Building brands is a time and resource-intensive endeavor for professionals, especially marketing people. Because of our training, we excel at it. For many of us, the answer is not nearly often enough when it comes to using those skills to develop our own personal brands. I am aware that there is more I could be doing to enhance my LinkedIn profile, and I am also aware that I am not the only one.

We don't get around to it because we're busy and because it can occasionally feel egotistical or selfish to spend time marketing ourselves. But when we ignore personal branding, we don't just do ourselves a disservice; we also lose out on a significant sales opportunity. Sharing content by employees has a significant impact. And those who have developed their personal brands on LinkedIn are the most successful employee sharers.

Your personal branding is built on the basis of your LinkedIn profile page. Additionally, we frequently add new features to the platform to expand its functionality as a personal marketing tool and give you fresh ways to communicate your qualifications and goals. If you haven't recently checked your profile page, you might discover fresh opportunities to develop your personal brand.

The following profile features should be reviewed and updated for 2023. Some of them are very easy wins, while others might take some time, but they are all very valuable. They will assist in establishing your personal brand and LinkedIn profile as they see fit.

Select the ideal LinkedIn profile picture.

As visual beings that we are, your LinkedIn profile picture serves as your calling card and shapes the first impressions that people have of you. There are some great articles on how to choose the perfect LinkedIn profile picture, but here are a few quick pointers to get you started: make sure the photo is recent and represents you, that your face fills about 60% of it with makeup (far away shots don't stand out), that you're wearing something you'd like to wear to work, and that you're grinning with your eyes!

Picture the background, please.

The second visual component on your profile page is your background image. It draws attention, establishes the scene, and reveals a bit more about your priorities. The best way to make your page stand out, draw attention, and remain memorable is by using the appropriate background image.

Make sure your headline contains more information than just your job title.

There is no requirement that the job title be the only information listed in the description at the top of your profile page. Use the headline field to elaborate on your role, your motivations, and what makes you tick. Take a look at the headlines on their profile pages for ideas if you have sales representatives at your company who are adept at social selling. They almost certainly won't just list their job titles.

Make your story out of your summary.

It's amazing how many people still forget to fill out this field when creating their LinkedIn profile, so the first thing to say about your LinkedIn summary is to make sure you have one. Do not limit your summary to a list of your qualifications or previous positions; rather, use it to share your unique story. Try to illustrate the value of those skills and the impact they can have on the people you work with. Don't be afraid to put some effort into it, try out a few drafts, and ask some of your friends to read it. This is the most intimate piece of content marketing you can create, so make the effort.

Make buzzwords your enemy.

Buzzwords are adjectives that are used in LinkedIn headlines and summaries so frequently that their meaning is all but lost. Terms like "specialized," "leadership," "focused," "strategic," "experienced," "passionate," "expert," "creative," "innovative," and "certified" frequently appear on our lists of the most overused buzzwords. I don't mean to imply that you can't identify with these things or that they don't matter. Even so, merely stating that you possess these traits won't persuade others of your existence. You must exhibit them as well, both in how you present yourself and in how you make use of the LinkedIn profile's features to highlight your values.

Expand your network.

Syncing your LinkedIn profile with your email address book is one of the most basic yet appropriate ways to expand your network on LinkedIn. This makes it possible for LinkedIn to recommend connections for you. It's incredible how well this works at surfacing potential connections for you to get in touch with. No connection requests are sent without your consent, so you have complete control over which contacts you choose to pursue. Additionally, make it a habit to send LinkedIn connection requests as a way to keep your network active and current. This will help you follow up on meetings and conversations.

Please list your qualifications.

One of the quickest quick wins on LinkedIn is to browse the list of skills and find the ones that apply to you. By doing this, you give others a chance to support you and support the description in your Headline and Summary. But maintaining relevance is crucial in this situation. It can become overwhelming to have a long list of skills that are not fundamental to who you are and what you do. Spend some time periodically cleaning up your list of skills.

Put your services in the spotlight.

With the help of a new LinkedIn feature called Services, consultants, freelancers, and employees of smaller companies can now more easily highlight the variety of services they provide. Your ability to be found in search results can be improved by filling out the Services section of your profile.

Promote endorsements widely.

Your abilities are validated and your credibility is raised by the endorsements of other members. Go through your network and find connections who you believe genuinely deserve an endorsement from you. This often serves as the catalyst for others to return the favor as a method of how to get endorsed on LinkedIn. Don't be afraid to ask for support for a few important skills in a polite message as well when you make contact. However, keep in mind that relevance matters. Make contact with those whose approval you would really value.

More proactively manage your endorsements.

As endorsements start to roll in, you might notice that they change the focus of your LinkedIn profile in ways that don't accurately reflect who you are. Your primary area of expertise may be content marketing, but those who have collaborated with you on events may be more enthusiastic supporters. Be proactive in managing the list of your endorsements by using the edit features in the Skills section of your profile. You can choose which endorsements to display and which to keep hidden.

Do a skills evaluation.

An online test called a skills assessment allows you to show the degree of your skills and display a Verified Skills badge on your profile. According to data, applicants who have their skills verified are about 30% more likely to be hired for the positions they apply for. In addition, showing off your skills also helps your personal brand in general. You can retake the tests as many times as you'd like before displaying the results of your skills assessments, and doing so is completely optional.

Request suggestions.

People who are viewing your profile can quickly and easily see your endorsements. Things are advanced with recommendations. They are individualized testimonies that were written to describe working with you. You can quickly contact particular contacts and ask for recommendations using the convenient drop-down menu in the Recommendations section of your profile. Personalize your request by considering who you would value recommendations from the most. Making more effort is worthwhile.

Demonstrate your love of learning.

You'll have the option to add a course certificate to your LinkedIn profile once you've finished a course on LinkedIn Learning. You can do this from the Learning History section of your LinkedIn Learning account, where you can also, at your discretion, send updates about your learning to your network.

Disseminate marketing materials and media.

Your own profile can be enhanced by the marketing materials you create for your company. Sharing case studies, white papers, and other brand content helps people see what your company is all about and what makes you tick. It also exhibits commitment and passion.

Take advantage of publications to be recognized for your thought leadership.

One of the least-used components of LinkedIn profiles is the Publications section, which gives you a great opportunity to stand out from the crowd by highlighting existing thought-leadership content. The Publications section links your profile to any writing-related assets, such as eBooks, White Papers, blog posts, and eBooks that you've contributed to.

From your LinkedIn feed, share pertinent articles.

A network of connections on LinkedIn is one thing, but playing an active role in that network and adding value for your connections by showing up in their LinkedIn feeds is much better. One of the simplest ways to accomplish this is by sharing pertinent content with your network. You can get started by closely monitoring your LinkedIn feed and sharing articles that you find genuinely interesting and that support your viewpoint.

Submit comments.

Although it's a great thing to do, sharing is only the beginning. When you leave comments on the content you share, you gain more prominence in the feed and can begin to explain why you believe the content is important. A wider variety of content can be shared when comments are well-written. You might find something interesting even if you disagree with it. Starting to establish your opinion and thought leadership is a comment that can express that point of view. Additional comments are also more likely to be made, which will raise your profile on LinkedIn. If you want people to associate you with something, keep this in mind as you write your comment and make sure it's something you're happy to say.

observe influential people in your sector who are relevant.

You can find a variety of interesting content on LinkedIn by following relevant influencers, which you can then share with others when you feel it is valuable. Additionally, it shows how passionate you are about what you do and gives context to your LinkedIn profile.

Become an ally of the workforce.

The platform, LinkedIn Elevate, assists companies in setting up and managing employee advocacy programs, and it provides some fascinating information about the effects that employee sharing has on the employees who are doing the sharing. According to 86% of employee advocates, sharing content for their company has improved their own careers. If your company uses Elevate, it's a great way to become more involved in spreading your brand content. If it's not, it's still worthwhile to get in touch with coworkers and find out who is creating content that would be valuable to share on LinkedIn.

Make long-form content available and use it to spark discussions.

You build up your expertise and thought-leadership credentials on LinkedIn by sharing and commenting on content more frequently. The obvious next step is to start publishing long-form posts. The response you receive to your comments and shares is a great place to start. This keeps your thought leadership authentic and keeps you connected to the topics your connections are discussing. Are there specific topics and points of view that seem to resonate with your network? Have you shared any comments that you feel you could expand on in a post? Be prepared for new conversations to begin as a result of your lengthy posts. Keep an eye on the comments and be prepared to respond.

It doesn't have to take hours of your time to make your LinkedIn profile work harder for you. You'll find that you can make progress quickly, even if you can only set aside a few minutes during a lunch break or in the evenings, if you try working through these ideas and building from one to the other. You'll be astounded at how much of a difference your LinkedIn profile can make to you and your company once you're using it to its full potential.