Having a strong reputation as CEO is attributed to 44% of global executive’s company market value. It also plays a great role in attracting employees and motivating them to stay. Outside the company, a great CEO reputation attracts investors, generates positive media attention and manages PR disaster.
If you haven’t built your CEO branding yet, here are some ways to get it started:
Developing your strategy
Building your CEO reputation is all about aligning your reputation with your corporate brand. In a survey conducted, 95% of the respondents decide whether or not to invest in a company while 93 % would recommend a company as a good partner. From public relation activities, media interviews, printed materials, to employee treatment, your CEO branding should reflect your corporate culture. You must be forward-looking when strategising for your branding. Analyse your brand strengths to align them with your company. Highlight the CEO brand qualities that reaffirm to that of your company.
Define your target audience
Unlike your corporate branding, you have to be looking for people that would resonate your personal branding as a CEO. Once you have defined your target audience, it is time to deliver your brand directly to them. You can write articles on publications where your audience would likely read or hold a seminar and be a guest speaker to increase your authority and credibility. Find out the tools you need to use to deliver your message to your audience. You can leverage the power of social media or strategic advertising emphasizing the CEO message.
Go social
Use the power of social media wisely and influence your target audience. Update your profile and ensure your contact details are correct. Google yourself routinely to keep track of the search engines results and correct any negative results if there are any. Optimize your LinkedIn profile; ensure that your Facebook account reflects that of your company. Routinely Googling yourself allows you to keep track of what the search engines are saying about you and take corrective actions when possible. Ensure that your name turns up at last in the first two pages of the SERP and most especially that the results favour you positively. Join an online community and participate in forums and discussion. It doesn’t only fortify your credibility; it also provides an opportunity for networking contacts. Share relevant content on your social media accounts. You can share your victories, accomplishments, visions and mission of your company. This humanizes your CEO brand.
Measure the results
Determine the metrics to measure the success of your branding. Are you aiming for an increase in sales? Generate website traffic or gain more followers? Measure your results once you pinpoint your metrics. Interpret these results to determine which strategies work best and which you can do without.
As a CEO, you can harness the power of your personal branding to create a bond with your customers and investors. Start building your brand and realign your strategies with your organization to maximize results.