Author: Debby Carreau / Source: Entrepreneur Most business leaders leave money on the table by remaining invisible. They have zero social
Most business leaders leave money on the table by remaining invisible. They have zero social media presence and the remaining CEOs are just on LinkedIn.
It’s simple: If you want to be rich, you can’t ignore potential revenue streams. If your company is on social media, then you need to be, too. Having a presence isn’t just about the convenience of technology, but capitalizing on a cultural shift happening across the world.
This shift isn’t mysterious. When people want to make sure that brands share their own values, they check out the leader of that company directly. You’d research a product before buying it, so why wouldn’t you research the CEO before committing new products or services? This has never been more important for business-to-business (B2B) companies, in particular.
Here’s how you get started without feeling overwhelmed.
Pick your communication principles
Before you take to Twitter or Snapchat, consider what you want to accomplish. It’s one thing to put yourself out there for its own sake — that’s the base level of marketing your brand — but there’s more to it than that.
First, decide on three main talking points you want to drive home. These will define your brand as a person and as a company. That’s how every marketing plan starts, and your social media presence is no exception.
Your points don’t have to be identical to that of your company’s, but they should be similar. You want to establish a clear relationship to the company you lead, after all.
Look at Elon Musk. While Tesla and SpaceX exude futurism, prestige, and cutting-edge technology, his personal brand on Twitter covers more of his personal side, including the vision behind his ventures.
When a project goes wrong (like the SpaceX explosion from last September), he speaks to people at a down-to-earth level. He also geeks out over the cool stuff he finds, connecting with his audience of science and tech enthusiasts with a shared passion that goes beyond sales or promotion.
There’s a clear connection with his companies, but his personal values shine through to build a deep rapport with his followers.
You don’t need to be perfect, and you don’t need to be corporate (in fact, “corporate” doesn’t work on social media). But you do need to say something that’s worth hearing and on-message with the brand you’re trying to build.
Start with one or two networks that work for you
Once you’ve decided on your message, you can choose a network and start posting (or scheduling). It’s not hard, but it does take some diligence. As a CEO you don’t exactly have all the time in the world, but you…
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