How to build an effective personal brand on LinkedIn | Part 1

Your personal brand on LinkedIn is an excellent way to build trust, and to create an air of authority on your areas of expertise. People are much more likely to buy from people they like and trust than a generic brand they havn’t heard much about. So, your job, as someone building their personal brand is to ensure that your LinkedIn profile works like the perfect landing page to get that initial connection request.

Part 1: First Impressions

Your first impression on LinkedIn could be the very first post they see by you, or a connection request note but today we are talking about the visuals – your profile picture and banner.

When someone clicks on your profile, your picture and banner is the first thing they see so you want to ensure that it represents you well. That it isn’t just another abstract image (unless you are an abstract artist) or a picture of some random buildings you found on pexels.com.

Your profile photo

Pick a friendly photo of yourself

Unless you are in a job which is purely about intimidation, people generally want to see that you are a nice person – someone they can talk to. A friendly photo, preferably one with a smile is a great place to start.

Your face should take up the majority of the space and be central

The profile picture on a screen is generally pretty small, and a whole lot smaller if you are viewing on mobile. Make it easy for people to identify and find you by displaying your face clearly in the middle of the space, taking up most of the circle.

Make your photo stand out by adding a coloured background

Again, the photo is tiiiiny. Don’t confuse matters with a busy background.

Personal brand on LinkedIn | Your banner

Here is where you can get a bit more creative.

Ideally, you want your banner to attract the right person that makes them say ‘This is my kind of person’.

How can you achieve that?

By sharing who you are and your interests in a way which inspires someone else or sparks their curiosity.
Marwa Ramsi

Here are a few ideas:

A photo of you in your work setting
A photo of you ‘in action’
A banner indicating your interests
A photo of something that represents your company with a statement
An image of an award you received
A company-branded banner
A product you are passionate about with a CTA

Tips:

Keep it simple – the fewer words, the better
Make sure all your images are high quality – you don’t know what size screen it is being viewed on
Make it true to you
Commit to a colour scheme
Use preset designs from software like Canva but make them your own
Show it someone else whilst you are in their presence. Are you proud of what you created, does it represent you, are you having to explain anything?

Want parts 2 and 3?

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