Whether you’re using LinkedIn for personal branding or professional growth, it can be a powerful platform for individuals and businesses alike. Elise Chan actively leverages LinkedIn as a tool to grow her personal brand, educate digital marketers, find new customers and support causes she is passionate about.
Elise, relationship manager at Powderkeg Web Design, shared advice on how we can harness the power of LinkedIn as a personal and professional resource.
Level Up: Optimizing your Profile
She suggests expanding your personal LinkedIn page to include a plethora of information and features, so people can get to know more about you. She shared her custom Canva template, so your profile banner will always be the right size. As for your business page, Elise reminds us that consistency is key. Center your message and make it clear who you’re helping and how.
Levels of Engagement
Support your Community: Uncover new connections by exploring the network tab, searching different hashtags and following influencers. More than that, amplify the brands you align with by liking and commenting on their content to engage with the community.
Learn New Things: Identify topics that you care about and search for industry experts that you can connect with. LinkedIn is a great platform for discovering new resources and certifications.
Market Your Brand: Making the leap from lurker to poster isn’t difficult. You can share anything from industry news, helpful resources, local involvement to your personal experiences. Not everything has to be strictly business either, including non-profits or causes that you’re passionate about can help humanize your brand.
Grow Your Network: Connecting and engaging with others can increase your visibility, helping you discover mentors, grow your support network, get your foot in the door and increase customer engagement.
Keys to Success
But how to get started? Elise recommends determining what your personal and professional success will look like on LinkedIn and setting goals. Create a clear plan with a variety of content types, targeted directly to your audience.
If you’re ready to hop on LinkedIn to start following Elise’s advice (like us!), we won’t keep you any longer. Go forth and connect!
Elise shares her LinkedIn checklist. Want to hear more about her LinkedIn tips and tricks firsthand? Watch the full SMB Madison May Event on our Facebook page.
Non-Profit Spotlight: Arts & Literature Laboratory
Arts + Literature Laboratory (ALL) creates a welcoming community that nurtures innovation and the artistic growth of contemporary visual, literary, and performing artists, connects artists, resources and community and fuels a passion for arts and literature. ALL has grown from an all-volunteer, neighborhood arts organization into a regional arts center that supports Midwestern artists and promotes artistic literacy throughout South Central Wisconsin. The organization supports over 200 cultural events per year featuring hundreds of artists, writers and performers: exhibitions, readings, concerts, theater, film/video screenings, discussions and more. Learn more on the organization’s website, and find them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Thanks to SMBMad volunteer Grace Wilkie for writing this month’s event recap.
