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Featured Interview: Craig Dean - BrandIn Marketing

Craig is a LinkedIn profile optimisation expert and copywriter based in the UK, and shares his journey so far.

Author

New Vertical
May 20, 2024

Your bio…

I was born in Oxford but grew up in a small town called Bewdley in Worcestershire. 

After a troubled childhood, I joined the British Army where I served in Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Bosnia over the course of 6 years. 

Left the forces and moved into sales and recruitment. Worked in various recruitment and sales roles in the UK and in Hong Kong. 

My last employed role was with Indeed.com until covid happened. I then lost my job and went all in on LinkedIn. 

I now live in Chester with my partner Sarah and our 3 kids, Abbie, Oliver and Jude and we have a cockapoo called Willow. 

I love the great outdoors, running, traveling and of course LinkedIn

How did you get started in business? 

It all started as a direct result of me being employed by a well known blue chip company. At that company I was in was involved in sales and recruitment. My job was selling into the hospitality industry but I absolutely hated picking up the phone to make sales calls. 

So, I started to explore LinkedIn and ways in which I could utilize the platform to book appointments with my ideal prospects without having to make cold calls. Gradually over the course of time, I started to figure out exactly how to do that through LinkedIn. 

Then one day, the head of sales approached me and mentioned that he'd been checking the KPI’s and had noticed that I wasn't making any sales calls but I was booking appointments and asked me how I was doing it. 

After showing him how I was utilizing LinkedIn to book appointments, he asked me to do a presentation for the rest of the sales team so that they could leverage LinkedIn in the same way. 

That's when the penny dropped! 

I realized that if a big blue chip company needed my help with LinkedIn then it was quite possible that lots of other companies may benefit from my advice too. 

Tell us about the business or businesses you are part of right now? 

I'm the co-founder of Brandin Marketing. A Branding Agency focused on LinkedIn. 

My business partner, Imran Khushal is a branding strategist based at our office with our team on board the QE2 in Dubai. 

I'm a LinkedIn profile optimisation expert and copywriter based in the UK at my home office in Chester. 

The services that we offer include everything from: - 

  • LinkedIn profile optimization

  • Content marketing

  • Personal branding

  • Lead generation

  • Web design

  • Community management

  • Coaching and much more. 

Tell us about your biggest successes / failures? 

Biggest failure: 

  • Launched a recruitment agency in Manchester but it failed. 

  • I ended up £60k in debt

  • Had to bankrupt myself. 

Biggest successes: 

  • Launching LinkedIn Marketing agency from our office onboard the QE2 in Dubai

  • Winning multiple 5 figure clients

  • Launching the BrandIn Community

Along the way, what tools, software or apps helped you grow?

When I first started out on LinkedIn, I fell into the trap of using automation but now I focus on Organic. I use tools for me and my clients that include: 

Are there any influential books, podcasts, or people that helped?

  • Think and grow rich - Napoleon Hill

  • The Compound Effect - Darren Hardy

  • Key Person of Influence - Daniel Priestley

  • Go for No - Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz

  • Atomic Habits - James Clear

Where is your career headed (what’s the future look like)?

  • We only launched BrandIn Marketing in January so it’s very early days. 

  • Our goal is to scale the business beyond 7 figures. 

  • My ultimate goal is to leave the UK and move to Bali.  

  • I never want to retire because I love what I do. 

  • Currently building a Linkedin community (Brandin Community) 130 members. 

  • Continue offering a DWY service to solopreneurs who want to elevate their presence on Linkedin. 

  • Keep taking on new clients and scale our 100% DFY LinkedIn service. 

What strategy or strategies worked best for you?

See New Vertical #4: How to post 50 comments daily on LinkedIn (in less than 20 mins)

What’s the best advice for those starting out in your sector / industry? 

My advice to someone starting out as a personal branding agency focused on LinkedIn is this

  • Deepen Branding Knowledge: Understand that effective branding transcends visuals to include strategy and storytelling. Learn to craft a brand's comprehensive online presence.

  • Enhance Copywriting Skills: Develop the ability to write clear, compelling content that drives engagement and conversions on LinkedIn.

  • Acquire Clients Skillfully: Gain proficiency in networking and sales to attract and maintain client relationships.

  • Deliver Fully: Ensure you fulfill client expectations comprehensively, adapting strategies as needed to keep their branding relevant and impactful.

  • Stay Updated: Keep up with LinkedIn’s evolving trends and algorithms to maintain the effectiveness of your strategies.

Where can we find out more about you and your company?