How can Business Leaders build their personal brand online – and why should they bother? [Oi Conference 2018]

How can Business Leaders build their personal brand online – and why should they bother?

Ben Hollom, Managing Director at M2 Bespoke

All business leaders, whatever the size of their business, should have an online presence (whether they do it themselves or with the help of their PR / Marketing teams). 4 years ago 60% of business leaders had no online presence: this is changing…. Business leaders and senior figures in business are expected to be online and they are expected to be the face of their business.

The Challenges

Ben Hollom in his talk at Oi conference highlighted some of the challenges that senior business leaders and CEOs face when it comes to building their personal brand online:

• a misunderstanding of what social media and online presence is.
• personal fear of the use of social media.
• company (PR/Marketing) fear of their use of social media.
• time.
• judgment.
• nature of their business does not obviousy align with the use of social media.
• trust.

However, it is clear that business leaders can overcome these challenges by putting a sustainable strategy in place and working with other members of their organisation. Social media is no different from any other types of communciation, and therefore a business should have expand their PR / Crisis Response strategy to include social media activity.

Why establishing an online presence is worth the investment:

Establishing an online presence helps to reinforce brand and company messages when they are coming from the top down, but there are lots of other reasons why it is worth the investment:

1. It is good for company culture. By having an online presence for the senior business leaders it gives a sense of opening and transparency about the company and it can inspire and motivate employees.
2. It helps with recruitment. Top talent are like consumers. The top talent will look at the business leaders and their online profile when choosing a company to work forward. If your competitors have an attractive online presence you should think about having one too.
3. It enables leaders to be more influential. Having an online presence will raise their profile. It can help business leaders have a wider audience / expert/ influencer in their chosen industry. It can also improve their communication skills and leadership skills.
4. It reinforces brand content, values and corporate messages. If your leader is “on brand” and talking about your key values and messages it creates a positive top-down culture with the business leaders leading my example.
5. It facilitates sales opportunities. If well-managed a good account can have a good behind the scenes process to make sure that the dots are joined and that there is a return on the investment. You might choose to just create awareness and ensure a lasting impression, but there are times where it can bring in the sale.

How to build your profile (top tips for business leaders):

• Start by having a strategy/plan. Align your social channels and content with your audience. Work out where your audience is. Wherever they are – that is where you should be. Use content that is tailored for the social platform that you are using.
• Write and share good content. This can be third-party content, guest content or visual content – just make sure it is authentic, aligned, right for your brand and right for you.
• Be consistent. Building up a reputation takes time. So make sure you make an effort and that you are consistent to ensure that you earn followers and keep them coming back for more.
• Be authentic. This is more than just a buzzword for 2018. Generally speaking if it doesn’t feel right, if it doesn’t feel credible – then don’t post it. Also it is not just about posting content, be sure to like and interact with content as well.
• Get help. If you are struggling with using social media get internal or external help. Start slow and establish a process to help you get underway.

if you don’t already have an online presence, don’t delay, get started now.