Selling yourself through LinkedIn – take a leaf out of Aesop’s book

I’m a big fan of analogies and framing a message by using stories and anecdotes. This probably stems from a tendency to become rather bored with my own musings and constitutes an attempt to keep myself interested as much as anyone else, but I also believe that it keeps my message from slipping into the dry and rather boring space.

This general strategy can and should also be adopted by anyone selling their skills and experience to potential clients or employers through LinkedIn. Let’s face it, many LinkedIn profiles are rather dry and boring so anything that makes them less so is a good thing. Of course, we don’t want to move too far away from acceptable conventions so using tried and tested methodologies from the world of marketing isn’t a bad place to start.

My favourite marketing technique that can be used on LinkedIn is a case study. Any Marketeer will tell you that they are incredibly powerful tools for walking a potential client through a piece of work to convince them of the company’s abilities and track record. We see them on websites, in brochures and on CVs - and written in the right way, they have huge impact. They work because the message can be framed with more context.

As an example (another one of my an anecdotes / analogies), I have a 7 year old son who in all fairness is very well behaved and is as honest as they come, but if he ever did transgress into telling the odd porky-pie then I have two choices; yell at him, tell him he shouldn’t lie and send him to his room without access to any electronic device for an hour or so…..or sit him down and read him the good old Aesop’s Fable, The boy Who Cried Wolf. Now I’m sure that being banished from his iPad for an hour would certainly pinch, but framing my message about the pitfalls of lying through a story is so much more powerful (and perhaps the concern of being eaten by a wolf).

The same applies to selling yourself; you could tell a client or potential employer how wonderful you are but writing a case study that frames and evidences your abilities and track record is always going to be more powerful. I would recommend using the STAR framework for writing your case studies (Situation, Task, Actions, Result). Keep them to no more than 10 lines and put them in the Projects section. You can also use six line case studies on your CV.

About the Author

Matt Craven is the DCS, who are experts in career development and work with over 20 membership organisations, including leading institutes and associations. They provide a one-stop-shop to all the aforementioned topics and services through a variety of free and paid-for initiatives. They also provide a white-labelled proposition for membership organisations seeking a commercial opportunity.

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