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Business branding and personal branding are now closely intertwined, especially for companies led by knowledgeable and charismatic founders. It’s thus understandable that so many entrepreneurs and C-suite-bound professionals are developing their own online personas and audiences. It’s not enough anymore to simply offer your talents to recruiters; you ideally want to package in a built-in following.
The best social platform, by far, for nurturing a personal brand is LinkedIn.
Related: Avoid These 8 Mistakes Leaders Make on LinkedIn Every Day
Having spent years as a social media consultant, I have seen firsthand how LinkedIn has become a powerful tool for executives to expand their brand’s reach and grow their digital following.
Here are some reasons company executives should be active on LinkedIn:
Build credibility and trust
LinkedIn is a professional social network and is the prime location where people go to learn more about your professional experience and skills. By creating a strong LinkedIn profile and sharing valuable content, you can build credibility and establish yourself as an expert in your industry. This can help build trust with your audience, which is essential for building your personal branding and a successful business.
Start by enabling Creator Mode on your LinkedIn account. Enabling this will give your account a follow button rather than a connect button, making it so that others will see your posted content without you having to approve every single connection request.
Creator Mode can aid you in growing your personal brand by expanding your connections and having your content reach a much larger professional audience on LinkedIn.
Expand your network
With over 700 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is a great platform for expanding your network. By connecting with other professionals in your industry, you can build relationships that can lead to new business opportunities, partnerships and collaborations. The site also allows you to join groups and discuss with like-minded professionals, which can help you learn and grow in your industry.
Be bold and add people you don’t know on LinkedIn but have mutual connections with, as growing your reach will require adding users connected to your field of work you may not know personally.
Adding your LinkedIn URL to your email signature will also direct professionals you communicate with to your page so you can make more consistent connections.
Related: 5 Tips for Creating LinkedIn Posts That Will Drive Valuable Engagement
Increase brand visibility
LinkedIn is a powerful platform for increasing your brand’s visibility. By sharing content, you can reach a wider audience and increase your brand’s reach. You can also use the popular social media network to promote your business and share updates about your company. By being active on the platform, you can ensure that your brand is top of mind for your audience.
Similar to other social media platforms, hashtags can be a crucial way to increase your personal brand’s exposure. Hashtags function the same way they do on platforms like Instagram and Twitter, and ultimately will boost your engagement and reach with every post.
There are also a handful of tricks you can utilize when using hashtags to make your posts that much more discoverable. Avoid spacing in your hashtags; for example, if you want to use the hashtag “LinkedIn Executives,” type it out as “#LinkedInExecutives.”
Don’t go crazy with the number of hashtags in a simple post; one or two per post should do the trick. Keep them short and simple, as shorter hashtags are typically more popular. You can also follow specific hashtags to ensure that specific content makes its way to your feed. You can do so by searching for a specific hashtag and tapping the “follow” button.
Nailing your personal brand and business tone of voice is also an extremely effective way to grow your personal brand, increase your company’s outreach and create loyal customers. The tone of voice can demonstrate personality and bring visual assets to life. Done correctly, it can be a valuable bulwark against negative situations and build up personality. Even if your products or services are particularly unique or different from what the market offers, that doesn’t mean your approach has to be a dime a dozen as well.
When considering what your tone of voice should be for your personal or your businesses brand, it is essential to weigh precisely how your want to come across to partners and customers both verbally and in written content, what style guides you want to follow, and how all of this will come to life in action.
Utilizing hashtags and nailing the correct tone of voice can be the difference between growing your personal brand and having it stuck in the mud.
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Attract top talent
LinkedIn is also a great platform for attracting top talent to your company. By sharing updates about your company and culture, you can showcase what makes your business unique and attract candidates who are a good fit for your organization. You can also use LinkedIn to post job openings and connect with potential candidates.
In addition to these benefits, LinkedIn is also the ideal platform for building a personal brand. Unlike other social media platforms, LinkedIn is focused on professional development and career advancement. By sharing content and engaging with your audience on the site, you can position yourself as a thought leader in your industry and build a brand that is synonymous with your business.
So, if you are a company executive looking to expand your brand’s reach, don’t overlook the power of LinkedIn. By being active on the platform, you can build credibility, expand your network, increase your brand’s visibility, and attract top talent. And by building a strong personal brand on LinkedIn, you can help ensure the long-term success of your business.