Whatever your professional position, you have undoubtedly taken care to optimize your LinkedIn profile according to your background and your objectives. Maybe you're even active on Instagram, X, or other networks. But have you measured the importance of personal branding? In a complex and constantly evolving professional environment, you will be surprised by the effectiveness of this method. Our digital marketing expert, Brigitte Neveu-Dérotrie, takes stock.
Personal branding is a method inspired by marketing design techniques. It can help you:
- create a striking identity, to be visible and make a difference in your sector;
- implement a communication strategy aligned with your values and deep motivations;
- gain recognition in your field of activity, on the projects you develop and on the communication channels favored by your target audiences;
- attract new opportunities and save time by focusing your actions on your priority objectives.
Personal branding: inspiring figures
We all have in mind personalities, business leaders, influencers, whose positions we follow with interest. They were able to seize a theme, assert their values, to strengthen their notoriety and that of their company. This notoriety is not the result of chance, but of a thoughtful strategy to make their image coherent, specific and differentiating.
A few examples
Frederic Mazzellafounder of BlaBlaCar, embodies entrepreneurship in the collaborative economy and sustainable innovation. Very present on social networks and in the media, he continues to promote his company with an image of an innovative and visionary leader.
Isabelle Kocher de LeyritzHer personal brand remains that of an innovative leader committed to sustainable development. Her personal brand remains that of an innovative leader committed to sustainable development.
Justine Hutteau is the co-founder of Respire, a company specialising in natural and sustainable hygiene products. She has taken full advantage of her image as a young sportswoman and her strong bond with her community to promote the launch of her brand. Her initial Ulule campaign is a textbook example of effective, well-mastered personal storytelling, just as entrepreneurs such as the founders of Michel & Augustin have done in the past.
Inès LeonarduzziThe President of Digital for the Planet has made a name for herself as an expert in sustainable development and responsible digital technologies. She has established herself as a benchmark in the field of eco-responsible tech.
These leaders share a common strategy: well-constructed and coherent communication. A shared vision and strong values to increase their influence, strengthen their reputation and increase the value of their company. They are a source of inspiration for any professional wishing to use personal branding to make themselves visible and attractive, both within their company and externally.
Managing your online presence in a complex and competitive context
Lack of daily availability, doubts about the value of social networks or your own legitimacy: perhaps you have understandable questions about how to deploy your personal brand?
Take the time to think in depth about your strategy, your action plan, objectively taking into account your assets, your current network, physical or online, and your motivations.
It's not just a matter of regularly publishing content on networks such as LinkedIn, but of building an online presence that reflects your expertise, your vision and your commitments, and putting them to work for your company and/or your career. This means building an image that sets you apart, sharing value and engaging in conversations that reinforce your credibility in your field.
Building your personal brand in 4 steps
1. Carry out a 360° self-diagnosis
Take stock of your current image. Google yourself, the results may surprise you… Evaluate your skills, your achievements, but also your aspirations. Think about your core values and how you embody them professionally. Analyze your professional career, take an inventory of your technical and personal skills, ask your network for feedback. Also analyze the opportunities, trends and prospects of your sector and your objectives.
2. Define your unique DNA
Your professional DNA is what sets you apart. This can be an innovative vision of your profession, niche expertise, mastery of very specific software or perfect knowledge of a sector. Clarify your vision, your professional mission, and what gets you up in the morning. How is your profile unique and can it stand out from the crowd?
3. Build your e-reputation
On LinkedIn and, if applicable, on other major networks in your sector, make sure that your profile is complete, but also that it reflects your expertise and your successes. If necessary, carry out a semantic analysis to identify the key themes of the moment.
For example, when you search for your position in the LinkedIn search engine, which profiles come up best? Have you implemented the possible variations in your title: director and/or director, DAF and/or administrative and financial director? You are an architect or lawyer: with what professional or sectoral expertise will you enhance your profile? You can also observe the themes of conferences in your sector, the topics of conversation in your peer groups. Are there any predominant and recurring topics? Your profile is not “set in stone”, you can change it later. Contribute to discussions in your network and share your expertise. Finally, be regular in your publications. Give yourself objectives that you can respect, with a strategy of original and diversified content.
4. Develop an action plan
Consistency is the key to a successful personal branding strategy. Establish a publication calendar, determine the subjects and formats that engage your audience most (articles, videos, infographics, etc.) and that you can produce most easily.
You can prepare this calendar on Excel, on Google Calendar or using a template provided by Trello, for example. In this way, can you anticipate important upcoming dates for your business or profession, such as trade shows at which you can communicate “before/during/after”? Does this help you plan articles with your expert perspective?
Setting up monitoring can also help you identify “trending” topics on which to communicate. If possible, plan to ask a few colleagues to react quickly to your publications in order to promote their visibility. You will of course provide them with the same service in return.
Number of views, comments, likes: track the impact of your actions through analysis of LinkedIn data to adjust your strategy if necessary.
In conclusion, what personal branding strategies inspire you? In a fast, complex, competitive context, a visibility strategy is built with perseverance and regularity. Think about your “DNA”, the essential values that guide you, your vision and the specificities of your background and your expertise. What messages do you want to highlight? What themes are your audience currently interested in? Which ones do you want to be visible on and are you most inspired by? What is your next action plan to make yourself more visible? Finally, don't forget to build your community, by commenting and supporting the visibility of your peers on social networks.
