Friday, November 28, 2014

The benefits of LinkedIn as a personal branding tool

LinkedIn is a social network with a focus on professional connectivity and partnership, and is one of the best platforms to build one’s personal brand online.  Here are just some of the advantages professionals can get from the powerful networking site: 

1. LinkedIn is a round-the-clock service, providing a venue to showcase one’s brand to headhunters and decision-makers from around the world.  It displays one’s capabilities and achievements clearly, and makes it easy for others to initiate contact and maintain communication. 


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2. LinkedIn significantly expands one’s network, making it easy to find, work with, and create a professional relationship with other like-minded professionals.  


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3. It has a tool that allows others to validate one’s capabilities.  Colleagues can create endorsements for featured skill sets, as well as provide testimonials that can be highlighted and promoted. 

4. LinkedIn offers insightful topics and articles within one’s field, providing a steady stream of educational resources to keep one’s portfolio up-to-date.

5. Building a LinkedIn profile is free and stays there as long as the social network exists.  However, the site also offers a “premium” service which, for a monthly fee, greatly enhances the exposure and coverage of the account. 

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A sound strategy for enhancing one’s personal brand is a must to get ahead of the pack and boost one’s career.  LinkedIn offers some of the best tools and coverage to help one jumpstart that strategy.

Spiro Baltas is the founder of Gotham Brand, a branding firm which helps clients create top-notch brand identities. For more information about Mr. Baltas and his fields of specialization, visit this LinkedIn page.