Nina Blankenship joined me on the Conquer Local podcast to share how to elevate your personal brand on LinkedIn and turn the platform into a real sales engine.
Most people still think of LinkedIn as the place where resumes go to get polished. Nina Blankenship spent six years at LinkedIn proving that it is actually where trust is built, reputations are made, and inbound leads come from. She joined the Conquer Local Podcast to share the exact playbook she used to win three global awards at LinkedIn and then build her own business, Let’s Brainstorm, around the same principles.
Nina spent six years at LinkedIn in Singapore after starting her LinkedIn career in the New York office where she was top sales in North America for media products. She earned the 2018 Best Global Business Partner award, the 2019 Global Search and Staffing award, and was nominated for the Global Leverage Award. When COVID hit, she was forced to leave her role and turned the same skills into a coaching and brainstorming business helping professionals build their personal brands.
LinkedIn Changed. The Smart Sellers Noticed.
Nina made a point that too many sellers miss. LinkedIn is no longer a resume site. It is where professionals go to learn. That shift changes what you should be posting and why. If your content is a resume, you are irrelevant. If your content teaches, you attract the right people to you.
Her framing was sharp:
“Every single one of us has our own experiences and something unique that we bring to the table. People want to learn from you, and if you are able to package this up, you will be surprised how many followers, how many new conversations that are inbound that you will end up generating for your business.”
The Video Objection Is the Biggest Opportunity
The example Nina used from her own team at LinkedIn was a colleague named Richard Sexton. A prospect had brushed Richard off on WhatsApp saying he was swamped and not interested. Richard did not chase. He recorded a short video from his LinkedIn profile explaining three benefits of purchasing a LinkedIn corporate Recruiter product rather than the online version. That video generated inbound activity, and the same prospect who had blown Richard off came back and asked to chat.
One short video changed the whole opportunity. That is the pattern I see every time a seller gets serious about video on LinkedIn.
How to Start If You Hate Being on Camera
Nina’s advice for people who freeze up at the thought of video is practical:
- Start with 60 seconds. That is it.
- Write three bullet points before you hit record.
- Do not aim for polished. Aim for useful.
- Publish before you feel ready.
- Do more, not better, in the first 30 days.
For more on this philosophy, see my piece on Dennis Yu on why personal brand beats any platform drama.
Build the Brand Inside the Company
Nina believes the award recognition she earned at LinkedIn came from being the same visible, generous professional internally that she was externally. Her team knew her. Her customers knew her. Her peers across regions knew her. The recognition followed the reputation.
This is the lesson for every seller reading this. Your personal brand is not just about LinkedIn followers. It is about how clearly your colleagues, partners, and customers can describe what you stand for. When that story is crisp and consistent, promotions and inbound opportunities accelerate.
What I Took Away From Nina
- LinkedIn rewards teachers, not resume polishers
- Short video can rescue a dead opportunity
- Start with 60 seconds and publish before you feel ready
- Internal brand and external brand should tell the same story
Nina Blankenship has built a career on making the abstract idea of personal brand feel concrete and doable. If you have been watching others post and wondering when your turn is, her work at Let’s Brainstorm is a great place to get unstuck.
What is the one-minute video you could record this week that would teach a prospect something useful? Record it. Post it. See what happens.