A Guide to Building Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn

If you’re over 50 years old and looking for a job, the world can be a scary place. There are times when you might feel like you’re even swimming against the current. A LinkedIn Personal branding can be like trying to push through a current with a motorboat.

As a newcomer to this network, it can be overwhelming at first. Which is the best way to get started? Is it possible to build your own personal brand with the tools available to you?

You are known by your personal brand. Like Apple, you recognize its slick, easy-to-use design.

Likewise, you must project an image that is easy to understand and engaging. A brand is exactly that. The brand lets people know what you are all about.

LinkedIn plays an important role here. Creating your brand on LinkedIn is by far the most effective method of establishing yourself.

A good reason to brand yourself on LinkedIn

You can start building your personal brand right away on LinkedIn since most of its features are free of charge.

If you’re just starting out with your own brand, that can be music to your ears. It’s true that there are paid features, but you can still accomplish a great deal without them.

LinkedIn offers much more than its cost-effective features

LinkedIn is far ahead of its competitors as a business-focused social media network. It’s a network dedicated to helping businesses establish their brands, connect with prospects, and stand out from the crowd

LinkedIn continues to improve its user experience and add new features all the time.

Let’s now discuss more specifically what features and strategies you must employ in order to build your personal brand on LinkedIn.

Using LinkedIn to build your personal brand

Create an eye-catching cover photo

Your profile’s cover photo is the next visual element. You can express your brand’s personality through this background image.

Identify something that represents what your brand stands for or something you are particularly proud of.

A picture of a calculator, for instance, might be appropriate if you’re an accountant. I’ve included an image of the book jacket here if you’ve recently published a book.

You can also include a candid picture of you on stage if you’ve spoken publicly. Whether you want to make it fun and quirky or straight-forward and serious, it’s up to you

Create a Search Engine Optimized Profile

Many people do not realize that they can reach more people organically with a few simple steps.

Your choice of words makes all the difference. If a potential client or employer was looking for your brand, what words would they use? You could use such keywords as “experienced tax consultant” or “tax consultant in Boston.”

Make sure you include keywords in all areas of your job posting, including the headline, job title, summary, and job description. In order to rank you on LinkedIn, the search engine will look at the following areas.

Personalized URLs

LinkedIn creates a URL for you when you create your profile. Normally, these are lengthy and clunky and don’t relate to you or your company.

You can customize the URL on LinkedIn so it’s easy to remember and share. This is crucial for creating an engaging profile.

Describe yourself in glowing terms.

I understand – describing yourself is hard. It’s important to be yourself, but at the same time don’t be a jerk. A balance can be achieved. It’s time for you to shine in your LinkedIn description.

When possible, include numbers or figures to illustrate specific achievements. For example, it could be that you increased site traffic by Y% or that you made X amount in sales in a year.

Stay away from confusing industry jargon. If you want to be taken seriously, make it easy and clear for anyone reading your profile what your value is

Showcase Your Talents

There is a limit of 50 skills you may list on your LinkedIn profile. At first sight, this may seem like a lot, but once you start to write, you’ll notice how quickly the list fills up.

Make sure that you choose skills related to your brand. Incorporate general skills like “writing” and “consulting” as well as more specialized skills like “mobile development” and “integration software and middleware.”

Are you having trouble deciding which skills to include? Perhaps you can try a quick Google search for “top LinkedIn skills for” to see if that helps you come up with some ideas.

Your profile should contain media

Your experience and education section can be enhanced with media. The platform allows you to upload files, photos, links, presentations, and videos.

It is a great way to draw attention from potential employers and clients and to take your profile to the next level with examples of your creativity and accomplishments.