Build a personal brand on LinkedIn: proven strategies & pitfalls to avoid

LinkedIn is fast becoming a popular channel for networking and lead generation. It’s increasingly being used by business leaders to demonstrate their organisation’s capabilities and to build their personal brand. However, whilst LinkedIn offers vast opportunities for personal branding and networking, it also presents unique challenges that can hinder its effectiveness.

Stay tuned as we cover the most common pitfalls leaders face when it comes to building or enhancing their personal brand, and best practice tips for using LinkedIn.

The pitfalls of building a personal brand on LinkedIn

11 Inconsistent posting

We’ve all done it – started out on a new path or routine with great gusto, but very quickly our best intentions fall by the wayside, and we soon push it down the list of priorities. This is incredibly common but can affect your success. Similarly, posting insightful, engaging comment but then not posting again for another year will not deliver the results you’d hoped for. To build credibility, you need to gain momentum through regular posting.

22 Self-promotion

Let’s be honest, no-one likes someone who talks about themselves all the time. And you certainly won’t seek them out to follow on LinkedIn. Talking solely about your successes, your challenges and limiting content to your own personal experiences can hugely limit the relevancy of the content but also – dare I say it – bore the life out of your readers.

33Promotional content

No-one likes to feel sold to. Too much promotional content will turn your LinkedIn profile into one giant advert and switch people off almost immediately. People want to engage, follow and interact with peers on the platform and form their own opinions about your organisation and its services without it being forced upon them. Don’t risk being blocked from the outset.

4Broadcast mode

Picture this. Leaders create a raft of relevant, engaging content. Tick. They have a broad, engaged audience. Tick. Their content resonates with their peers and prospects and sparks debate and conversation on their posts. Tick. What could go wrong? The leader doesn’t engage. They’ve simply pushed out the content – essentially broadcasting outward – and then don’t check back in to see how it’s been received, or to respond to comments. Very quickly, it will become apparent that the leader is simply aiming to build their personal brand but has little interest in the thoughts and opinions of their industry peers.

Best practice for building a personal brand on LinkedIn

11 Create a robust content calendar

A well-planned content calendar can help to maintain a consistent posting schedule, ensuring that you are regularly engaging your audience with fresh, relevant content. It is this consistency that is key to building a loyal following and enhancing brand visibility.

22 Strike the right balance

While it’s important to promote corporate achievements and milestones, it’s vital that you also focus on providing real value to your audience through your posts. Sharing industry insights, offering personal advice, or discussing emerging trends or legislation that affect your industry will demonstrate your knowledge and capabilities and, in turn, help to draw attention to your organisation and its services.

33Authenticity is key

Actively engaging with your network through responding to comments, participating in discussions, and supporting other people’s content builds trust and demonstrates your authentic self. Truly authentic engagement not only enhances a leader’s visibility but also fosters genuine relationships within the personal community.

Enhancing engagement and overcoming obstacles using LinkedIn: A case study

Client Profile: Ambitious and growing tech company, currently in the process of repositioning.

Challenge: Our client, an innovative SME tech business, faced the challenge of enhancing the personal branding of their senior executives on LinkedIn. Despite their growth and ambition, they struggled to gain the visibility and engagement necessary to position themselves as industry leaders.

Solution: We deployed Catalyst, our executive profiling service, designed to elevate the LinkedIn presence of senior executives. By crafting a strategic and engaging content plan, we aimed to significantly boost their reach and engagement on the platform.

Results

Impressions: Increased the reach of one Group MD’s LinkedIn profile by an impressive 690% in six months. Impressions soared from 15,768 in the previous six months to 124,529.

Engagement: Achieved a 659% increase in Likes, Comments, and Shares. Engagement metrics rose from 269 to 2,043.

Followers: Boosted the Group MD’s follower count by 141%.

Opportunities: Remarkably, 25% of their business opportunities are now being generated via LinkedIn.

By leveraging Catalyst, we successfully transformed the LinkedIn presence of our client’s senior executives. This not only enhanced their personal brand but also drove tangible business opportunities. These results underscore the power of a well-executed LinkedIn strategy in amplifying visibility and fostering meaningful engagement.

There are many different, nuanced ways of enhancing your personal brand through LinkedIn, but it’s crucial for leaders to understand both what they are trying to achieve, as well as the best way to achieve it.

Working with a personal branding specialist to guide you through the process – supporting with content creation and advising on industry topics that will resonate with your audience – can take a lot of the pressure off when it comes to dodging the potential pitfalls.

Leaders must continuously monitor their LinkedIn strategies and be willing to adapt to changes to stay ahead of the competition. Staying informed about new features and best practices can help them maintain an effective and engaging LinkedIn presence.