So, you want your business covered on tier-1 media, right? You should: publications on major crypto media get a lot of views and reprints, boosting your brand’s visibility across the Web, and pawing the way for greater aims like getting into Forbes 30 under 30 top, having your project’s success story covered by the world’s most-known journalists, etc. But you can’t just buy publications, remember? (Well, technically, you can, but you won’t get the much-needed user and investor trust like that.)
The bad news is it’s next to impossible to get into top-tier media organically if your key team members don’t have developed social media accounts. The good news is that we’ve accumulated a lot of knowledge on how to build a solid profile for a C-level exec.
Starting the work on CEO’s personal profile
As a person who has built a business, you must know everything about achieving goals. It all starts with setting them, of course. Two pillars of personal brand strategy building are understanding your goals and prioritizing them.
Setting goals: What gain comes from this pain?
All of us have heard a version of the phrase — “solid reputation is everything.” Sounds intense, but what actual benefits does it provide?
No matter how strong your professional background is, I doubt you have your CV tattooed on your face. Adding it to your company’s website won’t work either: you must find a way to broadcast your knowledge to your audience. The best way to showcase your expertise and boost the brand’s credibility is by being active on social media.
While the final aim is attracting investors and loyal consumers, boosting the trustworthiness of the person behind the project is a key sub-goal. When journalists receive an interview request or see the company news, they first google the CEO’s name.
SMM activities will also help you give worthy & timely updates on project development, introduce new team members to the public and keep the audience interested in the project.
Maintaining social media profiles smartly
Let’s sum it up: the CEO should strive to get recognition as a practical and insightful leader through various social media channels. At this point, it’s vital to set correct priorities to avoid some of the most common mistakes.
- First, your profile should look different from a corporate brand page. Social media profiles 100%-focused on market updates will depersonalize you and overlook your skills, reducing the audience’s interest. Focusing on your attitude to success and leadership is way better. In figures, 90% of the content should be about how you lead the company and evolve as a professional, while 10% can be about your business’ market sector.
- A strong leader should often mention their team and highlight their input. Are you striving to hire the best of the best: talented experts you can learn from, too? Point it out while announcing your employee’s promotion. Always show how you make your team feel valued when you talk about the results of their work.
- Personal stories about your contribution to the employee’s professional growth will form your media character and help you gain investors’ trust. Tell about the different approaches you have tried in engaging your team and pushing your businesses forward.
- For the remaining 10%, talk about your business’s development, future aims, and recent achievements. Your opinion on relevant market news will boost your credibility as an expert. It will be fantastic to show how you update your business strategy based on applicable global changes.
Communication channels matter
It’s not only about what you tell but where you do that. To pick the proper communication channels, you should consider three essential points: what the journalists check on, what is the hot spot of your target audience, and what is relevant to your business.
The essential social media set of a tech startup’s CEO includes Linkedin, Twitter, Medium, Instagram, and YouTube. Depending on the specifics of your business and goals, the pack may also have Discord, Reddit, or else.
- Linkedin is an excellent tool to praise the team, showing the CEO’s expertise through their achievements.
- Twitter is best for short updates. You can create a network of all SMM channels, reposting the essence from LinkedIn, Medium, etc. Being a hot spot for tech geeks, it is also the most interactive channel.
- Medium lets you show expertise in the broadest format, share details of success stories, and openly talk about updates happening in your team. You can also use this channel to give pieces of advice on leadership.
- Instagram is useful for sharing visual content, quick updates, and showing how the CEO develops as a professional by visiting conferences, courses, etc.
- YouTube might become an ace in your sleeve when applying for audio/video podcasts.
Consider handing it off to an expert
Yes, it all seems like a lot of work, but the result is worth the effort — plus, you can always delegate maintaining social media to a team of experts.
If you are up to evolving your profile but lack the time or necessary expertise, feel free to refer to the Input PR team: we will help you build your personal brand quickly and efficiently.
Liza Filatova, COO of InputPR