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How to Demonstrate Your Expertise and Build Your Brand on LinkedIn

Engaging your community by sharing stories, advice, and information is a great way to foster relationships and spark conversations. If you’re looking for the best way to get started and stand out from the crowd, here are four tips that can help.

Featured section on your LinkedIn Profile

 1. NEW - Feature your work

Your LinkedIn profile allows you to tell your professional story. Now, you can take it a step further with Featured, a new section on your profile where you can showcase posts you’ve authored or re-shared, articles you’ve published on LinkedIn, as well as images, documents, and links. Featured helps you highlight your expertise to your network through the work you’ve done, and helps people who visit your profile more easily discover and consume your content. Remember that your profile is one of the first places people go to learn about you, and keeping it updated is key to best represent yourself.

2. List your services with Open for Business 

If you’re a freelancer or small business owner, you can also use your LinkedIn profile to help grow your business by showcasing your work on your Featured section. In addition to featuring your work, you can also list the services you provide on your profile, indicating that you are “open for business.” 

Visit your profile page from your mobile app or desktop, and if this feature is turned on for you, click “Add services” from the “Showcase services” section in your introduction card. When you add services to your profile, you’ll show up in search results.

3. Create relevant content and mix it up

To keep your audience engaged and informed, it’s a good idea to create a custom content strategy and consider a variety of content types. Here are a few insider tips:

  • Use short-form posts to share breaking news or to ask for advice or ideas, and make sure to use hashtags. For example: “Calling all job seekers: what tips do you have to network virtually? #VirtualNetworking #JobSeekingTips

  • If you want to start a conversation, use video, which is the most likely format to get interactions. And if you’re looking to really boost engagement try LinkedIn Live, which we’ve found has on average 7x more reactions and 24x comments compared to standard video from the same creators. If you’re interested in becoming a broadcaster on Live, you can fill out an application.

  • Want to get creative with how you reach your network? Try running a Poll -- this is a quick and easy way to engage your network. And, since you as the poll creator can see responses, you can use this as a way to start up a conversation with folks you haven’t chatted with in a while. 

  • Posting on a regular basis helps when trying to build your brand, because it establishes your credibility and helps your audience get to know you better. It’s also a good idea to narrow your posts down on a niche topic, and be sure to use hashtags and @mentions.
  • Stay relevant to the news that’s being discussed. We have an editorially-curated Top Stories feature that spotlights LinkedIn members' insights on daily professional news, and encourages others to join the conversation. We highlight different perspectives and you can also weigh in on these topics and offer expert opinions. To find the latest Top Stories, check out the right-hand bar of your LinkedIn homepage.

4. Be yourself

Finally, when writing and sharing content on LinkedIn, don’t be afraid to draw from experiences outside of your day-to-day job. Some of the most successful posts on LinkedIn come from people who discuss lessons they have learned in their personal lives that shape who they are and what they do. For example, members are sharing ideas on how to start their mornings before work, with suggestions like faux commutes and 20-minute podcast listening sessions. Due to school closures in the U.S., working parents are reassuring one another to embrace the realities of life at home and that it’s okay if their kids make a cameo on a video conference call. The key is to be genuine and approachable, which allows you to better reflect who you really are. 

Whether you’re an expert in healthcare, human resources, supply chains, or remote work, it’s a good time to think about sharing your knowledge with your LinkedIn community, and building your professional brand.