Social Selling Con 2024: Multiple Expert Guidelines on LinkedIn Personal Branding
According to surveys, 92% of people trust individuals more than brands — even if they've never met them. That's what Social Selling is all about: building real connections with potential clients, partners, or employees through personal branding on social media. Your profile becomes your social capital, and growing it is your investment.
At Social Selling Con 2024, hosted by ModumUp, the spotlight was on promoting B2B services through personal branding, especially on LinkedIn. The discussions covered everything — from showcasing expertise to building solid connections with the audience.
At Social Selling Con 2024, hosted by ModumUp, the spotlight was on promoting B2B services through personal branding, especially on LinkedIn. The discussions covered everything — from showcasing expertise to building solid connections with the audience.
Here’s a look at what was on the agenda:
- Olga Bondareva, founder and head of the ModumUp agency, shared the basics of Social Selling and a step-by-step strategy for creating and managing a standout LinkedIn profile
- Good Cynthia Barnes, TEDx Speaker and author of a sales success methodology, shared her personal experience on becoming a LinkedIn influencer, discovering unique strengths, and making the most of them
- Veronica Rivero, Account Executive, Sales Solutions at LinkedIn, discussed LinkedIn’s internal tools for marketing and sales
- David Joosten from Vodafone Business, Joe Morris from Capgemini, and Todd Swank from Oracle shared their insights on what it takes to build thought leadership and create an impactful LinkedIn profile for top execs. Becca Chambers, the Chief Communications Officer at ControlUp, kept the conversation flowing as the moderator
- Sarah Mittal, a behavioral scientist, and Marco Baldocchi, Professor of Consumer Behavior & Neuromarketing, shared practical tips on using brain science to make a lasting impression online
We’ve pulled together the top takeaways below, plus links to the full presentations and discussions. The guest speakers shared a wealth of information that’s valuable for both professionals and newcomers in Social Selling!
Part 1: Social Selling for B2B: How it Works by Olga Bondareva
The conference was opened by Olga Bondareva, the founder and head of the ModumUp agency.
Olga highlighted a key shift in Social Selling: it’s not about “hunting” for quick leads but “farming” for future relationships. The goal is to become a trusted, knowledgeable resource rather than just pushing a product or service.
Olga highlighted a key shift in Social Selling: it’s not about “hunting” for quick leads but “farming” for future relationships. The goal is to become a trusted, knowledgeable resource rather than just pushing a product or service.
To succeed in social selling, narrow your focus, consistently create expert content, build your network strategically, and prioritize long-term relationships over quick sales
The founder of ModumUp Social Selling and LinkedIn marketing agency, and former Social Media Lead for Central and Eastern Europe at Microsoft
During the talk, Olga shared a step-by-step guide on building a Social Selling strategy, managing content, and finding leads on LinkedIn. These are the same tactics ModumUp uses to run successful projects for companies like Microsoft partners, AWS partners, Georgia State University, Logitech, NetApp, and many others.
Full Presentation by Olga Bondareva
Part 2: Tips to Becoming an Influencer by Cynthia Barnes
Cynthia Barnes, a LinkedIn Top Voice, TEDx speaker, and host of Unstoppable with Cynthia Barnes, shared her shift from making 200 cold calls a day to becoming a LinkedIn influencer. By staying true to her values and telling her story in an authentic way, Cynthia has built a brand focused on inspiration, education, and a little bit of fun.
I don't create my content for everyone. I create it for those who want to engage with me. The key challenges I faced were finding my voice and being confident enough to express my ideas through specific steps and strategies
WBE-Certified Leader, Sales Coach, TEDx Speaker, Keynote & SKO Speaker, and Podcast Host
Full Presentation by Cynthia Barnes
Part 3: Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn Tools
Veronica Rivero, Account Executive at LinkedIn, outlined three must-dos for successful selling: find the right people, engage meaningfully, and come prepared. It’s not about sending a ton of emails or messages. It’s about making each one count. That’s where LinkedIn Sales Navigator comes into play — it helps focus on the right people in target companies.
Along with Sales Navigator, Veronica also highlighted LinkedIn’s AI tools, like Account IQ and Message IQ, which provide valuable insights to help sales teams prepare smartly and build trust.
Along with Sales Navigator, Veronica also highlighted LinkedIn’s AI tools, like Account IQ and Message IQ, which provide valuable insights to help sales teams prepare smartly and build trust.
Your number one focus should be getting enough high-quality conversations with the people that matter in your target organization. Whether you're starting your own business or working at a large global organization or a startup, you need to focus on getting new business or expanding existing customers. This remains a constant truth in B2B sales
Part 4: Maintaining the Personal Branding
The Personal Branding on Social Media Panel at Social Selling Con 2024, featuring David Joosten, Joe Morris, Todd Swank, and moderated by Becca Chambers, explored how authenticity, strategic engagement, and personal branding can boost business success on LinkedIn.
To avoid feeling pompous, you just have to start. The more you write, the more natural it feels. Presenting yourself authentically on LinkedIn is key to successful content creation
The panelists all agreed: authenticity is the key to building trust. Leaders who keep it real — sharing both wins and challenges — connect best with their followers.
Panelists also talked about employee advocacy and how encouraging employees to build their own personal brands can amplify the company’s message and add authenticity. The consensus was clear: content shared by individuals pulls in much higher engagement than corporate posts, creating a powerful multiplier effect. This also applies to direct sales, where a personal approach can warm up otherwise cold messaging.
Panelists also talked about employee advocacy and how encouraging employees to build their own personal brands can amplify the company’s message and add authenticity. The consensus was clear: content shared by individuals pulls in much higher engagement than corporate posts, creating a powerful multiplier effect. This also applies to direct sales, where a personal approach can warm up otherwise cold messaging.
People like to buy from people. If you can help put the person behind the brand, that benefits everyone at your company, especially sales. You can show your clients that their counterparts are using it and having conversations. LinkedIn acts like a 24-hour conference with various discussions. If you're not there, you're not part of the conversation
Full Discussion
Part 5: Psychological Aspects of Personal Branding
Sarah Mittal and Marco Baldocchi explored the power of first impressions, emotional connections, and authenticity in personal branding. The discussion drew on the panelists' expertise in neuromarketing and consumer psychology.
Research in neuroscience and psychology suggests that a substantial portion of our decision-making is influenced by unconscious emotional processes in the brain, particularly the limbic system, which then affects our conscious, rational thought processes. Essentially, we often make choices based on emotional responses and then rationalize those responses
Both panelists agreed: successful personal brands combine emotional storytelling with data-driven insights. Personal stories create connections, while case studies add credibility.
They warned against being overly polished, as authenticity and behind-the-scenes content resonate more with audiences. Sarah and Marco shared tips on creating strong first impressions in just 5–10 seconds, along with strategies for niche branding and audience engagement.
They warned against being overly polished, as authenticity and behind-the-scenes content resonate more with audiences. Sarah and Marco shared tips on creating strong first impressions in just 5–10 seconds, along with strategies for niche branding and audience engagement.
Our goal is not to become Internet famous but to identify our tribe. We should consider who is likely to engage with us based on the platform and what they value. We need to tailor our appearance to them. As we narrow down our tribe, we should identify what expertise looks like in our field and what cues we can send to convey that expertise. This could be a certification, relevant background, or how we present ourselves in images
Full Discussion
Summing It Up
ModumUp’s 4th Social Selling Con 2024 ran for over three hours filled with insights and real-life stories on effective promotion. This time, we gathered 2,295 B2B marketing and sales professionals and business founders from 79 countries across Europe, North America, and LATAM.
Full Discussion
A huge thank you to all our speakers for sharing your expertise — your insights and actionable strategies brought incredible value to the event!
ModumUp hosts the Social Selling event every fall. To stay updated and secure your spot for Social Selling Con 2025, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. If you found this guideline valuable, don’t hesitate to share it with your friends and colleagues — we’d love to spread the knowledge!
ModumUp hosts the Social Selling event every fall. To stay updated and secure your spot for Social Selling Con 2025, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. If you found this guideline valuable, don’t hesitate to share it with your friends and colleagues — we’d love to spread the knowledge!