Building a personal brand can take time, and we have [previously] spoken about personal branding and how individuals can start to make an impact on LinkedIn. For a lot of us, personal branding is front of mind more so now than ever before. We are highly reliant on our online presence to secure our opportunities and build connections, and those who are successful at doing this become incredible networkers.
Influencer culture is also present across many industries - particularly for productised companies that rely on brand partnerships with influencers on Instagram or TikTok to market them further. However, influencer culture can also extend to professional platforms such as LinkedIn whereby individuals establish themselves as thought leaders or online speakers for specific topics.
There are a couple of great examples of this: Steven Bartlett and Simon Sinek
Steven Bartlett
Steven Bartlett rose to prominence nearly a decade ago, being the co-founder and CEO of Social Chain. He had built a strong brand on LinkedIn and Social Chain became a popular and well-known brand for its quality of work but also for its people and their personal brands.
Since leaving the business over a year ago, he has become known on a national level appearing as a Dragon on Dragon’s Den, as well as hosting one of the top podcasts in the UK - Diary of A CEO, whereby he’s had some of the most famous and influential businesspeople, actors, and musicians as guests.
Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek is an inspirational speaker and Author, known for his successful books on leadership, sales, and team building. Although he has had a strong status from being a successful Author, Sinek is also incredibly active and invested in his own personal brand. He connects with over 7 million followers on LinkedIn and has created a strong presence on the platform to share his knowledge.
These two examples demonstrate the importance of building a personal brand - both Steven and Simon have created personal platforms outside of their businesses/books/ventures to connect with their audience. This creates buy-in and trust, but it also allows them to professionally influence a range of topics.
Remember that 1 million is an unrealistic goal to set for an individual if you are just starting out, so don't feel disheartened. Think about how you can start to cultivate your personal brand on LinkedIn and create a name for yourself within your chosen space.
The beauty of what Steven and Simon have done is that they’ve transcended industries - they aren’t pigeonholed and are known by many. But, they would have started out within their niche first to build out their preliminary audience.
Why aim to be a professional influencer?
The goal in any role - especially one that is driven by relationships and building a strong network of people, is to get to a point where you are known in your industry. Not only will this enable you to build connections quicker - but especially if you work in a sales-based role, it’ll allow you to create inbound opportunities.
In addition, you want to in some ways be able to detach yourself from the company you work for, and instead have your own individual brand. You may have aspirations to stay with your company forever - but you don’t know what might change in your situation or the company’s.
Creating a strong personal brand and getting into the mindset of professionally influencing will enable you to open doors but also safeguard your future and your career.
