Career and talent resources

MRT Insights

February 28, 2023

Building a LinkedIn Brand that Transcends Beyond All Others

In today’s digital age, building a strong brand presence is essential for individuals and companies alike. With around 875 million users worldwide, LinkedIn has become a go-to platform for professionals to connect, share their expertise, and establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry. As the world’s largest professional network, LinkedIn offers a variety of tools and features that can help individuals and companies build a strong brand identity and reach their target audience. By optimizing their profiles, engaging with others, and sharing high-quality content, individuals and companies can use LinkedIn to build a powerful personal and professional brand. In this article, we’ll explore the importance of using LinkedIn to brand yourself and your company and provide tips on how to leverage the platform to increase your reach and visibility.

Common LinkedIn Uses for Companies

LinkedIn has been around since 2003, and millions of companies have taken advantage of the social aspects of this platform. With LinkedIn being the only social media software to have an increase in users every year for almost 20 years, it is imperative for companies to build a strong LinkedIn presence and elevate their brand. LinkedIn is commonly used by companies to:

  • Build relationships
  • Share their expertise
  • Increase their visibility
  • Educate themselves
  • Connect with potential consumers

Common LinkedIn Failures for Companies

LinkedIn is a powerful tool for businesses to connect with professionals, build brand awareness, and generate leads. However, despite its potential, many companies fail to utilize the platform effectively. They may make common mistakes such as neglecting to create a complete and compelling company page, failing to post engaging content, or using the platform solely for self-promotion. As a result, they miss out on valuable opportunities to connect with potential customers, employees, and partners. Some common mistakes companies make to build their brand are:

  1. Incomplete or outdated profiles: Some companies fail to create complete or up-to-date LinkedIn profiles. This can make it difficult for potential clients, customers, or employees to learn about the company and its offerings.
  2. Lack of engagement: Companies that fail to engage with their followers on LinkedIn miss out on opportunities to build relationships and promote their brand. This can include failing to respond to comments or messages, or not sharing engaging content.
  3. Overpromotion: LinkedIn users expect to see informative and engaging content, not constant sales pitches. Companies that use LinkedIn as a platform for constant self-promotion may turn off potential clients or customers.
  4. Irrelevant content: Companies that share irrelevant or low-quality content on LinkedIn may damage their brand and credibility. It is important to ensure that content is relevant, timely, and high-quality.
  5. Not leveraging LinkedIn features: LinkedIn offers a range of features that companies can use to promote their brand, including LinkedIn Ads, sponsored content, and LinkedIn Groups. Companies that fail to take advantage of these features may miss out on valuable opportunities to connect with their audience.
  6. Not targeting the right audience: Companies that fail to target the right audience on LinkedIn may waste time and resources on ineffective marketing efforts. It is important to understand the target audience and tailor content and messaging to their interests and needs.

Common LinkedIn Uses for Job Seekers

While companies can provide value to their followers and use their page to build a brand presence, job seekers can do the exact same. Common LinkedIn uses for job seekers include:

  • Networking
  • Job searching
  • Researching companies
  • Building their brand
  • Demonstrating their credibility
  • Obtaining information/knowledge gathering

Common LinkedIn Failures for Job Seekers

LinkedIn has been a top source for career professionals to grow their toolbox, network, and expand their brand, but it’s easier to fail at LinkedIn than thrive. Simple mistakes hinder a job seeker’s (or everyday user’s) ability to make broader connections or be found among the 800+ million users. Avoiding these simple mistakes will help create a solid foundation for your profile to stand on:

  1. Incomplete profiles: An incomplete profile can make it difficult for others to understand who you are, what you do, and what your goals are. A lack of profile information or an unprofessional profile photo can make it harder for you to establish a personal brand on LinkedIn.
  2. Not engaging with others: Engaging with others on LinkedIn is crucial for building a strong personal brand. Failing to engage with others by not commenting on posts, not responding to comments, or not sharing other people’s content can make it harder for you to build relationships and increase your visibility.
  3. Not sharing high-quality content: Sharing high-quality, relevant content is important for establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Failing to share content or sharing low-quality content can make it harder for you to establish a personal brand.
  4. Overpromoting yourself: While it’s important to promote yourself on LinkedIn, doing it too frequently or too aggressively can backfire. Overpromoting yourself may make you appear pushy or unprofessional, which can damage your personal brand.
  5. Not using LinkedIn’s features: LinkedIn offers many features that can help you build your personal brands, such as LinkedIn Groups and LinkedIn Ads. Failing to use these features or not taking advantage of them can limit your reach and visibility on the platform.
  6. Not targeting the right audience: Failing to target the right audience on LinkedIn can limit the impact of your personal branding efforts. Understanding your target audience and tailoring your content and messaging to their interests and needs can help you establish a stronger personal brand.

How To Build a Company LinkedIn Brand

Building a LinkedIn brand should be a crucial part of any company’s marketing efforts. Having a lack of social media presence for any company is the first step to missing out on connections, great candidates, and brand development. On the hiring side, using social media, such as LinkedIn, spreads your job advertising to a wider audience of candidates, bringing in stronger applicants, and further enhancing your brand development. Being a constant source of information and sharing industry knowledge and insights opens the door for engagement from possible clients, candidates, consumers, etc.

Imagine having a lack of LinkedIn brand presence when 57% of job seekers use LinkedIn to find new jobs. Even worse, imagine a job seeker coming to your page to find the most recent post is  2 years old. How are candidates supposed to learn about your brand, culture, mission, and goals? 62% of job seekers have reportedly used social media as a way to evaluate the employer brand of a company. A company’s LinkedIn profile is a reflection of their brand. To build a lasting brand on LinkedIn make sure to:

  1. Optimize the company page: Companies should create a complete and compelling LinkedIn page that accurately reflects their brand. This includes a logo, cover image, company description, and other relevant information.
  2. Use consistent branding: Use consistent branding across all your social media profiles, including your LinkedIn company page. This includes your logo, colors, and messaging.
  3. Post regular updates: Post regular updates about your company, including new product launches, company news, and industry insights. This will help keep your followers engaged and up-to-date on your latest developments.
  4. Share relevant content: Share relevant content related to your industry, such as articles, blog posts, and videos. This will help establish your company as a thought leader in your industry.
  5. Encourage employee participation: Companies can encourage their employees to engage with the company’s LinkedIn page by liking and sharing its content. This will help to increase the reach of the company’s posts and showcase the expertise of its team.
  6. Engage with your followers: Engage with your followers by responding to comments and messages in a timely and professional manner. This will help build a strong relationship with your audience and demonstrate your commitment to customer service.

If we have still not convinced you enough that your company LinkedIn profile should be branded and aligned with the rest of your company marketing at least take away that your brand, as a whole, is important when it comes to hiring. 75% of candidates will research a company’s reputation before applying for a job opening. Thus, a company’s LinkedIn page should be branded to reflect the company as a whole. A strong employer brand reduces turnover by 28% and cost per hire by 50%. Branding does stop at LinkedIn, it is a stepping stone to creating a proper reputation that future candidates and business partners can have easy access to.

How To Build a Personal LinkedIn Brand

In today’s competitive job market, building a strong personal brand is more important than ever. As the world’s largest professional network, LinkedIn offers a powerful platform for professionals to showcase their skills, experience, and accomplishments. With over 875 million users worldwide, LinkedIn provides ample opportunities to network with other professionals, establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry, and attract new job opportunities. By building a strong personal brand on LinkedIn, you can increase your visibility, expand your professional network, and demonstrate your expertise to potential employers and clients.

With so many users, it is imperative that your LinkedIn page is optimized for your specific skills and brand. According to the Social Shepherd, here are some reasons why keeping your LinkedIn profile updated is essential:

  • Every minute 8 people are hired through LinkedIn.
  • Active LinkedIn pages receive 5 times more page views.
  • 101 job seekers submit an application on LinkedIn every second.

Users (and more specifically, job seekers) are constantly competing against each other to land jobs, make connections, and grow their brands. While LinkedIn is a resource for learning and camaraderie, it is also good to remember you could one day be using your LinkedIn profile to compete for a job. According to Zippia, 92% of employers check social media. More specifically, 67% say they use social media sites to research potential job candidates. Users of LinkedIn can build their brand by:

  1. Optimizing their profile: Jobseekers should create a complete profile on LinkedIn that highlights their experience, education, skills, and achievements. They should also include a professional profile photo and a compelling headline.
  2. Developing a strong network: Jobseekers should connect with people in their industry, including colleagues, mentors, and thought leaders. They should also engage with their connections by commenting on their posts and sharing relevant content.
  3. Sharing content: Jobseekers can establish their thought leadership and showcase their expertise by sharing relevant articles, blog posts, and other industry insights. This will help to position them as an expert in their field.
  4. Participating in groups: Jobseekers can join LinkedIn groups relevant to their industry and participate in discussions. This will help them to network with other professionals and gain insights into the latest trends and best practices.
  5. Seeking recommendations: Jobseekers can request recommendations from former colleagues, managers, and clients. These recommendations can provide social proof of their skills and experience.

Next Steps

Building a brand, whether for a company or on a personal level, is a long process, but with long-term benefits. A brand is a voice. A brand is how you want to be perceived. How do you want to be remembered? Next month we will review our favorite resources to help you build your personal brand and provide steps to achieve it.

At MRT, we are committed to offering valuable information and resources to our clients and candidates and to build lasting relationships. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of our recruiters. If you ever have any questions or topics you would like us to explore, contact us.

We help build businesses. We form teams that will carry you forward. We are capable, technical, efficient, and effective.