Entrepreneur Plus - Short White
For Subscribers

Lessons From a Viral LinkedIn Post: Authenticity Is More Important Than EverSharing a bit of vulnerability can propel your career and your business marketing.

ByGregg Schwartz

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Maskot | Getty Images

My sister recently posted a simple but heartfelt update onLinkedIn, not expecting much from it. In it, she talks about how she decided to change her LinkedIn profile picture from standard professional headshot to a more casual selfie, indicating that she was working from home and looking more "personal" these days.

She described how her new photo is less conventionally "professional" but more in line with the reality of today — working from home, not dressing in so-called business attire often and generally blending our personal and professional lives in new ways. She shared some casual observations and a bit of vulnerability about her own work situation in these strange times, and it went viral! She even got featured onGood Morning America!

This is one of those amazing moments that happen out of nowhere. My sister wasn't even trying to promote anything by making that post. But her post really resonated with people for a lot of reasons. I believe that there are larger lessons to be learned about the power of authenticity in how we build our professional images and how we conduct marketing for our businesses.

This is a subscriber-only article. Join Entrepreneur+today for access

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Business Ideas

To Get People to Back Your Ideas, First Find the Right People

Tap relationships – and needs – to get traction for your projects.

Marketing

San Diego Warms to Defense Technology Entrepreneurs

The SBA invests in startups focused on cyber-security, unmanned air vehicles and renewable energy.

Productivity

What Your Flaky Behavior Is Really Telling People

It's important to effectively manage your time and schedule, at least if you don't want to burn dozens of bridges.

Business News

'It's Getting Worse By the Week': Kevin O'Leary Issues Grave Warning About Commercial Real Estate Industry

The "Shark Tank" star spoke to impending devaluation of stocks in the industry on FOX Business' "Varney & Co."

Business News

'Beware': Tom Hanks Warns of AI Danger After Advertisement Uses His Likeness Without Permission

The actor shared a screenshot of the false advertisement to his 9.5 million Instagram followers.