S5 #15 How to Embrace & Develop your Personal Brand on LinkedIn & beyond

In this episode I explore the three steps involved with embracing and developing your personal brand, and suggest a series of questions to consider.

1. Managing the discomfort of personal branding

Some of us think our work should speak for itself and we should not have to be active on LinkedIn. The world has changed and you do need to show up on LinkedIn and share your perspective from time to time. Questions I ask you to consider to help you navigate and develop your personal brand include:

• What makes you feel uncomfortable about personal branding?
• What are your values and how does this relate to your career?
• What are your short and medium term professional goals?
• What expertise would you like to share with others?
• Who do you identify as like-minded individuals?
• What in real life or online forums can you attend with these types of people?

2. Develop a Personal Branding Strategy

Crafting a personal brand requires more than just an ad hoc approach – it demands a well-thought-out strategy. Once you’ve delved into the various factors shaping your brand, you must assess your commitment to maintaining a cohesive online presence anchored in a strategic content framework. This entails understanding the communities you aim to serve and identifying aspects of your personality that resonate with them and align with your comfort level in sharing. Questions to consider:

• What do you want to be known for in terms of your expertise?
• What do you want to be known for in terms of your professional approach? e.g. helpful, expert, etc
• What is your detailed client avatar / persona?
• What are the topic areas you assist your clients with?
• What are your perspectives on particular industry topics that interest current and potential clients?
• What other topics or issues do you care about that is/are relevant to your ideal client, and that you want to commentate on?

3. Taking risks with your personal brand

While most of the insights I share focus on offering practical value in LinkedIn Marketing, this podcast episode and the Thought Starter category of articles on Think Bespoke's knowledge base offer more introspective pieces, and take me beyond my comfort zone to provoke deeper thoughts and discussions.

Striking a balance between asserting my convictions and maintaining approachability is at the heart of personal branding. It’s conceivable that a robust personal brand might alienate certain segments. This ongoing journey underscores the iterative nature of personal branding—a continuous process of refinement and adaptation.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Karen's Substack: Confessions of an Ambivert

https://karenhollenbach.substack.com/

Knowledge Base: Thought Starters category of articles:

https://thinkbespoke.com.au/category/thought-starters/

Virtual LinkedIn Consults with Karen

https://info.thinkbespoke.com.au/meetings/karenhollenbach/meeting-with-karen-hollenbach

Sign up to Karen's newsletter

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Get a free preview of LinkedIn Profile Essentials

https://thinkbespoke.com.au/linkedin-online-learning/

Learn more about Karen' LinkedIn Marketing Mentoring

https://thinkbespoke.com.au/linkedin-marketing-mentoring