Which is more important on LinkedIn? Your Personal Brand OR Your Business Brand
LinkedIn is undoubtedly the biggest business network in the world of Social Media and in my opinion, the most powerful for building your brand and converting business.
When I work with businesses and professionals to help create a strong LinkedIn presence, I focus on 3 key areas that create a strong first impression:
- A professional photo
- A strong headline
- A compelling and fascinating Summary
I find it very interesting that some managers don’t believe in investing in the online presence of their employees. They tell me that they’re afraid “headhunters” or recruiters will look at the newly polished profiles and they will lose key staff to the competition.
The main reason why this is hogwash is because happy employees don’t leave your organization. In fact, the opposite is true. According to an article in the Financial Post:
Research shows that higher spending on employee training and efforts to create strong corporate learning cultures actually reduce turnover, increaseemployee engagement, and improve productivity and customer satisfaction. Employees recognize and appreciate the investment, and reward employers with greater loyalty and productivity, which in turn, makes customers happy.
So the question then is: Which is more important to invest in. Promoting your personal brand or your professional brand on LinkedIn?
The answer is both.
Each and every person is a brand. With the use of LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, blogging etc., we can now become our own media companies. We are empowered with tools that define who we are as a person, and all the elements of why we are different than everyone else.
These tools can be particularly useful in business to showcase our expertise within our niche, help our clients solve problems and seamlessly lead them through the sales funnel from prospect to client.
At the same time, we are all brand ambassadors for our business brand as well. Even in our non-working hours, we are responsible for ensuring we stay true to corporate values and that don’t harm our company’s reputation with posts that can do harm*.
Your LinkedIn Summary should ideally highlight both your personal brand AND your business brand.
You have 2,000 words to outline who you are and how you & your business solve your client’s problems.
Start with a personal inventory:
- What makes you different than everyone else?
- What accomplishments are you most proud of?
- What are some of your core values?
Often these same elements can dovetail into your business brand:
- What makes your company different than your competitors
- Who do you work with?
- How to you help them?
Employees are the forward-facing representatives of your company. If you’re not making strong first impression on the world’s largest business site, your company is at risk of looking unprofessional and you’re missing out on opportunities.
People buy from those they know, like and trust. Allow your team to shine as individuals. Empower your team to help disseminate your brand message. Provide them with status updates that help to showcase your company “wins”.
According the 2013 Edelman Trust Barometer:
“Employees rank higher in public trust than a firm’s PR department, CEO, or Founder. 41% of us believe that employees are the most credible source of information regarding their business.”
By aligning and showcasing both your personal brand and company brand, you’ll find the ROI on this investment will produce BIG results.
Now it’s your turn: What do you think? What do you think is more important: your personal brand or your business brand?
{*One of the key elements to prevent Social Media disasters is a Social Media Policy.}
Leslie Hughes is a LinkedIn Optimization Specialist, Professor of Social Media, Corporate Social Media Trainer and Principal ofPUNCH!media
Founded in 2009, with clients such as The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, and as a corporate instructor for the “Social Media Marketing Certificate” at The University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s (UOIT) Management Development Centre, Leslie works with organizations to help them gain confidence and develop a strong presence on LinkedIn and other Social Media sites.
From defining clear strategies, to content development and deployment, PUNCH!media’s goal is to help you save time and build business. Whether you’re using LinkedIn to connect with business associates or Facebook to connect with consumers, we connect you with the right audience at the right time using the right channels.