Today, establishing a digital marketing program for a company is a given. Similarly, more CEOs and other business executives are finding value in establishing an online presence for themselves as a way to promote their company while strategically positioning themselves as an expert in their field. With marketers juggling both company branding and their executive’s personal branding, what are some of the challenges — and untapped opportunities — to be aware of?   Why Business Executives Need Personal Branding and Social Media Digital marketing strategies continue to evolve over the years. Even before the pandemic forced marketers to pivot, we saw changes in the way business leaders approached their personal positioning. Understanding that their company’s audience is increasingly using social media as a research tool, it became clear that executives with a strategic social media presence had a significant advantage over competitors that did...

Many different types of services exist to support executives and their companies — but which one is right for you? Some agencies are more social media-focused, while others are geared toward the individual and their leadership skills. In this article, we dive into the major differences between executive social media agencies, leadership coaches, and PR firms. Keep reading to learn which one may be the most suitable for your needs.   Executive Social Media Agencies Primary purpose: Strategically build an executive online presence through social media Leverage an executive’s social media content to drive towards business objectives Suitable for:  Companies that want to complement their existing digital marketing program with a more authentic presence Executives who want to be positioned as a thought leader within their industry Executive social media agencies function similarly to digital marketing agencies. These agencies work with their clients to support their...

There are many benefits to strategically positioning your company’s CEO and other business leaders on social media, such as increased brand awareness, improved credibility, and building consumer loyalty. However, launching an executive social media program takes a lot of time and effort. There are many one-time and ongoing activities involved. Developing a marketing strategy, creating content, community management — the list goes on! The good news is that it’s possible for marketers to build their executive’s social media presence with little to no input from their executive. In this article, we share tips on how to work with a “hands-off” type of executive.   Understanding the “Hands-off” Executive What is a “hands-off” executive when it comes to executive social media? These are business leaders who don’t have the time or interest in being a major part of their social media program. Instead, they entrust their...

The growing momentum of executive social media means LinkedIn’s thought leader ads are a useful addition to the platform. This feature allows marketers to sponsor or “boost” organic posts from their employees, such as their CEO or other executives. A complementary piece to your overall digital marketing program, LinkedIn’s thought leader ads can help drive brand awareness, build credibility, and strategically position your executives on LinkedIn. In this article, we share our tips on how to craft the perfect LinkedIn post to sponsor as a thought leader ad!   Before You Start, Identify Your Goal! The first thing marketers should keep in mind is that you don’t want to sponsor just any post from your executive. If you’re investing in thought leader ads, start with a goal in mind. Thought leader ads take an organic post and push it out to your target audience...

Long-form content can be an effective complementary piece to an executive’s strategic social media presence. With many CEOs and other business leaders using LinkedIn as their primary social media platform, one feature to consider making use of is LinkedIn’s increasingly popular “newsletters.” In this article, we provide a brief overview of what LinkedIn newsletters are, share our top tips to keep in mind, the benefits of your executive having a newsletter, and ideas on what to write about.   What is LinkedIn’s “Newsletter” Feature? Compared to many of the other top social media sites, LinkedIn is truly the home for long-form content. Not only do social media posts feature relatively lengthy character limits compared to a platform like X, but the company’s newsletter feature is also an excellent way to share long-form content on a regular basis. Both individual users and company pages can create...

The phrase “new year, new me” doesn’t just apply to you — it can also reflect how executives approach their social media presence. Since we’re just a few weeks into the new year, now’s the time to freshen up any executive social media profiles. With many CEOs and executives choosing LinkedIn as their primary social media platform of choice, here are three easy ways digital marketers can give their profile a makeover.   Update Your LinkedIn Profile Images LinkedIn profiles have two main areas where users can update images: a circular profile picture and a rectangular profile banner. Here is an effective example from General Motors CEO, Mary Barra (a few years ago, we featured her in our Executive Spotlight article). What makes her profile images effective? Her profile headshot is well-cropped and clear. Because the circular profile image size is much smaller than the banner,...

As 2024 quickly approaches, it’s clear that executive social media is not only here to stay, but has become an even more integral part of many digital marketers’ strategies. Not only is positioning the company on social media vital for creating a strong online presence, but more CEOs and executives are also strategically establishing themselves on social media — and reaping the benefits, such as increased brand awareness and credibility. Whether you launched an executive social media program this year or you’re still looking into it, here are some goals to focus on in 2024!   For those just getting started with their executive social media program… In 2024, one of your goals could be to start positioning one (or a number) of company executives on social media. Their online presence will complement your existing digital marketing activities, including your company’s organic and paid...

There are many topics that CEOs and other executives can share on social media, yet the one that typically draws the most engagement revolves around company culture. Some business leaders may consider these types of posts to be “fluffy” and unimportant. Yes, they can be “fluffy,” but they also contribute to an executive’s overall social media content mix and have a significant strategic purpose. These types of posts may not directly tie into a CEO’s thought leadership strategy, but they have a major impact both on how your company’s executive is viewed by others and can even influence how the general public views your company. In this article, we share our tips on the types of work culture-related content that your company’s executive may want to share online and why it matters.   1. Reiterating Company Values and Culture As the public face of the...

Many social media platforms give users the ability to promote or sponsor a post. Whatever the terminology you want to use, the process and purpose are similar: put some ad dollars behind an organic post and push it to a more targeted audience that may not see the post organically. It’s not quite the same as other paid ad campaigns since a promoted post starts out as organic content, but once you’ve boosted your post, you can expect to see more impressions and engagement as it gets shared with a wider audience. This feature is available on LinkedIn and is called “boosting” (read more about boosting a post here). Marketers can select an organic post shared on their company page, set a budget, and boost it to a defined audience. However, while marketers can boost posts on a company’s LinkedIn page, there was...