Skill Up Your Visibility: What I Shared at the Lehigh Valley Chamber About LinkedIn, Personal Branding, and Being Memorable

There are moments in business where you realize, “Wow… this actually works.”

That’s exactly how I felt after presenting “Skill Up Your Visibility, Your Personal Brand Redefined” for the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce to a room filled with nearly 90 nonprofit professionals, healthcare leaders, and corporate executives.

The room was engaged, interactive, laughing, asking questions, and genuinely curious about how to become more visible without feeling fake, overly polished, or salesy online.

And honestly? That meant a lot to me.

Especially because I just moved to Lehigh Valley in June 2025.

I joined the Chamber in January of this year, met someone who works at the Chamber of Commerce and within the a week I was invited to be the opening keynote speaker for this event.

That right there is proof that intentional visibility works.

Why LinkedIn Still Matters for Business Leaders and Professionals

One of the funniest moments during the presentation happened right at the beginning.

I asked everyone in the audience to raise their hand if they were on LinkedIn.

Almost every hand went up.

When I asked everyone to raise their hands if they are on LinkedIn. Photo Credit: McKinney Media

Then I said:

“Keep your hands raised because 40% of you are millionaires.”

The room exploded with laughter because everyone immediately started looking around at each other.

But the statistic made people pause.

LinkedIn is still one of the most powerful platforms for professionals because the people on it are often decision-makers, leaders, buyers, executives, and connectors. I shared that LinkedIn members typically have significantly higher buying power, which is why visibility on the platform matters so much.

Not for vanity.

For opportunity.

Your LinkedIn Profile Is Your Digital First Impression

One of the biggest things I emphasized during the presentation was how many professionals are missing simple opportunities on their profile.

For example:

Some people still don’t have a professional photo
Others have outdated contact information
Some profiles are hidden so you cannot even see their face unless you connect with them first

That matters.

Profiles with professional headshots receive dramatically more profile views and engagement.

Your profile should help people immediately understand:

who you help
what you do
why it matters
and how to contact you

I also reminded attendees that LinkedIn gives you one of the few opportunities on social media to feature links that take people outside the platform. That featured section is incredibly valuable and underutilized.

You can showcase:

your website
podcasts
articles
lead magnets (like directly booking to your calendar with one click)

How to Write a Better LinkedIn Headline and About Section

We also spent time talking about the About section and LinkedIn headlines because most people make them far too generic.

Your headline should not just be:
“Director at XYZ Company.”

It should communicate value.

I explained how important it is that the very first sentence in your About section clearly identifies:

who your audience is
what problem they have
how you solve it
and who specifically you serve

I also shared one of my favorite practical AI prompts:

“Help me create a persuasive LinkedIn headline that caters to these three audiences…”

Then list your audiences.

Simple prompts like that can help professionals transform a bland profile into one that actually sounds human, strategic, and memorable.

The Networking Strategy Nobody Talks About at Chamber Events

One of the audience’s favorite moments was when I shared my very scientific networking strategy:

Stay near the food.

Seriously.

People naturally gather there.

It creates easier conversations, less awkwardness, and more opportunities for genuine interaction.

I also encouraged attendees to personalize their LinkedIn connection requests after events instead of sending the default message.

Something as simple as:

“Great meeting you near the food table. I enjoyed our conversation about XYZ.”

That small level of personalization matters because buyers are significantly more likely to engage with people who share mutual connections and feel approachable.

People do business with people they remember.

Why Comments Matter More Than Most LinkedIn Posts

Another topic we discussed was engagement.

I explained that many professionals obsess over posting while completely ignoring commenting.

Meaningful comments are one of the fastest ways to increase visibility and build familiarity on LinkedIn.

I encouraged attendees to:

engage intentionally
follow company pages and associations
leave thoughtful comments
post consistently without burnout
and focus on relationship building over perfection

We also talked about reposting and how overusing reposts can sometimes limit reach or create repetitive content experiences for your audience.

That sparked a really great audience discussion during Q&A.

Building Visibility With Purpose Actually Works

This presentation was meaningful to me for reasons beyond the stage.

It reminded me that all the things I teach about visibility, relationships, engagement, and intentional networking truly do create opportunities.

Not overnight.

But consistently.

I moved to a completely new state.

I knew very few people.

Yet by intentionally showing up, building relationships, engaging online and offline, and being memorable in rooms, opportunities started opening up.

That is exactly why I teach professionals to stop treating LinkedIn like a digital resume and start treating it like a relationship-building tool.

Because visibility alone is not enough.

You want to be intentional, engaging, and memorable.

Looking for a Speaker or LinkedIn Workshop for Your Team?

If your organization, association, chamber, nonprofit, healthcare system, leadership team, or company is looking for an engaging and practical presentation on LinkedIn, personal branding, visibility, networking, or utilizing AI tools like ChatGPT strategically, I would love to support your group.

I regularly create customized workshops and presentations for:

corporate executives
nonprofit leaders
healthcare professionals
sales teams
marketing professionals
new hires
leadership programs
and professional associations

My presentations are interactive, relatable, actionable, and designed to help people feel more confident showing up professionally online without feeling overly sales-focused or overwhelmed.

You can learn more at Beyond Engagement – Social Media Solutions or connect with me on LinkedIn to explore speaking opportunities, workshops, or customized staff training sessions.

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