Seven Tips To Improve Your LinkedIn Presence As An Entrepreneur

 Chris J "Mohawk" Reed

LinkedIn gives wannabe and current entrepreneurs an amazing platform to achieve their entrepreneurial goals, not just locally, but regionally and globally, too. It is a catalyst to become a successful entrepreneur if used wisely. Here are seven tips on how you can become a rock star entrepreneur using LinkedIn.

1. It’s who you know, not what you know.

My grandad told me this when I was 9 years old, and I have never forgotten it. It describes being an entrepreneur on LinkedIn perfectly: It’s all about who you network with, who your first connections know and who your second connections know. That’s your network: millions of potentially interesting people who you can help and who can help you.

The more you curate your connections, the more you will see the power of your network. The more you say yes to people who wish to connect both online and offline, the more you will see the power of knowing the right people who can help you directly and indirectly. It’s all about who you know on LinkedIn. Embrace it.

3. Authentic personal branding is the key to success.

Being authentic comes in many shapes and sizes. For me, it’s wearing my mohawk, wearing my black rock t-shirts and ripped black jeans, and saying what I honestly feel, without caveats on who I might offend. For others, it’s wearing a suit and not "saying boo to a goose," as the phrase goes. Others just like a plain white t-shirt with blue jeans and to pick and choose their moments to say something.

The key is to be yourself. People will see through you if you're not. This applies to how you come across on LinkedIn with your personal brand, too. People can tell if you’re putting on an act. People find authenticity refreshing and are more likely to buy from you if you're authentic than if you're a great pretender. Be yourself and be authentic. As Oscar Wilde said, "Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."

5. Your posts on LinkedIn are not Shakespeare.

I’m always amazed that people spend weeks or months agonizing over their posts. It’s not Shakespeare. In 10 years' time, no one is going to look back and say, “Do you remember that post on LinkedIn that mohawk fellow did in 2020? Wasn’t that something?”

Your post is read (if you’re lucky), and it might spark a thought or smile. Someone might comment (if you’re very lucky), like it or share it. Then they move on. Another post or photo or video catches their attention.

Your post may go viral for a week or so, but then everyone moves on to something else. You build up your personal brand, but people forget the posts. So don’t overanalyze your post. Just get it out there. Then move on to the next one.

See all seven tips and the complete Forbes article