LinkedIn and Personal Branding

LinkedIn and Personal Branding 1
LINKEDIN AND PERSONAL BRANDING
Name
Course name
Professor
Institution
City/State
Date

LinkedIn and Personal Branding 2
Introduction
We live in a world where the word brand keeps evolving, business and companies were the only
ones associated with the term, but today it’s more than them. In today’s world, firms and
companies aren’t the only ones related with branding, but also individuals. Talented individuals
whether artists or sports personalities are brands by themselves (Zaman 2014, p. 89). Their
names are an entity and their biggest asset. The current social world tends to know a name of an
individual than what he or she represents. For these reasons individuals keep working; to
improve their profile and have more people know their brand and what they stand for. In the past
years the subject name could only be associated with the above personalities and companies, but
in today’s world, professionals are adopting this marketing style to let people know what they do
and stand for. In the yesteryears, you could only develop your career through social and
professional networking; today through the internet and social media you can access the whole
world through one platform. As I researched on the subject matter I realized that entrepreneurs
especially social entrepreneurs are using LinkedIn, a social, professional network to express their
experience and love for what they do (Vosloban 2013, p. 8).
Core elements of an impressive LinkedIn profile
I love reading through Forbes magazine articles that extensively go through the subject of self-
development. As I went through them, I realized the importance and opportunities in self-
branding. I realized how critical it is to understand yourself and the value you possess so that you
can do what you love in the most effective manner as supported by Vitberg (2010, p. 9). Doing
what you love can benefit the world in an honest way by changing people’s lives. An article

LinkedIn and Personal Branding 3
about self-brand on Fastcompany.com explicitly explains the evolution and development of
branding. It influenced my understanding in accepting that it imperative for any career person or
entrepreneur to develop his name and earn trust from his audience. You have to understand what
is unique about you and what makes you special and different then let people know about it. You
cannot talk about Australia top social entrepreneurs without mentioning Luke Terry, Sandra
Capponi, and Eyal Halamish. These famous entrepreneurs are not only known for their
heartwarming work and projects but also for how they have presented themselves. Luke Terry
owns a 7 million dollar company aimed at helping individuals with mental illness find jobs.
Sandra Capponi holds a fashion shopping application aimed at improving the environment and
life of others through shopping. Through technology Eyal Halamish, assist young local leaders to
promote development agendas and ideas to people. What all these young social entrepreneurs
have in common are good articulated LinkedIn profiles that explain their brand and work in
short, straightforward terms, and in a well-detailed manner. Going through their profiles feels
like listening to a person introduce himself, explain their professional life journey and at the
same tempo telling you what their goals and plans are. All these In a clear and concise manner
that they earn your trust and following as you read through (McCorkle 2013, 65).
My Future Self
Investing your time and resources to make an excellent LinkedIn profile can be compared to
investing in a shrewd financial asset that reaps benefits passively (Makkai et al. 2016, p. 78). I
tend to see an attractive profile as running an advert about you and expertise in the world top
news sites and papers for free. It is like having the whole world as your audience, therefore

LinkedIn and Personal Branding 4
making it essential to be very well prepared on what you are going to say; a sound profile that
state it all in a clear detailed manner. A below average looking profile looks typically ordinary
and unattractive. Furthermore, it repels trust and credibility. The first element of a good profile is
a photo; it is the human psychology that we form an impression of a person based on what we
see first. A good profile photo is not based on how groomed you are but a clear face photo. An
explicit close shot photo is one of the elements I will use to make my profile. A person title is as
important as his clear photo; position and title headline tells you at a glance who the person is
(Galvin 2012, p. 3). A person tagline should be keyword oriented using all the essential names
and words that explain his or her role and expertise. The more titles you have the more educated
and experienced you usually look to your readers and followers. Below a person’s headline and
title, is the summary of where you started, experiences and goals for the future. Under the
summary, you should briefly indicate the skills and success testimonials. As an individual who
aims to have a profile that I am proud of, I learned how important it is to expose myself to
opportunities and experiences that can boost my profile to a proper title and at the same time
have an interesting summary.
In a broader perspective, an individual profile should explain education information and
experience in detail. A more educated person will generally have a long and exciting story under
education topic and subject. A professional LinkedIn profile should have a flowing, consistent
education and professional experience elaborations. Skills and endorsement sections should also
be included to have a full looking profile; endorsement reinforces credibility and trust
(Anumundu 2016, p. 19). Career coaches typically advise how important this section is to your