Who are your industry’s movers and shakers?
When you answered that question, did you think of a brand-associated product or a brand-associated individual?
No matter what industry you are in, you no doubt know your competition by name and reputation. For global brands with deep pockets like Apple and Facebook, strong publicity and technology-based advancements have made their leaders’ names synonymous with the industry as a whole. However, for smaller or more local businesses, becoming a widely known and recognized leader can prove challenging. If you are a brand leader, simultaneously promoting your company’s voice and your own goes a long way to making both you and your organization a strongly reputed contender. Sure, you should still maintain active company-centric publicity, social media and advertising promotions, but if you are a company leader, pick up the slack and develop an active, personality-filled social media voice that enhances both your brand’s image and your own.
get real & get noticed
Although only about 16% of company CEOs currently participate in social media, the number is growing and it’s easy to see why:
- To Inspire Collaboration – Sharing your perspective on business and current events is a great way to build both your own reputation and your brand’s. Competitors, clients and prospects may already know you as a company leader, but do they know what qualifies you to lead? Share your expertise and start conversations to begin becoming a publically acknowledged go-to resource.
- To Showcase Real Individuality – The personality of your brand should already be developed. But what do you add as a brand networker? Use social media to get appropriately personal. People connect with individuals far better than with businesses, particularly if your industry does not lend itself easily to one-on-one, engaging information or tidbits. Take your brand’s social network persona one step further by engaging with it, sharing and promoting it on your own, adding an extra layer of personality and distinction.
- To Remain Relevant – Raise your voice or risk getting lost in the din. Not only should your organization’s leaders be vocal on your industry’s traditional public relations landscape, but you must also be a vocal presence for your brand online. Tweets multiply at the speed of light offering trending hashtags that make it easy to latch on and contribute to the big topics on your industry’s plate. Add your voice to the conversation, making a case for your perspective and for why your company is already doing things right. Or, share strategies that you’ve learned to gain credibility. Either way, you’ll get noticed by those interested in your company’s capabilities and don’t forget, more and more reporters are using social media to find sources and experts. How will they know to contact you if you don’t put yourself out there for your brand first?
slow and steady
Stepping out into social media can be intimidating if you have never really taken it on before. However, do not be intimidated. Start off slowly. Research and discover what and who is already trending in your industry or with the businesses or customers with whom you have been hoping to connect. Make sure to review the basics of social media etiquette and start engaging, friending, connecting and following. Stay active and remember: you are carving out an entirely new dimension of your brand’s personality. Whether they take place in the online conversation or not, already 71% of global CEOs cite technology as the number one agent affecting future organizational change. Seize hold of your social media potential and you may soon discover new perspectives, trends and tools that can help your business in the long run – and what’s more, social media may just grow on you like it has your customers!