Let's face it. If you're a small business and you're not on social media, you're probably not being found. But coming up with a winning social media strategy can be challenging. If you want your business to be found on social media, consider using LinkedIn to build your personal brand. 

A personal brand is different than a company brand in that you (the business owner) are posting as yourself and not behind a company profile. I know. This sounds terrifying. But stay with me. Building your personal brand can have immense benefits.

The Benefits of Building A Personal Brand

1. You are attracting your ideal clients. 

Once you start posting and showing your audience what you're all about, your ideal clients will find you and follow you. 

2. Your ideal clients are getting to know YOU.

It's one thing to know what a company is all about, but it's quite another to get to know the person behind the company. You're customers want to know, like, and trust you before they buy from you. There's no better or faster way to do this than to put yourself out there.

3. You will get more leads and sales.

Once you start attracting your ideal clients and they get to know, like, and trust you, they will start buying from you when they're ready. 

So now that you're sold on creating a personal brand, how do you do it? It's actually pretty easy! For small businesses, LinkedIn is the best place to do it.

How to Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn

1. Post Consistently.

It's not important how often you post. It's more important than you do it consistently. If that means once a week, then make sure you're posting once a week. If you want to post every day, make sure you do it every day. 

2. Tell a Story With Your Posts.

Storytelling is a fantastic way to engage your audience. Tell stories that your ideal clients can relate to and tie them back to your solution to their problems.

3. Create a Good Hook as your Headline.

The first line of your posts should draw in your audience and make them want to read the rest of the post. 

4. Respond to Comments.

Make sure you are always responding to comments on your posts. Engage with your audience! 

5. Comment on Other People's Posts.

Make sure you are engaging in the comments on other people's posts as well. This expands your personal reach and gets you in front of people who might not otherwise have found you.

6. Message Your Audience.

When someone comments on your post, send them a private message thanking them for their comment. However, please note: This is not the time for a sales pitch! You're simply thanking them for their engagement in your community.

7. Consider Hiring Help.

If you really don't have time to put into a personal brand, consider hiring someone to help post on LinkedIn as you. They can get to know your personality and values and create posts and post comments in your voice.

Gone are the days of hard sales pitches and hitting the pavement to get leads and sales. Today, building a personal brand on social media is where the gold lies. It's a longer game, but building relationships will lead to life-long customers.

For a more in-depth look at building a personal brand on LinkedIn, check out our podcast episode with Nigel Thomas.