Your internal brand isn't enough

READ TIME: 5 MINUTES

I knew the importance of building my brand to grow my career.

But I always thought about building it internally. To set me up for the next raise or promotion. Or to get another team to jump in when I needed help on a project, an account, or a client.

I never thought about my brand on LinkedIn.

I posted when I got hired at a new company. 

I posted when I got a promotion. 

I posted when we were hiring.

I posted when there was something from the company worth sharing.

A lot of times that version of a "post" was the bare minimum, it was the basic click of the LinkedIn box to notify my network of a new role. Or repost company news.

That was it. That was how I engaged on LinkedIn.

Why?

Because I wasn't just dormant on LinkedIn. I had no presence on social media at all. I didn't want to put myself out there. I never liked to be in the public eye.

So when I launched my own business I knew I would have to step outside of my comfort zone and build a brand on LinkedIn. It was all new to me.

Here's what I've learned: your internal brand matters. But the brand you build for yourself on LinkedIn will have a bigger impact on your career.

When I look back on my career, there are people I worked with at CEB who still think of me as the SDR who avoided the phones but exceeded quota. Or the AE who was struggling.

They don't know I became a VP, supported a team through an acquisition, went through an IPO, and built my own coaching business.

If they even remembered my name, they'd have to go find me on LinkedIn to see any of it.

When you post, you bring it to them. You show up in their feed with what you've built.

So when they're hiring a coach or looking for a VP, you're top of mind instead of invisible.

Your network is the most powerful asset you have in your career. And most of us underuse it. LinkedIn makes it easy to change that.

Here's what I changed:

From January through July, I more than doubled my following (grew it by 3,000 people). And 80% of my business has come from LinkedIn.

Some of it came from people I'd worked with before — who wouldn't have known about my coaching if I hadn't been posting. But most of it came from people who found me cold.

That's just the business side.

Even though I run my own company now, more recruiters are reaching out than ever. Not about just any role — they're targeting VP positions that fit my background.

Companies are reaching out too. For consulting, coaching, sales training, sales enablement, help with their mid-market team. I'm in conversations with CEOs and heads of sales, many of them people I worked with years ago.

Almost every one started the same way: "I saw something you posted on LinkedIn, which is why I reached out."

None of it would have happened if I hadn't built a brand on LinkedIn.

So here's the truth: the best time to build your brand online is today.

Whether you're job searching or not.

Once you start, you'll reconnect with old colleagues. Job opportunities will land in your inbox. People will reach out just to grab a casual coffee chat.

I've had clients go from never posting to landing interviews partly because they figured out how to show up on LinkedIn, too.

The only way to build this is to get out of your comfort zone and start posting.

So how do you get started? Four ideas.

1. Share your performance. If you had a win, shout about it. But don't just post a percentage. Share what led to the success — the one or two things you learned along the way. Is there someone you want to thank for supporting you? Tag them. If you're a manager, tagging a few members of your team is an easy way to share your perspective and celebrate them. Or maybe you won an award — President's Club, a quarterly trip. Post it.

2. Share your thought leadership. What's something you've recently learned and applied that worked? Did you learn a new way to use AI? Try a new opener on a cold call? Learn something about your industry that helps your clients? Be creative here. And keep your posts easy to read — a great hook gets more attention and interest.

3. Don't be afraid to be vulnerable. I've posted about the layoffs I've faced, my story as a working Mom and other setbacks across my career. I know it's hard to share, but if you're experiencing something, someone else is too. Get out of your comfort zone, I had to and it's been worth it. I still recommend keeping it professional. Remember, everything you post is part of your brand. How do you want to be remembered?

4. Be helpful. Repost open positions when you see them. If you took a recent course, read a great book, or listened to a podcast, others in your network could benefit from it so share it.

And if you're not comfortable posting yet?

Start by commenting.

Pick a couple of people on LinkedIn you like and follow. After they post, leave a comment. It helps them, and it kicks off the algorithm. That kind of activity is what helps you get found by more recruiters and others.

Now, I'm not saying spend all your time on LinkedIn. You have a day job. Maybe that day job is searching for a new role. Maybe it's crushing it in your current one. Maybe it's juggling both.

But posting once a month is the bare minimum. That doesn't take much effort.

Push to once a week if you can. You'll stay top of mind.

When you think of a topic, write it down. When it comes time to write, you have a list of ideas to choose from.

It's simple. Start small. So small it feels almost too easy. That's how I started, and it had a huge impact on my brand.

It's time to take branding and build it outside your organization. Because your career brand is more than what's happening inside the walls of your current company.

Hit reply and tell me: What's the one post you've been afraid to publish? I read every response.

To clarity and confidence in your career path, 

Amanda

See you next Sunday.

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