or through answering questions, you will undoubtedly find yourself starting to connect with people who you may have never physically met before. There are some who will still stick to their original physical network, saying that quality is more important than quantity. This is a debate in which there are pros and cons for both approaches. If you understand the concept of a virtual network that resides next to or on top of your physical network, you will see the advantages of Windmill Networking. You will find yourself connecting with people you may not have met who can help you reach your personal and career objectives. Remember: Your network is still your network; a virtual connection on LinkedIn simply directly links your two profiles.
Although Windmill Networking implies you are an open networker, there is one thing I would like to point out: this book is not merely about open networking. Open networking is a unique type of LinkedIn activity. LinkedIn specifically warns you against connecting with people you do not know. On the other hand, LinkedIn also encourages you to increase your connections. The official LinkedIn blog by Guy Kawasaki urges you to increase your connections to gain visibility. The jury is out on the subject. I suggest you do what you feel comfortable with, as long as it moves you closer to meeting your pre-established objective. This book will include warnings for certain activities that may draw the attention of LinkedIn, so please read carefully. At the same time, please also know that LinkedIn is constantly changing, so the situation could change, for the better or worse, at any time.
Just remember, if you ever feel lost along your LinkedIn journey, re-visit your original LinkedIn Objective. Make sure your activities are consistent with what you originally planned to achieve. LinkedIn, like the Internet in general, can eat up a lot of your time if you are not careful and focused.
What is a “Brand?”
Before going through the process of creating your LinkedIn Brand, let’s first discuss one of the most talked about terms these days: your brand. What exactly is a brand, you ask? In the Preface, I defined my own brand as something which differentiates me from everyone else in the market.
| WindMill WISDOM Your brand is something unique that differentiates you from everyone else. It illustrates your unique skills and experiences and describes, or “brands” these attributes in the appropriate fashion. Ideally, your brand will immediately showcase your unique strengths. |
Let us start by thinking about brands of products we see at the supermarket. Produce, for the most part, is not branded. What about cereals? Or soups? Or yogurt? You have many different choices when it comes to buying groceries, but many of us buy based upon a “brand” name. This brand name is formed through the following: TV commercials or other media advertisements, the coloring or imagery of the physical package, and the catchy phrases that are sometimes used in the commercial or on the packaging. There are differences in flavors between each product; however, if we are buying a commodity where something very similar exists, we are buying based upon the branding. If we are buying something more expensive than its competitor, we are putting a premium on that brand.
Another good example is the drug store. You can buy Tylenol or Advil, but now it seems that every drug store has their own comparable “generic” drug on the shelf. If you look at the ingredients of the medicine, they are often exactly the same; however, the price is different. As a result, the feelings we experience when we buy one or the other is very different. We consciously and sub-consciously place value in the name brand or in the inexpensiveness of the generic product. Many people will buy the cheaper alternative, but many others will pay more for the brand name.
If you think of yourself as a brand, your brand value is your salary. If you were competing for the same job as someone with a similar skill set, wouldn’t you want to be paid more for your brand? I think your answer is “yes!” That is why branding yourself is so important. Think about it this way: if you are 40 years old, plan to work until you are 60, and are currently making $100,000 a year, your brand is worth a potential $2,000,000 over the lifetime of your career! That is a brand that you want to manage carefully to maximize its value!
| WindMill WISDOM Your brand is your most valuable personal asset. Create it carefully, and utilize social media sites like LinkedIn to develop, broadcast, and even potentially monetize it. |
So branding is related to social media, social networking, and LinkedIn? Absolutely! There are 40 million other people on LinkedIn. Don’t you want to be thought of as someone unique—someone with a valuable and distinct brand? What happens if you change your headline from “Technology Sales” to “Savvy Technology Sales Executive” or “Global Sales Director” or “Senior Sales Executive” or even “Experienced Sales Executive”? Each one of these headlines will shed a different light upon your skill set; thus, you will be creating a different brand. In some ways, creating your brand is equivalent to carving out your own niche, so you will want to be careful when deciding on one. It is key to utilize LinkedIn to help create your brand; you then support this brand throughout your profile to make a strong impression on anyone who may come across it. Your branding will also make it easier for people to remember you and help you should the need arise.
No matter what experience you have had, there is bound to be someone similar to you out there. By defining your brand and carving out your niche, you will increase your perceived value. When you communicate with others, you will be viewed as someone who is aware of his or her capabilities, making you harder to forget. While reading this book, particularly the next chapter about creating your LinkedIn Brand, think about your own niche market brand and how you can differentiate yourself throughout your profile. Think of yourself as your own small business.
When you start tinkering with the “Status Update” text box, you can really affect the way your LinkedIn Brand is perceived. What do you think of people who write “I am currently looking for a job” versus someone writing “Spoke to a class of MBA students on entrepreneurialism today.” People will feel differently towards your brand based on what you write. It really is that simple.
You will be able to Windmill Network more effectively with others once you develop a strong brand. It will make it easier for others to help you, as they will clearly understand your LinkedIn Objective. They will also remember you more easily. The same goes for others whom you are trying to help as well.
I highly recommend reading Career Distinction: Stand Out By Building Your Brand, by William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson or Me 2.0 by Dan Schawbel to supplement the branding knowledge I present.
Creating Your LinkedIn Brand
Once you have established your objective for using LinkedIn, and ideally have started thinking about your own unique and differentiating brand, you can begin to create your User Profile. Doing so will help you define and create your own LinkedIn Brand. At this point I assume you are already on LinkedIn, but if not, please visit www.linkedin.com and join.
Your profile is the heart of your personal information that will be exposed to other LinkedIn members. Your profile is, in essence, a resume that you are sharing with the entire world. Although the best way to create a resume is to customize it for each position you are seeking, there is only one universal profile on LinkedIn that everyone will be able to see. This is the secret to why LinkedIn’s database and search capabilities are so awesome: the fields for which everyone enters information are standardized.
For the same reason, it is easier to brand yourself, as everyone else has to complete the same data fields as you. By doing something different you will undoubtedly make yourself more noticeable.
How much information you put in your profile really depends on your LinkedIn Objective. If you want
