Don’t Be Embarrassed… Define your Personal Brand.
You invested heavily in your education. You earned an advanced degree. In fact, you pursued another advanced degree mid-career.
You also have a number of certifications, which allow you to niche down within your chosen field.
It’s not like no one has noticed: you were featured in 30 under 30, 40 under 40, and the new 50 over 50 issue of that must-read mag making all that noise these days.
Not bad.
Add to that the fact that you are in something of a give-back phase. To the point that it truly serves your charitable endeavors to include Philanthropist among your key descriptors.
This makes your LinkedIn headline a bit chunky, but hey, what are vertical bars for, if not to enumerate the myriad superlatives that set you apart??
You could thin it out, but we all know that no one really reads the Experience section, other than to see if you’re still doing what you were doing last time they looked. And isn’t that what the headline is for?
To be safe, you choose between the ultra-detailed About (aka “The Long Story”) or the mysterious About (“Believer in what goes in
How about the moniker? It helps, right? Or does it?
Now hold on – this newsletter edition is NOT about LinkedIn best practices! Does my headline say “LinkedIn Expert”? No, it does not. And if it said, “MBA | MFA | Certified NSCA Coach | Wellness Enthusiast | Lightworker | LinkedIn Expert | Fractional CMO | “The Educated Fit & Fractional LinkedIn Guy” — what would you make of that?
Sometimes less is more. And sometimes, more is flat-out confusing!
The solution is not in making the hard choices about what to include.
And it’s not in streamlining your story to the point that you read it and no longer even see yourself in it.
The solution is in the BIG PICTURE.
Try this exercise: Think of the cumulative effect of all the things we discussed: education, personal passions, professional achievements, accolades, and honors. The knowledge you’ve gained and how you now wish to use it. Write down the words that come to mind. From those words you will start to frame your mission. And you will likely come away with something shorter and more original than what you had before.
There is always room for a story well told. And when you think in terms of meaning, it will come to you in fewer words.
I build brands that open doors – our clients achieve greater impact, influence, and growth through messaging, brand voice, and brand strategy. Book your Personal Brand Audit now to see what’s possible on the way to incomparable.
