“I am a brand myself.”
Many small and medium enterprises and startups require an entrepreneurial mindset. On the one hand, the promotion of the founder’s personal LinkedIn profile benefits the company because the founder is the main factor in its growth. On the other hand, the creation of a business page on LinkedIn has its own perks.
“How should we use LinkedIn in this situation?” remains an interesting query. More questions should pop out. Should we prioritize creating our brand’s LinkedIn Page and its followers above expanding our personal profile and professional network? When is it OK to change directions?
This breakdown has all of these answers.
What Makes LinkedIn Page and a Personal Profile Different
There are two categories of pages that make up the LinkedIn community. Both are crucial to the engagements and exchanges that happen every day on the site.
LinkedIn Personal Profile
Using our language, which we refer to as “member profiles,” will probably help you keep things clear. The digital embodiment of your professional identity on LinkedIn is your profile, which serves as your personal space. You may use this to post information to promote thoughts on leadership, expand your network, list experience, and stay in touch with your contacts. People visit your member profile to discover more about you.
A LinkedIn Page
On LinkedIn, an “organization’s hub” is located here. Although there are methods to connect the profiles of the founder and workers strategically, it is independent of them. Our LinkedIn Page is where you can specify your brand’s identity, voice, purpose, capabilities, and culture on the network, whether you represent a business, school, non-profit, or other organization.
People visit your company’s LinkedIn page to learn more about it.
Key differences between a Personal Profile and a LinkedIn Page
- Personal profiles on LinkedIn represent people, whereas LinkedIn Pages represent group organizations.
- There are connections in your personal profile. There are followers on your LinkedIn Page.
- We can use a Page to run advertising on LinkedIn.
- To create a Page, we must first have a personal profile.
- Activities, Experience, Skills & Endorsements, Recommendations, and Interests are all elements of our individual profile. Sections like Overview, About, Jobs, and People are included on a LinkedIn Page.
- Both are free!
When to Use Personal Profile vs. LinkedIn Pages
In this regard, every scenario is unique. But the following basic advice will help us decide if we should focus our efforts on developing a LinkedIn Page for our business rather than advertising through our personal member profile.
A Sole Proprietor vs. a Brand’s Public Face?
Some companies share the names of their founders. If someone owns a company named Jane Doe Consulting, it would be the face of the brand (i.e., “I am a brand myself”). It is about prioritizing marketing and expanding a network through these two types. It makes sense in this situation to focus on our personal profiles.
Do You Want to Develop Brand Equity?
Some sole proprietorships in small firms continue, but the long-term plan necessitates going past that stage for others. It nearly always makes sense to construct a LinkedIn Page in these circumstances when there is a desire to develop in scale, and it is often desirable to dedicate resources to its growth.
Startups frequently fall into the first of the two categories above before moving into the second after hiring several full-time staff members. In this situation, it’s wise to start by focusing on expanding your personal network. After the brand entity becomes more independent, switch your attention to the company’s LinkedIn Page and build brand recognition through organic content, followed by paid advertisements.
Following are some important steps you must follow:
Moving from Personal Profile to LinkedIn Page
- Follow the three-step “Complete Your Page” process in the Action Plan guide to ensure your brand’s LinkedIn Page is ready for primetime.
- Consistently post content to your Page that is relevant to your target audience.
- Begin to reshare posts from your LinkedIn Page to your member profile, encouraging your connections to follow the Page.
- Your client list should get a one-time email informing them of your Page’s launch or investment.
- Encourage your coworkers and business partners to complete all of the tasks mentioned earlier as well.
- Follow the best practices for LinkedIn Pages for your business and model your personal Page on these excellent LinkedIn accounts.
Put Your Small Business Plan into Action on LinkedIn, from Profile to Page
Whether you direct that momentum into a LinkedIn Page or keep it focused on your profile, developing strong professional brand equity through your member profile may offer a springboard for success with your small company. I hope the advice above makes it clear for you to choose the best course of action