Our Simple Step-by-Step Guide on How to Create a Personal Brand on LinkedIn

We’re here to talk about personal branding. Yes, everyone’s been banging on about it over LinkedIn for months now but not gonna lie, it does actually work. So if you’ve been thinking about jumping on the bandwagon, do it … before it’s too late. It’s all about using LinkedIn effectively and we’re here to tell ya just how to do this.

In today's B2B landscape, the lines between personal and professional branding are not just blurring; they're merging. As we step into 2024, understanding the dynamics of personal identity and its influence on professional interactions has never been more crucial. Let's dive into why personal content is mega, how your profile can outshine your business page, and navigate the ever-evolving LinkedIn arena.

Step 1: Define Your Why and Your Who

Before anything else, clarity on your purpose and audience is fu*king important:

• Your Why: What are your goals on LinkedIn? Identify whether it's for job opportunities, sales, networking, or building thought leadership.

• Your Who: Envision your ideal audience. Understanding who you're speaking to ensures your messaging is targeted and impactful.

Step 2: Profile Overhaul Time

Raising your profile is really the bare minimum. This is where people make their first impressions on you and what you offer. Hate to break it to you girls and boys but … LinkedIn is a bit like Tinder to begin with. Bet you’re thinking WTF right? 🤣 But basically it’s all about looks when you first start off, which is why you need to make sure you’re nailing all these profile optimisations.

• Captivating Headline: Go beyond your job title. Repeat after us – You are more than your job. Craft a headline that's a bit spicy. Something that sets you apart from the other boring profiles.

• Engaging Summary: Your summary should narrate your professional journey and aspirations. It’s your chance to tell your story, why you do what you do, and why the fu*k people should care.

Professional Pic: Choose a photo that reflects your professional persona while showcasing your personality. We love a good candid shot. 👇

Step 3: What Makes You 'You'?

How you look, what you value, how you speak, and how you behave is your brand. Branding is what people buy into before they buy your product. So guess what? If they buy into you, they will buy from you right? It makes perfect sense and it’s not that fu*king hard either. Our personal identities shape our perspectives, values, and the way we connect with the world. In the B2B realm, these personal touches transform sh*t corporate interactions into meaningful business relationships. LinkedIn is unmatched when it comes to promoting your business. Personal content brings authenticity and trust into the equation, making it a cornerstone of modern B2B marketing. We always say that your job title is literally the least interesting thing about you. Think about what makes you different … and think fu*king hard. We’ve had chats with clients before that only 2-hours into a conversation will drop a bomb about something mega interesting about them. What might not be interesting to you, probably is for other people. Take a step back and detach yourself from your own narrative. Think about what you can bring to the table.

Step 4: Start Sharing Mega Content

New to LinkedIn? Then you might not know that content is the real sh*t on LinkedIn. Make yours count. Here’s how we think you should manage your content. Make use of these three pillars: professional, personal and industry-related content.

Professional Content: Showcase Your Expertise

This isn’t just about where you've worked or what you've done; it's about showcasing your thought leadership and unique value proposition. Share insights on challenges you've overcome, projects you've led, and innovations you're exploring. Highlighting your achievements and expertise helps establish your authority and credibility in your field.

How to Do It: Write articles or posts that solve common problems in your industry, share case studies, or offer a behind-the-scenes look at your professional journey. People live for content that is relatable. If you’re using LinkedIn for business development, get your team to share their experiences and insights related to your company culture, such as flexible working arrangements, pet-friendly offices, or the emphasis on work-life balance. This type of content does double duty: it showcases your company as a progressive, employee-first workplace, and it puts a human face on your brand. Result? It’s just mega for your brand.

Personal Content: Connect on a Human Level

People buy from people. Personal content lets your network see the person behind the professional. This doesn't mean sharing every detail of your personal life. Instead, it's about letting your personality shine through stories, experiences, or passions that relate back to your professional identity in some way.

How to Do It: Taking a weekend trip to Milan for the weekend? Share it and relate it back to the benefits of freelancing or having weekends off in your job. Are you an early riser and gym before getting into the office? Talk about how this sets your day off right for your job and discuss the priorities behind focusing on mental health. Why? Because it’s all relatable. It might also motivate some other gal or boy to follow suit in changing their morning routine. It doesn’t always need to be work-related. Just make sure it will add value though. The key is to be authentic and relatable.

Industry-Related Content: Be a Go-To Resource

Staying ahead of industry trends and news makes you a valuable resource to your connections. By commenting on relevant industry news, you position yourself as an insider who's plugged into the pulse of your field. This type of content not only adds value to your network but also sparks meaningful discussions and keeps you top of mind. Even among those LinkedIn lurkers 👀.

How to Do It: Share relevant news articles with your take on them, write about sh*thot trends, or offer predictions about the future of your industry. Why? You’re gonna get the conversation flowing which is exactly what you want. Ask your network for their thoughts or experiences related to the topic and watch the engagement go.

Balancing these three content pillars: professional, personal, and industry-related, ensures your LinkedIn profile is not just a stale pile of 💩. You want to show people who you are and what you bring to the table. By managing your content with these goals in mind, you'll not only stand out on LinkedIn but also build a personal brand that's both respected and relatable.

Step 5: Build Your LinkedIn Community

Networking on LinkedIn is about quality connections:

• Quality Over Quantity: Connect with individuals who align with your professional goals and can contribute to meaningful exchanges.

• Be Selective: It's okay to decline connections that don’t align with your brand. There are plenty of di*kheads out there that you don’t need. Your network should reflect your professional world.

Step 6: Regularly Review and Refresh

Your personal brand is an ongoing project, it requires a bit of maintenance.

Update Your Profile: Keep your profile dynamic by updating it with new skills, achievements, and experiences. If you’re 30 now, a picture of when you were 15 will not cut it, sorry. No one likes getting old but you need to just get on with it lads. 🧓

Content Audit: Regularly assess the performance of your content. More of what works, less of what doesn’t.

Step 7: Beating the LinkedIn Algorithm

What really winds us up is that people really over-complicate the LinkedIn algorithm. It’s not that fu*king hard. It just requires you to be consistent with your engagement, posting times, and activity on the platform. You need to make sure your content continues to be relevant. Don’t just post and ghost. That’ll fu*k with your engagement big time. Regular posting and interaction will amplify your visibility and impact.

Here, you're not just building a brand. By following these steps, you set the stage for a personal brand that resonates, engages, and leads in the LinkedIn landscape. It’s time to start now before every Tom, Dick and Harry gets involved.

You feeling ready to elevate your LinkedIn presence with a personal brand that breaks through the sh*t? We offer LinkedIn training and management services to those who just don’t have the time to do it. We got your back. Let's work together.