Iurii Znak's Linkedin Analytics

Just showing up and creating content for the personal brand’s sake is no longer something that works. Because when building the brand, showing up doesn’t actually matter: Standing out in a sea of AI-generated "authenticity” is. Think about it: → 95% of "personal" content today follows the same templates  → The same hooks, formats, and conclusions  → All promising thought leadership without actual thoughts On the contrary, here’s what I’ve seen work for B2B teams (and what I’m trying to do as well): → Investing time in video content and collaborations with fellow leaders to make yourself recognizable → Creating content from actual client conversations (anonymized) → Publishing case studies with real metrics, even when modest → Admitting when popular tactics failed for them Remember: your personal brand is just ONE piece of your strategy. It's the entry point to a nurturing flow that turns visibility into relationships, and relationships into revenue. The best part? When your content is actually yours, your sales conversations become exponentially easier. Your prospects already trust your thinking, not just your templates.

Adding LinkedIn content to your marketing ≠ building buyer trust. While everyone's fighting for attention in a crowded feed, smart B2B leaders are quietly building something more valuable: credibility with the right audience. Here's the most common confusion with personal branding on LinkedIn: It’s treated as the end goal. Whereas the personal brand is just one tactical piece in a much larger nurturing strategy. The companies seeing real ROI from LinkedIn aren't the ones with viral posts or the most followers. They're the ones whose sales teams regularly hear: "I've been following your content for months" during discovery calls. That's the difference between vanity metrics and actual pipeline impact. When you focus on building domain expertise for a specific audience rather than maximizing reach, your content becomes a powerful filter: → It attracts ideal prospects  → It naturally excludes poor fits  → It pre-qualifies leads before they ever speak to sales The magic happens when you stop treating LinkedIn as a megaphone and start using it as a targeted conversation tool. After all, logos don't work unless they remind people of something. So yes, invest in your brand.  But remember: it's not about being the loudest voice.  It's about being the most valuable voice to the people who matter to your business. What's your approach to LinkedIn? Are you chasing virality or visibility with the right people?

If I were building a lead generation strategy for a B2B business from scratch, here are 5 steps I’d focus on before everything else: → Start with a foundation of personal brand authority. Before asking prospects to commit, show them who you are.  - Optimize your socials - Create original POV content - Engage with your ICP where they already spend time. If only ~1% of LinkedIn users previously created content, now it’s ~1% of LinkedIn users who own their content and make it authentic. The bar isn't as high as you think. → Track behavioral signals Who's visiting your profile? Who's engaging with your content? Who's following your company? These "hand-raisers" are giving you permission to start a conversation. → Sync all the activities with the CRM Your ideal buyer list shouldn't be static. It should evolve based on engagement data. The prospect who attended your webinar, subscribed to your newsletter, AND viewed your pricing page isn't the same as someone who's never heard of you. → Create segment-specific messaging Someone who engaged with content about scaling operations needs different messaging than someone concerned with reducing costs. Use their digital behavior to personalize your approach. → Focus on acceptance rate, not pitch rate The goal of outreach isn't to pitch your solution. It's to start a meaningful conversation where your expertise can shine. Whether it’s 2015 or 2025, your business needs lead generation. But the teams seeing real results from it understand a fundamental truth: Trust comes before transactions. You can either spend 3 months on traditional lead gen and hope for the best... Or invest in building a trust engine that delivers credibility, qualified prospects, and sustainable growth for years to come. Which approach are you betting on?