A scant two years ago I knew absolutely nothing about LinkedIn, other than it was a seemingly mundane social media outlet. I thought it was geared to hyper-professional types — you know, austere folks who wore blazers with corduroy elbow patches.

Every time I hopped on, I saw a litany of corporate wonks, execs, and recruiters. Complete snoozefest, I thought.

I had maybe 700 connections — the weirdest hodge podge of colleagues from my many career lives.

Then I learned — by trial and mostly error — how to make LinkedIn my bitch.

Seems you actually have to post, interact, post some more, and be wildly, genuinely authentic. Oh, and you have to find your tribe.

Who knew?

Around that time, I was working at a job that was undoubtably LinkedIn-centric. (Read that: I started doing content for some high-profile Kansas Citians.) If there’s one thing I fully embraced, it was the fine art of writing in other people’s voices.

Then, a funny thing happened. I got to be exceptionally good at it.

I’d find creative, clever ways to shamelessly, blatantly promote people without anyone realizing they were being shamelessly, blatantly promoted. Clients were ostensibly thrilled. (That makes two of us.)

So, I took all of that effort and energy and started a conscious personal branding campaign for — gasp! — myself. If there’s one thing LinkedIn loves, it’s having a ferocious blend of info-tainment on your timeline. I’d post insight about the marketing industry and then a random post of my dog dressed up for Halloween. I’d post a video about the nuances of hashtags, followed up with a meme about my sobriety.

While my clients had a mindful LinkedIn strategy, I decided to throw caution to the wind with my page.

I pinged. I ponged. And I posted with wild abandon, complete with a warts-and-all approach. And my numbers grew exponentially.

Two years — almost to the day that I started  — I just hit 7,000 connections on the platform.

You know what we call that? A Christmas miracle.

LinkedIn has become an epic outlet for me — uh, and my personal brand. It’s doing all my heavy lifting. Nothing brings me more joy than when I walk into a room and someone says, “I feel like I already know you because I see your stuff on LinkedIn.”

So, thanks for being a part of my LinkedIn journey, team. It’s been a tremendous avenue to meet so many like-minded individuals. And remember, if your page needs a little finessing — or zhuzhing, so to speak — I’d love to help with a refresh, reinvention, or reboot. (Hint.)

Or, if you’ve got some bigger marketing/promotional fish to fry, I’ll introduce you to the savvy squad at Square Peg Marketing + Branding. As an esteemed member of the team, I’ll be the first to tout their analytical storytelling skills. (Sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s not.)

Either way, you’re in great hands — and then some.