salesy. You can sell without selling on LinkedIn. And it al starts just by having conversations!
- Build your community on LinkedIn.
PS! If you struggle with gainig clarity on how to stand out, then remember, there's always a way to be differentiated because we all are unique. No one else has your background, your point of view or your perspective! When you define what you do, be as simple and easy to understand as possible. Often what happens is that we try to overcomplicate, use jargon, spin things out, because we think it makes us look smart. But at the end of the day, our biggest competition is the noisy marketplace. And if people don't understand, they won't bother to find out more.
What should you pay attention to on your LinkedIn profile?
Check out this anatomy of a well-branded profile on LinkedIn below. Make sure to focus on your picture, headline, summary, background image (branded banner) and contact information.
PS! Don't forget about the "Featured" section that should highlight your biggest achievements or main CTA-s (e.g. book a free call). Make sure that your work experience, education, certifications etc. are all up to date as this is the place where you build authority.
Curious to find out more?
Access the full recording and slides from Michelle's presentation by logging into our members area HERE.
PS! Don't forget to sign up to our upcoming Powerful Mastermind Club events as each time we have a guest expert presentation on a new topic!
