Tag Archives: personal brand

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What’s Your LinkedIn SSI Score?

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Since its launch in 2003, LinkedIn has become the go-to social media platform for professionals, hosting 900 million members worldwide as of 2024, about half of whom log on at least once a month. Joining and being active on LinkedIn is now a commonplace strategy, used by Freelance and traditionally employed professionals to enhance personal brand and advance business or career ambitions. Establishing connections with peers, potential mentors, prospective clients, or possible employers whom you’ve had the savvy and good fortune to meet and interact with, is the primary benefit of the LinkedIn experience.

Connections are not the only factor that pay dividends to those who actively participate on the platform. Nearly as powerful is the content posted, that usually consists of articles or blog posts you’ve written, announcement of awards you’ve won or professional development seminars you’ve attended, and/or insights you’ve shared when commenting on content posted by others. Content posted on LinkedIn contributes to establishing, and often enhancing, your professional and personal brand and expands your credibility beyond the orbit of first degree and other connections and into the broader LinkedIn community.

So, if you’re not active on LinkedIn, you may risk leaving brand-building and business or career growth opportunities on the table. But beyond receiving likes, the social media equivalent of air kisses, how do you know if your target audience feels your posts and comments are meaningful? Moreover, how do you stack up against industry peers and other connections in your network? Those questions can be answered in a LinkedIn user metric you may not know exists—the Social Selling Index (SSI) Score.

The SSI Score defined

The LinkedIn Social Selling Index Score was developed in 2014, after LinkedIn honchos decided to identify members who seemed to be killing it on the platform and figuring out how they did it. In 2015, SSI became part of LinkedIn Sales Navigator, a paid feature, but SSI is now available to all with a LinkedIn account. The SSI is a formula that evaluates social selling performance and measures mastery of what LinkedIn considers the core competencies of social selling on the platform.

The SSI gauges member success in demonstrating four social selling core competencies: establishing a professional brand, initiating communication with prospective connections and collaborators, engaging in valuable conversations and building high-quality relationships. For each competency, members are awarded between 0 and 25 points; the SSI Score is the sum of the individual scores from each core competency. The sum total of the core competency scores is also compared to the scores of others in your industry—and LinkedIn always assumes you’re in sales. That said, the higher your SSI Score, the more influential your LinkedIn profile becomes.

  • Establishing professional brand. This competency consists of two elements—the completeness of your LinkedIn profile and the quality of your posted content. The more detailed your profile and the more valuable your content, the higher your SSI Score.
    • LinkedIn confirms the presence of a profile photo, detailed job history and educational background, plus the number of recommendations you’ve made and received.
    • LinkedIn calculates the number of posts you publish and how many likes and comments your posts receive.
  • Connecting with the right people. This metric is connected to Sales Navigator and it may be challenging for members of free LinkedIn to obtain a good score in this component. It’s no surprise that LinkedIn prefers members to use the paid tools when searching for new connections.
    • When members connect with or contact the right person—for example, someone with a C-Suite job title that usually indicates a decision-maker—it is assumed that the member is now better positioned to make a sale, win a client, or otherwise make a tangible improvement to one’s business or career.
  • Engaging by sharing insights. Sharing valuable content increases the SSI Score awarded in this category. The more valuable content that’s posted and the more comments and likes that shared content receives, the better the score awarded and the closer a member becomes to earning Thought Leader status.
  • Building relationships. This metric evaluates a member’s motivation to stay in touch with connections. It reflects how often members reach out to connections and other contacts and measures how effective that outreach is—meaning, if the message does not receive a reply, the LinkedIn SSI Score will be negatively impacted.

Benefits of a high SSI Score

The SSI Score is considered to be a comprehensive measure of social selling prowess, meaning that a high score is considered demonstration of a member’s understanding and optimal utilization of the platform. LinkedIn views a high SSI Score in the way airlines view frequent flier miles, as a gateway to desirable perks. A high SSI Score can enhance your online reputation with the gift of increased visibility, a powerful benefit that drives name recognition and brand awareness as it promotes trust and credibility. The halo of credibility can lead to more positive responses to your networking inquiries and, theoretically, result in more and higher-quality opportunities for collaborations or exploring business ventures.

But does the SSI Score actually translate into tangible business results? Maybe—you’d expect LinkedIn to claim that a high SSI Score correlates with business success. LinkedIn reports that the higher your SSI Score, the more likely you are to achieve your sales targets, for example. LinkedIn says that an analysis of platform members who’ve received a high SSI Score will on average receive 45% more sales opportunities than those with lower scores and they’ll win 78% more sales deals than peers who are not active on social media. According to a joint study by LinkedIn and Richard Edelman, CEO of the global communications firm Edelman, 58% of business leaders are willing to buy from an industry expert and/or thought leader and they are willing to pay more, as they feel they’ll receive premium service.

  1. Lead generation. Allegedly, those who’ve earned a high SSI Score are 45% more likely to exceed their sales quota because they are adept at identifying and engaging with, the right contacts. The strategy is known to result in more productive leadgen.
  2. Sales. According to LinkedIn, those with an SSI Score above 70 outperform their peers and achieve 45% more sales opportunities than those with low scores.
  3. Brand awareness. A high SSI Score typically results in the reward of increased visibility for your content, leading to increased brand awareness and recognition in your industry.
  4. Trust-building. A high SSI Score enhances credibility, a trust-building factor that can make a difference for B2B professionals, where relationships and reputations play a significant role in decision-making.
  5. Optimized visibility. LinkedIn’s algorithm favors those who utilize its platform effectively. A higher SSI Score usually results in enhanced visibility for your posted content, opening the door to increased engagement with your connections and other contacts.

Monitoring your SSI Score is likely to motivate you to make the most of platform benefits—seeking strategically savvy connection requests as a way to maximize leadgen or business collaborations, positioning yourself as an industry Thought Leader and building your brand and credibility and working to increase your exposure by verifying that your content is relevant to your target audience. To learn your SSI Score, log onto LinkedIn and then click on this link. If you’re part of Sales Navigator, go to “Admin“ and click “User Report.”

While you’re logged onto LinkedIn, review your profile and consider what you might add—do you have a profile picture? Have you earned a professional certificate, or taken a skills-building course, that you never acknowledged in your profile? If so, add that accomplishment to the Licenses & Certifications section of your profile; if you received a certificate, scan and upload. Oh, and if you serve on a board or participate in other volunteer work, include your philanthropic and social responsibility commitments as well. Whether or not boosting your SSI Score is meaningful to you, remember that the purpose of joining LinkedIn is to display your professional bona fides.

Also, when’s the last time you made or received a recommendation? You can get the ball rolling by making a recommendation for a colleague and asking for the favor to be returned with a recommendation for yourself. While we’re on the subject of colleagues, take a tour through the extensive list of LinkedIn groups and figure out if there’s a new one you might join; if you’re already listed in a group or two, scroll through the content to get an update on the threads and see where you might be able to make a relevant comment, or ask a question. Giving a boost to your SSI Score is not labor intensive, but it does require some strategic thinking. It’s time to get busy!

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Susan Walsh/Associated Press. The co-champions of the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

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Recipe For A Winning 4th Quarter Finish

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Ready, set, win! In business and in life, it’s not where you start it’s where you finish. When the bell rings at the end of the game—the end of the year—with all your heart, you want to be a winner. Whatever you’ve experienced this year, whether you struggled to close deals or were touched by an angel, your performance in the fourth quarter is going to be impactful. I think it’s safe to say that you’re motivated to leave no stone unturned as you aim to close out 2023 with a victory.

The 4th quarter officially begins on October 1 and summer ends on September 22, but you’re about ready to kick-off your year-end sprint now that September has arrived. It’s time to go full speed ahead; optimizing your visibility to potential customers and referral sources can be the wind at your at your back. Start your campaign by identifying organizations and venues that sponsor programs that align with your brand and will bring you and your company to the attention of the right decision-makers. Your objective is to position yourself as an expert, thought leader and trustworthy professional who, BTW, can deliver solutions to a certain target market and make those who hire you look good. Here are a few strategies that when implemented will propel you out of the starting gate and toward the year-end finish line.

Elevator pitch

You’ll have two or three versions of varying lengths that correspond to the person you meet but in general your elevator pitch , which is an introduction to you, your company and your product or service, should be 20-40 seconds long. Your name and the company name, what you do, for whom you do it (i.e., your typical client) and the primary benefit (outcomes) delivered are what you want to communicate. Hone your pitch until you can define your venture in just a couple of punchy sentences.  An effective elevator pitch will grab the interest of the listener, showcase your mission and get people hooked on your vision, all in less than one minute.

Personal brand

It’s not unusual to confuse reputation with the personal brand, but the two are not interchangeable. Reputation is earned and acquired, influenced by how you behave and communicate. It is external and reflects how others see you.  

Your personal brand, on the other hand, is internal and intentional. It’s also aspirational and is based on how you’d like others to see you. It’s your preferred identity, your unique selling proposition and what sets you apart from competitors.

 Personal branding involves creating and communicating a compelling story about yourself, maintaining a professional demeanor and nurturing a reputation that positions you as trustworthy and dependable. Remember that your brand reflects your core values and purpose, it should resonate with your target audience and inspire their loyalty and respect.

Networking

Networking is the process of meeting and greeting, having conversations and getting to know colleagues and competitors so that you can exchange information, find common ground and develop professional or social contacts. Once in a while, you might be lucky enough to meet someone who becomes a real friend.

You’ll find opportunities to network wherever you meet people. The essence of successful networking isn’t about what someone can do for you; it’s about what you can do for them. Ideally, the experience of networking results in win-win outcomes. The best networking agenda is to create value, be a resource and forge genuine relationships, so that you and your network will support one another.

Social media

Whether your preferred platform is LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or TikTok, establishing a consistent presence on social media will be a key element in your strategy to maintain visibility in your professional sector. Keep your audience engaged with promotional content, industry insights, interesting company updates and behind-the-scenes peeks, leavened with a dash of your charismatic personality. Because your customers and prospects feel more comfortable doing business with those they feel they know, make your content relatable.

Content marketing

Content is king, but not just anything will do. The content that you produce—text, visual, audio—must give the information and tell the stories that your clients and prospects find meaningful. Your content must also be high-quality, engaging and impactful to tell a memorable story , communicate your expertise and nurture your community. As well, remember that content marketing sidesteps a hard sell.

The format is about providing valuable insights, stimulating conversation and showcasing your genius to the audience. Publishing a blog and/or newsletter that explores topics that interest your target audience, producing or taking a guest spot on webinars and/or podcasts that allow you to personally speak to subjects you explore in your blog and/or newsletter posts are standard B2B content that you’ll post on your website and social media sites or send to your email marketing list. Creating video clips that show you engaged in a local charity event, receiving an award that honors your volunteer work, or even a clip of you decorating your office for the holidays are among the visual content possibilities you might use to present a less formal and more relatable aspect of yourself.

Public speaking

Public speaking opportunities are plentiful these days; your task is to identify venues that deliver your target audience. Panels, webinars, workshops, podcasts, rotary clubs or the chamber of commerce provide great venues for speakers.

If the very idea of public speaking gives you butterflies in the belly, start small and build your speaking skills. Practice in front of a mirror, practice and record yourself on your smartphone. Joining a panel or being a guest on a webinar or podcast are good ways to gain experience and build your confidence, as you get exposure to an audience that might bring you a customer or a referral. Soon, you’ll be commanding the room and leading the conversation in your industry. Public speaking is an investment with dividends in credibility, authority and a wider audience reach.

Press releases and media spotlight

While self-promotion is vital, third-party validation is perceived as impartial and objective and for those reasons, articles that appear in the media have the most credibility. Earned media is the term; to approach media outlets and invite them to in some way include you and your company in a feature, you must make contact with journalists or editors with press releases.

Journalists traffic in stories that they feel will interest their readers (or viewers), so your objective to obtain earned media must be based on a story that the media outlet’s audience will value. Write a press release when you win a business award, when you’re scheduled to appear on a local (or national!) television program, or when you’ll participate in a visible way in a noteworthy charitable event in your community. The story you’d like to share must be enticing and relevant to the publication’s audience. If done consistently and with viable story angles, media features can provide immense visibility and position you as a thought leader in your field.

Guest posts, podcasts, webinars

Engaging with your audience in virtual real-time has become standard practice in the digital era. There are now hundreds of podcasts and webinars broadcast nearly every day. More than just a knowledge-sharing medium, webinars and live sessions nurture a sense of community and belonging. They facilitate connection between you and your audience, fostering a dialogue that’s both dynamic and personal. The topic of your podcast or webinar session and information shared must deliver value to the audience.

Expand your writing credits and your reach by guest posting on popular industry blogs. Be sure to return the favor and occasionally invite a guest blogger to write for you and gain new readers as you do. Guest posting gives you exposure to a broader audience and solidifies your position as an industry expert. Whether you are the host or a guest, podcasts are a fantastic platform for showcasing your insights, opinions and your unique perspectives.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: West Aurora, IL High School’s Victoria “Tori” Spagnola, left, wins the 300-meter hurdles race. Alexandra Johnson, right. (June 2021)

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Personal Brand: Create Your Story and Control Your Image

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Your personal brand is your reputation: the impression you leave with people with whom you interact,  their perception of you.  The personal brand reflects the aura and impact of the choices you’ve made in life and how you present yourself to the world: mode of dress,  communication style,  profession,  educational level,  values and priorities,  how and with whom you socialize.

Primarily for professional reasons,  it is a smart idea to connect selected dots that you wish to emphasize and create a narrative that will communicate to prospective clients or employers,  VIPs and colleagues that you bring value and relevance and that professional or social affiliations with you are worthwhile.

Fail to proactively build and develop a personal brand that conveys integrity and competence and you risk being denied numerous opportunities in life.  Take control of the professional and social aspects of your personal brand and do whatever possible to create a destiny and legacy that have a positive impact.   Create a story that succinctly communicates your story,  or brand narrative,   to the world.  Portions of your brand narrative will be included in your curriculum vitae,  bio,  website,  press kit,  LinkedIn and Facebook pages.   As you write your brand narrative,  keep in mind three attributes that form the pillars of an excellent personal brand:

Authentic

The self you present to the world must reflect your expertise and experience,  core values and beliefs.   Have the courage to be your best self.   Emphasize the relevant.   Acknowledge your expertise and what you enjoy doing.  Be compassionate.  Pay it forward.  Keep it real.

Consistent

People want to know what to expect when they plan to interact with someone.  We trust that which is dependable and reliable.  Meet or exceed client expectations.   Keep your promises.  Monitor your choices,  for at some point you’ll need to respectfully decline certain offers because they do not appropriately reflect your brand.   As the late,  great Diana Vreeland,  former editor-in-chief at both Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue Magazines once said,  “Elegance is refusal.”

Coherent

In line with Ms. Vreeland’s famous quote,   choose to live your brand and that means you must learn to say no.  Your lifestyle: the associations that you join,  social comrades,  causes with which you align and skill sets that you promote must all reflect your brand and fit within the narrative.   Surround yourself with people who respect and support your life choices and who do not undermine your goals and values.   Carefully manage your time and resources in ways that will open the door and welcome your preferred future.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Authenticity is the Only Personal Brand

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The successful Freelance consultant is acknowledged as an expert and leader in his/her chosen field  by clients,  colleagues and competitors.  This Freelancer has superior skills that are accompanied by integrity;  s/he can be trusted to meet or even exceed expectations.  This individual commands respect because s/he is highly competent,  reliable and credible,  that is to say,  authentic.

Authentic is an adjective that’s thrown around a lot these days and perhaps suffers from overuse,  but I agree with leadership development specialists who assert that a truly effective leader is highly skilled,  trustworthy,  respectful,  communicates well and is unafraid to be him/herself.  A leader embraces the genuine self,  strives to develop and present  the best self and does not waste time trying to be someone else.  For those reasons,  leaders are often considered charismatic and they inspire great loyalty.

Les McKeown,  CEO of Predictable Success,   an adviser on organizational growth and author of  “Predictable Success: Getting Your Organization on the Growth Track and Keeping It There” (2010),  has shared three phrases that will telegraph your authenticity and leadership ability to others.   At some future meeting,  it will make sense for a leader to make at least one of these statements:

“I have nothing to add.”  The confident leader is not in love with the sound of his/her own voice and does not feel compelled to weigh in on every matter.  A leader intuits when everything that is relevant has been expressed,  respects the well-reasoned opinions of others and allows others to take center stage and shine every now and again.

“I don’t understand what you mean by…..”  Authentic leaders admit knowledge gaps and ask for information that will clarify,  so that they can grasp the subject under discussion and promote good decision-making.  They are not driven by a need to appear  expert in all things.

“I recommend that we…..”  A leader recognizes when it is time to make a decision,  whether or not all the facts are in hand.  Usually,  all the facts can never be in hand,  but a leader knows when we must move forward and either take advantage of an opportunity,   head off a crisis,  or cut losses.  An authentic leader takes responsibility to put resources and reputation on the line and make,  or advocate for,  a decision or action.

Role models can be inspiring and show us the way,  but at the end of the day we must be ourselves.  We must be willing to embrace what we believe in,  acknowledge our priorities and articulate our values and vision.  To do so takes confidence,  which is yet another attribute of a leader.   An authentic leader has no desire to present a false  “personal brand”  that may seem trendy at a given moment.  A real leader knows that authenticity is the only worthwhile personal brand and that its value is timeless.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Your Personal Brand Part I

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Billable hours are tanking.  Once dependable revenue streams have slowed to a trickle. Clients are postponing, or even canceling, projects you were depending on.  Jobs that are scheduled to go forward are taking longer to get off the launching pad and cost containment is the phrase du jour.  You are worried.  How can you make clients realize that your contributions add real value to their organizations and should not be passed up?

Freelancing friend, I may be able to offer you some ammunition for this one.  Respectfully, I suggest that it may be time for you to take a good honest look at your position in the marketplace and assess the value that clients place on your services.  I submit to you that it may be time to analyze, clarify, strengthen and  re-launch your brand identity.

Breathe, Focus, List

I recommend that you begin this process by cataloguing your strengths: years of experience, sought-after skills, client list, resourcefulness, positive attitude, work ethic, decision making ability, strategic thinking.  List the reasons that clients hire you.

Catalog also a few key weaknesses.  Remember that you are selling yourself and will benefit from being able to anticipate objections so you can formulate and practice responses to neutralize them.

So if you’re often late for meetings, slow to respond to emails, lack the advanced degree that many of your peers have obtained or freeze up when called to speak in public, it’s best if you acknowledge all that, if only to yourself (knowledge is power, lovey!).

In fact, you may even want to make a plan to remedy a few negatives.  Maybe you can take a course or attend a seminar and deepen a particular skill set? Or perhaps you can  join Toastmasters and learn to become a more confident and effective public speaker? What negatives do clients consider to be the deal breakers? If at all possible, that’s what you work on.

You might find that placing your lists in a SWOT matrix will help you to better analyze your situation.  Remember that Strengths and Weaknesses are internal factors and are therefore  yours to impact.  Opportunities (e.g. lucrative projects you might obtain) and Threats (e.g. the weak economy) are external factors and less within our control.  Nevertheless, examining all factors allows us to better position ourselves for successful outcomes.

Oh yes, you’ll also need to be very clear about who your best clients are, or could be, and why that is so.  It will not be possible to effectively develop a brand identity and a good brand strategy without an accurate understanding of your target markets (i.e. clients and prospects).

Your Story, the Brand Narrative

Yes, this is all very similar to corporate branding. You are both brand manager and branded product. Your personal brand is your corporate identity.  It is a very potent marketing tool and you are advised to consider it carefully and construct it wisely.

Your brand identity will be reflected in all aspects of how you do business and in major business decisions: where and how you choose to advertise; speaking engagements sought and accepted; professional associations joined; clients to pursue. Your professional choices must be consistent with your brand identity and strategy, so be smart about where you’re seen, how you may be perceived and the company you keep.

Your objective here is to enhance your perceived value in the marketplace. You must effectively communicate what you bring to the table– your professional chops, your value proposition–in a clear and concise fashion.  Highlight the attributes and benefits that clients, prospects and referral sources value most and use language and terminology that is meaningful to them.

Get busy!

I’ll pause here and let you go to work on your self assessment and client analysis.  Make your lists, maybe enter them into the SWOT matrix and make a first draft of your brand narrative.  We’ll pick up the thread on this subject next week.

More later,

Kim