Whether you want a personal brand or not, you have one.

So, proactively take charge of it and use social media platforms, especially LinkedIn, to create a vibrant and authentic personal brand that shows the world, particularly clients and prospects, what you’re all about and the value you bring to the table.

Such was a central theme of Sameena Safdar’s “Creating Credibility: Master the Art of Non-Cringey Self-Promotion” – a professional development session held on Education Day at ASI Orlando 2025.

Sameena Safdar, Amplify Your Voice

Why a Strong Digital Personal Brand Matters

There are good reasons to have a strong personal brand online. First impressions count, and many clients/prospects will initially find you on the internet.

Further, a rock-solid online brand that showcases the value you offer and demonstrated successes you’ve engineered leads to real results. “Seventy-eight percent of sales reps who practice social selling outperform their counterparts who don’t,” shared Safdar, a former attorney turned sales/marketing expert who is CEO of Amplify Your Voice, a digital marketing consultancy.

ASI Media’s Christopher Ruvo chats with Sameena Safdar of Amplify Your Voice about top takeaways from her ASI Orlando Education Day session on “non-cringey” self-promotion.

Get Started

To get going, begin by honing your brand.

Safdar recommended setting a timer for 20 minutes and writing down answers to five key questions: Why did you choose to work in your current industry? What do customers or supervisors say they like about working with you? What makes you want to go back to work each morning? What is your favorite part of your day? What is your superpower or “special sauce?” Answers should be genuine and sincere.

Next, use the answers to craft a personal elevator pitch. This pitch can be used during in-person/networking interactions and also serve as the foundation for building your personal brand/online persona.

“There are a lot of things you bring to the table that are not on your resume,” Safdar noted, alluding to volunteer experiences, notable interests you pursue and other elements that can make you more likeable, relatable and trustworthy. Such factors can be part of your personal brand, too.

Weave Your Personal Brand Into Your LinkedIn Profile

With a firm understanding of your personal brand in place, turn attention to your LinkedIn profile. It’s the place clients/prospects are most likely to find you online. After all, about 90% of the time when someone searches your name, your LinkedIn profile will be top of the results, Safdar noted. “It’s also the one platform virtually everyone is on,” she said.

As such, Safdar suggested that you weave your personal brand into your LinkedIn profile and your activity on the platform. For your profile, make sure your “headline/title” is much more than just a job title; change it to convey the core elements of your personal brand.

Instead of “Account Manager,” perhaps have the headline read “Promotional Merchandising Expert providing businesses with unique customized branding solutions” – an actual example from a real promo pro’s profile that Safdar shared.

“When you don’t share about your accomplishments, you’re erasing yourself from the conversation.” Sameena Safdar, Amplify Your Voice

Next, take the info from your brand-honing exercise and use it to write a thoughtful “about” section on your profile. The narrative can begin with your elevator pitch, then focus on your skills and what clients/colleagues love about working with you. It can also provide some insights into things you are passionate about – in Safdar’s case, that includes volunteer activity tied to education advocacy.

Additionally, make the banner image on your profile something that conveys the essence of your personal brand while also being interesting and attractive to your ideal clients. “It will really help your profile stand out,” Safdar said.

Don’t stop there, though. Actively build your network. Cast a wide net, sending personalized notes with connection requests that reference where you may have met the person, mutual connections and/or referencing common points of interest/common ground.

Meanwhile, it’s pivotally important to comment on the posts of other people, companies and brands. “This ties you to content that’s relevant to your personal brand,” Safdar said. “Don’t overthink it. One sentence is enough.”

In addition, share posts that are on-message to your personal brand and interesting, helpful and/or entertaining to your clients and prospects. This can include original content you’ve created or content created by others that you’ve curated and decided to share. Always provide a little context – the reason for the share. If original content, try to leave some white space in the post – no one likes text walls – and insert applicable hashtags. Always reply to comments people leave.

Finally: Share about your accomplishments. Focus on the work that led to the accomplishment and what it means to you. Talk about the team that helped you in the achievement.

“When you don’t share about your accomplishments,” Safdar said, “you’re erasing yourself from the conversation.”