It’s obvious to most business professionals that having a LinkedIn profile is an essential step for building your personal brand online. In this article, we’ll provide 10 little known LinkedIn branding techniques that can take your LinkedIn marketing efforts to the next level.
This includes maximizing your reach and engagement, and unlocking new opportunities for your professional growth and success.
Before you use these little known LinkedIn branding techniques, it’s important that you thoroughly create your profile to display your skills, experience, and accomplishments.
Creating a great LinkedIn brand can help you to stand out from the competition when looking to connect on LinkedIn.
When you reach out, it’s important to make a great first impression. A LinkedIn profile best practices checklist is at the end of this article, as well as an FAQ section.
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10 Little Known LinkedIn Branding Techniques
Utilize LinkedIn's "Open to Work" feature
If you're actively looking for job opportunities, enable the "Open to Work" feature in your LinkedIn profile settings. This LinkedIn branding techniques signals to recruiters and hiring managers that you're open to new opportunities, increasing your visibility and chances of being contacted.
Take advantage of LinkedIn Pulse
LinkedIn Pulse is a publishing platform that allows you to share long-form articles, blog posts, and industry insights. Publishing high-quality content regularly can establish you as a thought leader, expand your reach, and attract a relevant audience.
Use Boolean search operators
When searching for specific professionals or opportunities on LinkedIn, use Boolean search operators such as "AND," "OR," and "NOT" to refine your search. This helps you find more targeted results and discover hidden opportunities within the platform. The following is list to help you:
AND: This operator narrows down your search by requiring both keywords to be present in the search results. Example: entrepreneur AND startup
OR: This operator broadens your search by including results that contain either of the keywords. Example: entrepreneur OR founder
NOT: This operator excludes specific keywords from your search results. Example: entrepreneur NOT small business
Quotation Marks (" "): Use quotation marks to search for an exact phrase. Example: "serial entrepreneur"
Parentheses ( ): Use parentheses to group related search terms and control the logical order of operations. Example: (entrepreneur OR founder) AND "venture capital"
Asterisk (*): Use an asterisk as a wildcard to represent unknown or multiple characters within a word. Example: entreprene* (This will include results for "entrepreneur," "entrepreneurship," etc.)
Hashtag (#): Use a hashtag to search for specific hashtags in user profiles or posts. Example: #startuplife
Site: Use the "site:" operator to limit your search to a specific website or domain. Example: site:linkedin.com entrepreneur
Utilize LinkedIn's Advanced Search
This LinkedIn branding technique using LinkedIn's Advanced Search feature provides powerful filters to narrow down your search results based on various criteria like location, industry, company size, and more. This can help you find potential clients, partners, or job opportunities that align with your specific goals.
Utilize LinkedIn's Advanced Search
LinkedIn's Advanced Search feature provides powerful filters to narrow down your search results based on various criteria like location, industry, company size, and more. This can help you find potential clients, partners, or job opportunities that align with your specific goals.
Join and actively participate in LinkedIn Groups
Engaging in LinkedIn Groups relevant to your industry or interests is one of the important LinkedIn branding techniques. They can expand your network and position you as an authority in your field. Share valuable insights, contribute to discussions, and connect with like-minded professionals to build meaningful relationships.
Create a LinkedIn Company Page
If you own a business, setting up a LinkedIn Company Page allows you to showcase your brand, share updates, and attract followers. Optimize the page with relevant keywords, engaging content, and regular updates to maximize its visibility and reach.
Use LinkedIn's Sales Navigator
LinkedIn's Sales Navigator is a premium tool specifically designed for sales professionals. It provides advanced search filters, lead recommendations, and real-time insights to help you identify and engage with potential prospects more effectively.
Incorporate rich media in your profile and posts
Enhance your profile and posts by adding rich media such as videos, infographics, and SlideShares. Visual content grabs attention and makes your profile or posts more engaging, increasing the chances of attracting views, engagement, and connections.
Analyze LinkedIn analytics
LinkedIn provides analytics tools that offer insights into your profile, content performance, and audience engagement. Regularly monitor these analytics to understand what works best for you, identify trends, and optimize your LinkedIn marketing strategy accordingly.
Foundational LinkedIn activities to help build your personal brand
Before you use the LinkedIn branding techniques, follow these steps to ensure that you maximize your return when engaging on the LinkedIn platform. These are the foundation to have implemented before using the little known LinkedIn branding techniques.
- Optimizing your LinkedIn profile to create a strong first impression.
- Crafting engaging content that showcases your expertise and resonates with your audience.
- Building a network of industry professionals and thought leaders.
- Leveraging keywords and SEO to improve your visibility in search results.
- Engaging with others by liking, commenting, and sharing relevant content.
- Showcasing your achievements and projects to highlight your capabilities.
- Participating in LinkedIn communities to network and gain industry insights.
FAQs
To design your LinkedIn profile, start by selecting a professional profile picture and a visually appealing background photo. Craft a compelling headline that highlights your expertise and value.
Write a concise and engaging summary that showcases your skills, achievements, and career objectives. Add relevant work experience, education, and certifications.
Utilize the featured section to highlight projects, publications, or media. Include skills, endorsements, and recommendations. Finally, review and optimize your profile for searchability.
When designing a LinkedIn post, focus on creating compelling and informative content. Use a captivating headline to grab attention. Include relevant images, videos, or infographics to enhance engagement.
Write clear and concise text that delivers value to the reader. Use bullet points or numbered lists to make the content more scannable. Add relevant hashtags to increase visibility. Proofread your post for any errors before publishing. Monitor engagement and respond to comments or messages promptly.
LinkedIn marketing works by utilizing the platform's advertising options, content-sharing features, and networking capabilities to reach a professional audience. Businesses can create targeted ads based on demographics, job titles, or industries.
They can share informative and engaging content to establish thought leadership and build brand awareness. LinkedIn also offers lead generation tools to capture and nurture leads. Analytics and metrics help measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and make data-driven decisions.
Yes, including your LinkedIn profile URL on your resume is beneficial. It allows potential employers or recruiters to review your profile for more detailed information about your qualifications, work experience, and professional network. Ensure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date and optimized before including it on your resume.
To design your LinkedIn banner, choose a visually appealing and relevant image that represents your personal brand or professional industry. Ensure the image is of high quality and properly sized to fit the banner dimensions.
Consider using graphics, your logo, or tagline to enhance your brand identity. Keep the design clean, simple, and visually appealing. Test the banner on different devices to ensure it appears well across various screen sizes.
LinkedIn helps marketing by providing a platform to connect with a professional audience, build brand awareness, and generate leads. It offers targeted advertising options to reach specific demographics or industries.
LinkedIn's content-sharing features enable businesses to share valuable industry insights and establish thought leadership. It also provides tools to measure and analyze campaign performance, allowing marketers to make data-driven decisions and refine their marketing strategies.
To build your brand on LinkedIn, start by optimizing your profile to reflect your personal brand identity. Share valuable and engaging content that showcases your expertise and provides value to your audience.
Actively engage with your network by liking, commenting, and sharing relevant content. Participate in LinkedIn groups and discussions to network with industry peers. Personalize connection requests and messages to establish meaningful relationships. Continuously monitor and refine your brand strategy based on feedback and analytics.
Yes, it is recommended to include your LinkedIn profile URL on your business card. This allows people you meet to easily connect with you on LinkedIn and learn more about your professional background. It provides an additional way to showcase your expertise and expand your professional network.
LinkedIn badges appear on your profile and can be added to your LinkedIn profile section called "Certifications." This section allows you to showcase your professional certifications, courses, or achievements.
By adding badges to this section, you can provide visual recognition of your accomplishments and demonstrate your expertise in specific areas. Visitors to your profile will be able to view and verify your certifications, adding credibility to your professional profile.
Next Steps
Brand Velocity provides the Brand Velocity Program, which provides an affordable comprehensive training program and access to vetted technical resources to help you to build your personal brand online.
The training includes how to effectively use ChatGPT correctly to build topical authority. This communicates both authority and trust with Google and potential customers.
You can see the program and course modules on the Brand Velocity Program page.
Additional Articles
Ignite Your Success: Advanced Secrets of Personal Branding for Entrepreneurs in 2023
Maximizing Your Impact: Personal Branding and Thought Leadership for Entrepreneurial Growth in 2023
Cracking the Code: The Key to Balancing Personal and Professional Branding on Social Media in 2023
Elevate Your Artistic Journey: Mastering Personal Branding for Artists and Creatives in 2023
Brand Velocity and the Brand Velocity Program can help you to build your personal brand online. This can help you to achieve authority and trust with both Google and potential customers.