And if it's none of these, hit reply and tell me more. I'm all ears:)
Thanks for your quick response to this.
Now on to the main event...
So for most of those who know me, you know I love LinkedIn.
I'm a huge advocate. (Shocker, right?)
And those locally like to kid with me by calling me the LinkedIn Queen. LOL
I attribute the platform as a big reason I'm able to continue down this solopreneur path almost four years in.
It's absolutely helped me build a personal brand.
Before…
I had only been a 9-5er for 15 years.
Throwback corporate photo, July 2021 - Packing up the cube!
And the people who knew of me were mostly the people I worked with.
I wasn't intentionally building any kind of personal brand because, quite frankly, I had been at the same place of employment for so long.
I don't even remember hearing the term "personal brand."
But when I started posting consistently on LinkedIn in January 2023, my eyes opened to what was possible.
It helped me build my marketing and content business.
It introduced me to people I never would have met otherwise.
It's led to clients, speaking opportunities, teaching opportunities, referrals, and conversations that have quite literally changed the trajectory of my career.
And when you've personally experienced that kind of impact from a platform, it's hard not to want to shout about it from the rooftops:)
But…
LinkedIn isn't the only way to build your personal brand.
And that's what I want to make sure is clear.
The title of this newsletter issue is "The ultimate personal brand cocktail" for a reason.
Because after digging into both my clients' businesses and my own, I've found that a strong personal brand is rarely built on a single ingredient.
First, maybe we need to define what a personal brand actually is because I think we've made it sound much more complicated than it needs to be.
Your personal brand is what people associate with you when your name comes up.
What do they believe you know?
What do they trust you to help with?
What would make them say, "You need to talk to Reader about that."
That's your personal brand.
And LinkedIn is incredibly powerful because it allows you to shape those associations at scale.
Every post.
Every thoughtful comment.
Every DM conversation.
Every time someone sees your name attached to a topic or idea.
You're building familiarity, and you're inviting someone in.
You're giving people a reason to know you before they ever actually meet you.
But LinkedIn is just one ingredient in the cocktail. A strong ingredient. But just one.
LinkedIn Creates Awareness + Trust
Well over half of my business this year can be directly tied to someone seeing my content or having a DM conversation with me on LinkedIn.
That's significant.
And it's why I will continue to preach the value of the platform.
But I've also noticed something else.
Some of my best business conversations don't happen on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn simply helped make them easier when face-to-face.
(Read that one again ☝️)
For example, someone sees me posting consistently.
Then we meet at an event.
Or grab coffee.
Or they hear me speak.
And instead of starting from zero, we're starting around the 6th interaction, since they've already read and watched me on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn broke the ice before I ever walked into the room.
In-Person Connection Deepens the Relationship
When I look at the other major pieces that have contributed to my business this year, so much of it has come from stepping out from behind my computer.
Coffee chats.
Local events.
My friend & I made it in the thumbnail of a Women's Leadership Summit Video:) lol
Speaking engagements.
Still in awe of this moment earlier this year, speaking to 100+ founders!
Introductions.
Settings that made in-person conversations possible.
And I continue to encourage these same activities with my clients.
Because there is still something incredibly powerful about sitting across from someone.
You pick up on what they're struggling with.
You ask follow-up questions.
They get a better feel for you as a human.
And sometimes an hour-long coffee conversation can accelerate a relationship faster than six months of liking each other's LinkedIn posts.
That's not a knock on LinkedIn.
That's the cocktail working.
The online visibility created familiarity.
The in-person conversation created depth.
Your Work Gives People the Proof
And then there's the ingredient I think we sometimes forget when talking about personal brands…
You still have to be good at what you do.
Posting five times a week won't replace expertise.
A polished LinkedIn profile won't replace results.
Your work is the proof...client results, case studies, a testimonial.
(Which, btw...are you asking people to leave those for you on your LinkedIn profile right under "Recommendations"?)...
The person who says, "I've worked with her. She's really good, and she helped me accomplish XYZ" is going to say way more to the potential client/customer reading than anything you could ever say in your own words.
So…What's the Ultimate Personal Brand Cocktail?
If I were mixing one today, it would look something like this...
A healthy pour of online visibility.
A consistent splash of real human stories that others can relate to.
And a strong base of expertise and proof.
Shaken (or stirred) consistently over time:)
Because I don't believe you need to become a LinkedIn influencer to build a powerful personal brand, nor do I believe you need to be at every networking event. That would just be flat-out exhausting.
But you do need to give people enough opportunities to know you both online and in person.
That's the cocktail, if you will.
And from what I've experienced in my own business…
It's much stronger when you embrace all these ingredients together.
P.S. If you're looking for someone to help you in the LinkedIn space or talk about your content in the digital landscape overall (website, email, and other socials), reply now. I would welcome the chat.