Getting Your CEO Started on Social Media: LinkedIn
Is your company leveraging social media to enhance your CEO or President’s reputation and drive new business opportunities? Most companies are active on their company’s social media pages, but many neglect the online presence of their leaders.
We recently hosted a webinar for several of our clients’ CEOs – training these leaders on social media and how it can add value to their brand and the company. Here’s why your CEO should get social:
- Gives a face to your company and exposes key audiences to all that you do to benefit your community and industry
- Positions your CEO as a thought leader
- Educates employees on how their CEO and company are contributing
- Gives your CEO a public, real-time platform that enables them to communicate directly with key stakeholders
Want your CEO to join the 28 percent of global CEOs who participate in social networks? To guide you in the right direction, we’re publishing a series that will take you from building your CEO’s LinkedIn presence to growing their Twitter following.
Let’s kick off the series with LinkedIn:
LinkedIn is a great starting point and opportunity for CEOs to engage with key stakeholders, partners and even employees. If they don’t have a profile, work with them to launch one. Here’s what you’ll need from your leader:
- Intro/Bio
- Headshot
- Current and previous experience (a resume is a great starting point)
- Associations/recognitions
As you establish or update their profile, keep in mind that they are the face of the company. Ask yourself, does reading this profile make me want to do business with this company? Does their profile include key messages about our company?
Once your CEO’s profile is up-and-running, here’s how to make the most of it:
- Keep it updated! Add new awards, recognitions, and post key articles and company news.
- Make their presence a part of your business plan by connecting him or her with the leadership of key customers, partners and industry leaders.
- Bolster their profile by seeking endorsements from key industry leaders.
- Seek out groups they should join and pages they should follow.
- Monitor! They will undoubtedly receive messages and requests to connect. Work with him or her to address these requests in a timely manner and never miss opportunities.
Stay tuned for the second blog of our “Getting Your CEO Started on Social Media” series. Up next, launching your CEO’s Twitter presence!
