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How to Align Your LinkedIn Profile with Your Brand

Personal branding seems to have become a buzzword and hot topic in every corner of professional and career development. It’s mentioned, cited, and invoked in every career-related book, article, site, blog, and resource out there. Lately, it’s somehow become more than just a logo, profile, or professional headshot; it’sthe essence of who you are, what you stand for, and how you present yourself to the world. LinkedIn takes centre stage in the discourse, and if we had a dollar or took a drink every time we spotted a personal brand on the site, I’d be drinking very good wine. It’s not just a digital resume, according to them. It’s your professional story, and aligning it with your personal brand is paramount. Here’s what I’ve managed to learn about where and how the two meet, and what you can do to promote yourself.

1. Start by Defining Your Brand

Don’t worry. We also had a hard time understanding what this meant, much less trying to achieve it. Start by reflecting on your values, strengths, passions, and the unique qualities that set you apart. What do you want to be known for in your professional circles?

2. Optimize Your Headline and Photo

You should sound credible, professional, and trustworthy in your LinkedIn headline. Briefly outline your expertise, specialisation, and what you bring. Instead of a generic job title, create a headline that summarises your brand and the value you offer. The photo should back this up, look professional, clear, and devoid of sunglasses, and be sure to crop out your messy desk or beverages at front and centre.

3. Craft a Compelling Summary

In other words, sell yourself. Tell your professional story. Try to be brief, impactful, and engaging. It’s a good place to write about your journey, aspirations, and expertise defining your brand. Share relevant experiences, accomplishments, and values that back up your story.

4. Showcase Your Experience

Highlight the roles, projects, and accomplishments that align with your brand. Use keywords that reflect your expertise, and quantify whenever possible with evidence of your capabilities.

5. Leverage Recommendations and Endorsements

Endorsements and recommendations from colleagues, supervisors, and clients add a layer of credibility, so reach out to anyone who can vouch for your skills and work ethic and kindly request them to write a recommendation for you. Skill endorsements for key skills are also useful.

6. Curate Your Content

Sharing content on LinkedIn is an effective way to show that you know your stuff, can write about it, or at least know how to post content. Share articles, insights, and updates that reflect your brand and profession. Curating and creating content that resonates with your brand can help to position you as a thought leader (a buzzword that is tiring me even more than personal brand. More on this in another piece in progress.)

7. Be Authentic

Like, reshare and comment on posts, articles, and discussions that align with your brand and interests. Leave thoughtful comments and connect with professionals in your field.

9. Be Consistent

Don’t veer off-topic (or worse) off-brand. This creates a cohesive and memorable impression of your brand, and your profile’s overarching theme.

10. Update Your Profile

Update your profile with new accomplishments, skills, and experiences. This keeps your brand relevant and shows that you continuously grow and evolve in your field. Your LinkedIn profile is your online CV, and a digital representation of your brand. Updating it with new content at least monthly also helps to improve search ranking.

No time or resources to create content for your blog or LinkedIn Page? No matter! We create original content based on methodical qualitative research, designed to enhance your personal brand. And that’s not all!

Research & Writing for Blogs

Blogs are a great way to attract and engage your target audience, establish expertise, and boost your website’s traffic and SEO. From selecting a topic to final editing and proofreading, we share the most important steps and considerations required to create a readable post and ensure that your blog stands out:

Choose a topic relevant to your subject area, audience and niche. What are they interested in reading about? What problems are they trying to solve? Once you know your audience’s needs and pain points, you can choose an informative and helpful topic.
Research your chosen topic area. Gather information from various sources, including industry publications and blogs. Be sure to note and cite both primary and secondary sources for your readers’ ease of use and further reading.
Create, develop and refine an outline to help organise your thoughts, ideas and content.
Write a strong introduction. Your introduction should grab the reader’s attention, introduce the topic, and clearly emphasise your main points.
Use an informal and engaging style. Avoid jargon and technical language that readers may not understand. Instead, focus on writing clearly and concisely that is easy to read.
Use visuals. Images, pictures and videos can break up text and make a post visually appealing. They can also help to illustrate your points and make a post more engaging.
Proofread your post carefully. Before you hit ‘publish’, be sure to proofread carefully for any errors in grammar or spelling. If possible, ask a third-party editor to proofread it.
Your headline is the first opportunity to engage with the reader. Make it count. Write a headline that is clear, concise, and attention-grabbing.
Use keywords throughout, employing words and phrases people will likely use when searching for information on your topic. Use relevant keywords throughout your blog post, including in your headline, introduction, and body paragraphs.
Promote your post. Once published, promote your work across relevant digital channels. Appeal to contacts to share your post to help reach a wider audience, establish your expertise, and boost your website’s traffic and SEO.

No time or resources to create or maintain your own blog? No matter! We create original content based on methodical qualitative research to reach, inform, and engage with your audience. And that’s not all! Looking for ideas and inspiration for your blog, content strategy, or writing practice? Visit our Recommended Reading List of 200 books.

Don't Neglect Your LinkedIn Profile...

LinkedIn has become the place for professionals to connect, network, do business, and hire across industries, practise areas and time zones. It stands to reason that the right bio (often accompanied by mission and vision statements) can position you as a thought leader, expert, pioneer and spark interest or act as a catalyst for negotiation. Whether you’re getting started, updating your profile, or preparing to pivot, a solid and succinct profile can represent a calling card, handshake, and shoe in the door.

What Is The Point of a LinkedIn Profile?

A LinkedIn profile helps potential employers and clients learn more about you, your career history, and your skills. It also gives you the chance to promote your current businesses or projects you’re involved with. The profile is where people will go if they want to know more about you — so it’s important to make sure that information is accurate, interesting, and well-written. With a strong profile, you’ll be able to connect with more people and find work that’s suited to your skills. And the more you use your profile, the more likely it is that recruiters and employers will come across it. Because of this, it’s essential to make sure that every piece of information is accurate and well-presented. A poorly written or edited profile won’t get you very far.

Choose a strong Headline

The most important part of any LinkedIn profile is the headline. This is the first thing potential employers or clients will see and read, so it’s essential to make sure it’s attractive and enticing. — Choose an appropriate photo — The next step is to pick a photo that complements your headline and is appropriate for your desired audience. Make sure to avoid anything that could be seen as unprofessional, including selfies or pictures of you partying. — Write about your strengths, your career history and what makes you exceptional. Focus on what you’ve achieved and the transferable skills you’ve gained throughout your education and work history. Then be sure to connect with your network!

Edit, Edit, break for coffee, then Edit some More!

It’s also important to keep in mind that your profile will likely change as your career progresses. Once you’ve got the profile up to scratch, it’s essential to continuously edit it. Your skills and interests will change over time, so a static profile won’t accurately reflect your current strengths. And once you’ve got a strong profile that’s actively drawing connections and interest, you can use it to promote your freelance business.

Writing your bio when 900 million active LinkedIn users are out there can seem intimidating, but a well-crafted, compelling bio can tell a wonderful tale to anyone who finds and reads it.

Prior to just a few years ago, we were limited to a name and title on a business card to embolden and bedazzle our personal bios. Today, your bio represents not only your professional status, but also your personality, your style, your potential, and your aspirations. Your bio is the story of your personal brand.

Having a great bio is critical in today’s business environment, even if you don’t believe that others will notice it. Despite the fact that you’re not yet a household name, you’ve attracted fans and are on your way to a five-figure fan base, or even that coveted, blue ‘verified’ checkmark. Being well-known is one thing; being considered a thought leader in your niche is another.

Crafting a well-written, concise, and relevant biography for your website and social media accounts is one of the most important actions you can take to establish your credibility and expertise.

It is always preferable to write in the third person. It is possible to lose some readers if you refer to yourself as “I” and “me.” You want those who read your biography to be curious about you rather than cynical, so make sure you get a second or third opinion. Make sure the most intriguing thing about you isn’t something that others take for granted. A strong LinkedIn profile is essential for professionals looking to advance their careers or find work in their chosen, or new fields. With a well-written profile, you can make yourself stand out from the crowd. A poorly written (or non-existent) profile, however, can make you look like an unserious or unqualified candidate.

No time or resources to create your own content? No matter! We create original content based on methodical qualitative research, designed to enhance your personal brand. And that’s not all! Looking for ideas for your blog, content strategy, or books on written communication? Visit our Recommended Reading List of 200 books.

...or that Blog!

In just under two decades (about the same period that blogs have been around) I’ve created content, helped to develop concepts and ideas for a variety of blogs in several industries, fields and areas. Property, finance, travel, food, design, fashion — and those are just my favourites! And yet the blog is often not included in the creative brief. The discussions about blogs and blogging comes as a value-add, often at the tail end of onboarding and proposals. Sometimes there are suggestions for additional content, a new direction, or strategy for resuscitating a blog that has been abandoned for some time and in need of TLC.

One of our greatest strengths over here is our ability to add value by contributing ideas, copy and refreshed content for the client blogs is one of my best skills and abilities. We ask detailed questions about blogs during my onboarding, within the three documents that we use as part of that process. It began as a one-page document of five or six questions a decade and a half ago; today we ask thirty-five questions over three questionnaires to determine suitability, plan of action, tone of voice and strategy. If the client has given some thought to messaging it won’t take much time or effort. If you haven’t worked with a freelancer, it might seem a little invasive, but the process starts with a pointed question:

1. So, what’s your story?

It makes sense, doesn’t it? By nature, a blog is supposed to be an informal, conversational and timely addition to you or your organisation’s portfolio of owned media. It can include profiles, interviews, and journal-style posts to share news, make time-sensitive announcements and help to paint a broader portrait of your CSR, environmental stance, mission, vision and diversity policy. A blog is your story.

“Through blogging, your company can build goodwill, attract new business, improve customer relations, enhance your brand, recruit the best employees, weather a crisis and build support for initiatives.” — Shel Holtz

Content, whether generated in-house or by someone like yours-truly, is valuable because it can easily be repurposed for social media with a little retooling (informal for Facebook, 280 characters for Twitter, professional/formal for LinkedIn).

So, what is your story? What’s your message? Is that ethos reflected in your online identity?

Those are just three of the thirty-five or so questions that we like to ask when getting to know you. They are also the sort of questions that we encourage you to ask yourself and your team when collaborating on your brand’s messaging, content, and copy. That’s what we do. We help leaders like you and your teams to craft and polish your messaging, and your stories.

Making LinkedIn Work for You

Are prospective clients and customers finding you on LinkedIn?

Are recruiters and employers able to learn about your strengths from your LinkedIn profile?

Is your profile showing your best writing?

Does your company page highlight your product or services effectively?

Is your LinkedIn account an effective calling-card, storefront and CV?

In May 2023, LinkedIn will turn 20. Originally it was conceived, developed and marketed as a networking site where job seekers could post experience, employers would post job openings, and recruiters could find or research individual candidates for suitability. Today, LinkedIn offers far more than job opportunities. It’s a platform for networking, personal branding, advertising, market research and SEO. Since introducing a content publishing platform, LinkedIn has also become a leading and preferred hub for posting HR, business development, and CSR content.

Earlier in 2022, the company reached 822 million registered users. That makes the site an ideal forum to share content, showcase your knowledge, promote your expertise, or establish your thought leadership.

No time or resources to create content for your LinkedIn Page? No matter! We create original content based on methodical qualitative research, designed to enhance your personal brand. And that’s not all!

Looking for ideas for your blog, content strategy, or books on written communication? Visit this Recommended Reading List of 200 books.

Thinking of Hiring a Copywriter? Ask These Questions First!

Thinking of outsourcing your content and copy to a freelancer, copywriter, or agency? Be sure to ask any candidate these questions before deciding.

1. Background

“Can you tell me about your background, training, or experience?”

It goes without saying that you’re going to want some of these questions answered before deciding on the best candidate.

2. Experience

“Do you have any relevant experience in our (or a similar) field?”

If you’re looking for specialized content (medical, high finance, science), you’re going to want someone experienced.

3. Knowledge

“Are you with our discipline, practice area, and company?”

Have they done any research on you since you first reached out? How fast can they get up to speed?

4. Onboarding

“How do you go about onboarding new clients?”

Pay attention here. This is when your candidates should stop marketing themselves, selling or upselling their services, pivot and focus attention entirely on you and your content needs.

5. Process

“What’s the process that you use to go from onboarding to final draft?”

Ask about drafts, revisions, and amendments. How do they go from kickoff meeting to draft, to submitting polished content?

6. Research

What research do you do before drafting your client’s content?

Some background, market and qualitative research is always useful and shows in the polish of the copy.

7. Ideation

“Without leaking any trade secrets, do you have any broad ideas about how you might be able to help us beyond the brief we’re discussing?”

A seasoned professional (like me) will have come to the meeting or call having already done a little light reading and ready to share a few points on where I can add value, offer a few suggestions and leave you feeling that you absolutely can’t survive without him.

8. Professionalism

“Do you see any areas in our online presence that stand out as needing, that you would do differently or could review and revise for us?”

Lean forward and listen carefully to how this rather delicate question is answered. Even if you happen to know that the quality and tone of your written content is in need of work, a professional will not take advantage of the question to berate and disparage his or her potential predecessor, offer to redo everything, write wrongs, or offer a total teardown and rebuild of your brand identity.

We create original content, edit copy, and address tone of voice based on methodical qualitative research. And that’s not All!

Looking for ideas for your blog, content, or written communication? Visit our Recommended Reading List .

Your Blog is Your Secret Weapon...

Are you thinking of starting a blog this new year as part of your personal rebrand?

Or maybe you’re getting ready to launch a new product, brand, or business and the PR and marketing budget is nearly non-existent. You need a cost-effective way to get found, be noticed, and generate revenue fast.

Perhaps you already have a blog, maybe even two. Remember your small business website? It has a built-in blog. The web designers insisted that you need one, promised it would prove invaluable, and might have described it as “a vital business building tool” or some other term that went over your head. At the time you didn’t quite grasp that blogs require upkeep, attention, and well written content to be of any use. So now it just sits there, in need of attention and hasn’t been updated in months, or maybe years. Then there’s that blog that you started during lockdown to keep you sane or promote that new side hustle that just didn’t take off. It too has not been updated and is gathering dust.

We all agree that a blog is hard work. It needs attention, content, feedback, and a monthly update (at the very least). But it can also be an endless resource, able at once to satisfy most of your marketing, PR, SEO, and branding needs. Your blog is in fact one of the easiest and fastest ways of getting found, being noticed, and yes, inserting you in Google search results. Whether new or established, your cause, endeavour or organisation can benefit from a blog; a biweekly blog post in the weeks leading up to a launch or opening can make the difference between attention and obscurity.

We create original content, edit copy, and address tone of voice based on methodical qualitative research. And that’s not all!

Looking for ideas for your blog, content, or written communication? Visit this Recommended Reading List of 200 books.

5 Reasons to use Twitter for your Real Estate & Property Marketing

The seasoned property professional’s mantra is universal: location, location, location — but with the wealth and variety of competing marketing platforms, there’s another golden rule to consider: Twitter, Twitter, Twitter. The Cayman Islands boasts an enviable number of real estate companies (almost as many as property options) that use this social network to find new clients and reach existing ones more effectively — and while real estate agents have joined the ranks in droves, Twitter remains an untapped, underused and largely unexploited opportunity. The reasons to complement your existing online marketing and PR with Twitter are that the platform offers ease-of-use, is simple, cost effective, and requires brevity and succinct content.

Twitter is a social media platform that allows users to share information and ideas with others. The company’s main focus is on real-time short text posts, called tweets. Tweets are restricted to 280 characters and can be sent from the account holder’s mobile device or computer. The word tweet originates from an old English term meaning to utter a soft, low sound. This definition describes how people use Twitter by sending out a message to their followers. One of the most popular features of this app is its search function which enables you to find and track specific keywords related to your interests. In addition, it enables you to follow other users so you will receive updates when they send out new messages. These benefits make Twitter perfect for real estate agents, developers, and brokerage houses as well as anyone who is looking to somehow market property sales or services. Here are five reasons why you should use Twitter if you’re a Cayman Islands property marketer.

1) Boost your Search Rankings

If you’re trying to boost your search rankings, Twitter is among the easiest means to help you, your company or brokerage get found on search engines — and fast. it’s important to think about what keywords people might be using to find your business. In the case of real estate, relevant keywords and hashtags might include Cayman Islands property or Cayman real estate, or simply #caymanislands. If you’re working on a blog post, promoting a new listing, or other content that will be published online, be sure to include these keywords, then post the URL to Twitter with one or two well-chosen #hashtags.

2) Find Potential Buyers

It’s not going to come as much of a surprise that most of your potential buyers are going to browse for properties or agents using a combination of social media and search engines. If you want to find more buyers, sellers, or prospective clients then you need to be there too, in the middle of the action. There are a number of ways that you can use Twitter as part of your real estate marketing strategy. For example, one way is by establishing an account and tweeting about property sales that you have going on in the area. You could also retweet posts from other people who are sharing information about sales or trends happening in your local or regional property market as part of your overall content marketing strategy. One of our clients prefers to post little more than images and descriptions of beautiful interiors, liveable communities or desirable locations. This has more than achieved his desired outcomes for nearly a decade.

3) Create Local Exposure

Whether you’re a new real estate agent looking to stand out from the crowd, or an established brokerage trying to get your name in front of more potential buyers and sellers, there are plenty of reasons why you should be using Twitter. Facebook is practically saturated with brokers, agencies, and listings and while still busy, Twitter is largely untapped.

4) Gain International Exposure

The platform also offers excellent international exposure since tweets can be found and read all over the world, making it a low-cost way to market internationally with little effort. You can also take advantage of geo-targeting and target people who are interested in specific locations with tailored messaging that they may not otherwise receive elsewhere on the Internet. As an example, let’s say you wanted to show how close your vacation home is to Grand Cayman’s golf courses, George Town, or Seven Mile Beach. Effective content marketing and well-written content can address this and in less than 280 characters. Target your Marketing!

5) Develop your Thought Leadership

A cursory look at Twitter, its users and experts will reveal accounts owned and managed by both industry experts you know, and thought leaders you wish you knew! If you want your property marketing campaign to go beyond the borders of your local market, then using social media is a must and if you’re marketing properties in the Cayman Islands then using Twitter is an exceptionally bright idea. Its 280-character limit makes it perfect for hashtags and short updates about real estate. The platform also offers excellent international exposure since tweets can be read all over the world, making it a low-cost way to market internationally with little effort or cost. Now go ahead. Be sure to tailor your content by targeting those who have expressed interest in topics related to what you offer by using the appropriate #hashtag.

You don’t even need a huge following on twitter to gain exposure. There will always be sellers looking to upgrade or downsize (even in softer markets) and some buyers are always looking for new properties. These groups do most if not all of their research online before making decisions about property purchases. Not having a large number of followers on twitter won’t make much difference when it comes time for buying/selling a home.

Finally, be sure to share your wealth and depth of deep knowledge on markets, areas, projects and communities to position yourself as the thought leader that you are. No time or resources to create content for your LinkedIn Page? No matter! We create original content based on methodical qualitative research, designed to enhance your personal brand. And that’s not all! Looking for ideas for your blog, content strategy, or books on written communication? Visit this Recommended Reading List of 200 books.

Are Landing Pages that Important?!

Online presence is crucial for businesses, and a well-crafted landing page is a powerful tool to get attention, drive traffic and spark interest. A landing page acts as a gateway, guiding potential customers to take specific actions, ultimately boosting traffic. A landing page is often the first user interaction with your brand or product. It provides a focused and tailored experience designed to capture attention and generate interest. Creating an appealing design, compelling copy, and a call-to-action can make a positive first impression that encourages visitors to explore further, increasing the likelihood of conversion. And conversion is key. The primary purpose of a landing page is to convert visitors into leads or customers. Unlike a website’s homepage, which serves multiple purposes, a landing page has a singular goal. A well-optimised landing page improves conversion rates by eliminating distractions and providing a targeted message aligned with the user’s intent. Whether it’s encouraging visitors to sign up for a newsletter, make a purchase, or fill out a contact form, a compelling landing page guides users towards the desired action.

Landing pages play a crucial role in targeted marketing campaigns. By creating dedicated landing pages for specific advertising campaigns, you can align the content and messaging with the corresponding ads. This consistency reinforces the users’ intent, improving the user experience and boosting conversion rates; it allows for accurate campaign performance tracking and analysis, enabling you to make data-driven decisions and optimise your marketing efforts effectively.

Landing pages are not only effective conversion tools but also invaluable sources of customer data. You can collect crucial information about your target audience by strategically incorporating lead capture forms or surveys on your landing pages. This data provides valuable insights into consumer behaviour, preferences, and demographics, enabling you to refine your marketing strategies, personalise your communication, and enhance the overall customer experience. They are instrumental in optimising your website for search engines. By tailoring landing page content to specific keywords, you can improve your search engine rankings and drive organic traffic. With a focused message and relevant content, landing pages increase the chances of being indexed by search engines, boosting your website’s visibility and attracting users actively searching for products or services related to your business.

The landing page is a fundamental component of a successful online marketing strategy. Their ability to captivate, convert, and gather valuable data makes them indispensable tools for driving business growth. By investing in well-designed landing pages, aligning them with targeted campaigns, and continually refining their performance, businesses can maximise conversion rates, boost customer engagement, and ultimately achieve their objective

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