When it comes to our personal brand, LinkedIn often comes up.
We are told we should post, like, and share.
Yet, what does this really mean?
The answer is hidden in your “why”.
We focus on our personal brand for different reasons.
To reinforce our strengths.
Search for a new job.
Become a thought leader in our field.
Shift a perception about our interests and capabilities.
Promote our business – from a freelancer to a Fortune 100 employee.
The answer to why we are posting on LinkedIn drives our approach.
Starting to More Advanced
Below are ideas for a progression of LinkedIn posting, ordered from the simplest to the more complex.
Engage with Others’ Content (Easy to Start)
- Like: Start by liking posts that align with your interests or values.
- Comment: Add thoughtful comments to posts to start building visibility and relationships.
- Share: Reshare valuable content from others, adding your perspective to the post.
Build Engagement and Connections
- Ask Questions: Pose simple questions on your feed or in comments
- Polls: Create LinkedIn polls to gather insights or opinions, which often drive engagement.
- Community Interaction: Reply to comments on your posts to foster dialogue.
Share Your Expertise and Journey
- Document, Don’t Create: Share day-to-day insights, milestones, or lessons learned.
- Teach: Post actionable tips, how-tos, or industry insights that solve a common problem.
- Share Proof: Highlight results, case studies, or testimonials that establish your credibility.
Develop a Personal Brand
- Show Personality: Inject humor, anecdotes, or unique perspectives into your posts.
- Inspire: Share motivational stories or reflections that resonate emotionally.
- Vulnerability: Be open about challenges or lessons learned to build authenticity.
Create Consistent, Strategic Content
- Use themes like Educate, Entertain, and Engage to diversify your content and keep it fresh.
- Follow The 3 C’s: Build Community: Engage consistently. Maintain Consistency: Post regularly to stay visible. Share high-quality Content that aligns with your goals.
Amplify Your Reach
- Use Hashtags: Add relevant hashtags to your posts to increase discoverability.
- Tagging: Tag individuals or companies (strategically) to expand your audience.
- Timing and Trends: Post during peak engagement times or align your content with trending topics for greater visibility.
Foster Advanced Engagement
- Host Discussions: Start conversations on complex or thought-provoking topics.
- Collaborate: Partner with others for joint posts, interviews, or co-created content.
- Create a Series: Develop a recurring content series on a particular theme.
Posting “Formulas”
There are many thought leaders out there promoting formulas we can use to strategically plan our LinkedIn posting.
Below are just a few that might inspire you to learn more about or give a try.
Like, Share, Create – Justin Welsh (LinkedIn Creator and Business Consultant)
- Like: Engage with others’ content by liking their posts.
- Share: Share valuable posts from others to amplify their reach
- Create: Consistently post original content to establish your expertise
Proof, Prowess, Personality – Katelyn Bourgoin (Marketing Strategist)
- Proof: Share case studies, testimonials, or results that build credibility.
- Prowess: Demonstrate skills through insights, frameworks, or thought leadership.
- Personality: Inject your unique perspective, tone, or humor.
Document, Don’t Create – Gary Vaynerchuk (Entrepreneur and Social Media Strategist)
- Share your journey by documenting your daily activities, challenges, and successes, rather than crafting polished, overly curated posts.
Content Buckets: Educate, Entertain, Engage – Richard van der Blom and others.
- Educate: Provide value by sharing tips, tutorials, or industry insights.
- Entertain: Use humor, storytelling, or lighthearted content to capture attention.
- Engage: Create polls, ask questions, or start discussions to foster interaction.
Value, Vulnerability, Visibility – Danielle Dempsey (LinkedIn Creator and Leadership Coach)
- Value: Share actionable insights, tips, or resources that benefit your audience.
- Vulnerability: Show authenticity by sharing personal challenges or lessons learned.
- Visibility: Use trends, hashtags, and tagging to ensure your content is seen
Teach, Inspire, Ask – Ali Abdaal (YouTuber and Productivity Coach)
- Teach: Provide educational or how-to content that solves a problem.
- Inspire: Share motivational stories or ideas that resonate emotionally.
- Ask: End your posts with a question or call-to-action to prompt engagement.
The 3 C’s: Community, Consistency, Content – Leah Neaderthal (LinkedIn Sales Coach)
- Community: Engage with your network by commenting and building relationships.
- Consistency: Post regularly to remain top-of-mind.
- Content: Focus on quality over quantity, ensuring every post aligns with your personal or professional brand.
Your Turn
Do you use LinkedIn to promote your personal brand?
What techniques are you currently using?
Which of the formulas or ideas in this post inspire you?