We’ve been talking about the benefits of getting executives’ voices out on LinkedIn for a while now, and people are starting to change their marketing and communications strategies to align with our methods.
Why?
Because the cliche line of, “what got us here won’t get us there”, stands true, and because it’s time to meet our buyers where they are.
The days of dated mass-auto-sharing of company content are behind us. Not only does the algorithm kill posts that do that, but you get a few likes, which tells your audience that no one likes your content. The kicker? The worse your first few posts do, the worse the forthcoming due, again due to the algorithm.
Instead, give your audience what they really want: to get to know your leaders as humans, as thought leaders and then as an executive representing your brand. Teach us something. Educate us. Bring value to our day. Don’t just pitch and promote.
Further, your LinkedIn marketing campaigns may be struggling to hit the ROI you’d hoped for, a perspective shared my countless marketing teams we work with. Why?
Because the above details also stand true. More than half of the 950M (Sept 2023) members on LinkedIn come into the platform at least once a week, for a minimum of five minutes, and they’re coming to learn.
The above is why so many organizations and celebrities alike have turned to us to build their executives brands on LinkedIn.
Now, there are questions as you get started:
📍 “Why promote an executive over the organization?”
📍 “Will our C-Suite having more followers really drive revenue?”
📍 “We’ll do it, but can we only talk about our brand.”
We understand these reservations! But let us explain-
The LinkedIn algorithm doesn’t respond to businesses and other entities the way it does executives. Nor does the audience.
Would you rather hear from a person or a company? For many of us, a prominent leader’s opinion carries much more weight.
But don’t take our word for it. Just visit the page of a brand you respect – say General Electric – and what do you see? Millions of followers coupled with a few dozen likes per post. But your executives? With a few thousand followers, your executives could get hundreds of likes and exponentially higher impressions than any company post could net.
Not only that, your executives embody the brand. Their stories, leadership approach and values reflect who you are as an organization (or they should!). The more people see their presence, and hear their thoughts, the more attention you drive to your business.
Hello, customer AND talent acquisition vehicles!
This is because LinkedIn posts teach, they don’t sell. They’re focused on topics and takeaways that people want to read and follow.
And guess what? The prospects and clients you’re trying to reach are likely one of the 950+ million people who use the platform regularly. So are investors, journalists, and future employees.
As Sam pointed out in a recent post, Edelman Research found that executives who post thought leadership on LinkedIn get nearly 600% more reach than any other employee, and see a 90% increase in trustworthiness as a corporate brand.
The space allows an executive to grow their audience slowly but strategically, expand their brand presence with minimal efforts, and since organizations are slow to catch on [see Bloomberg’s recent piece “Sorry, but LinkedIn is Cool Now”], you’ll be one step ahead.
And you’ll get better ROI.
Many of our clients are marketing teams that spend millions of dollars on campaigns that generate clicks, but not conversions, which Sam detailed here.
Other options aren’t that great either.
With paid search, you’re typically outbid by top spenders (plus, it’s almost rocket science to figure out), and pay-per-click ads tend to produce unqualified leads that waste your time, not to mention being a bottomless pit of spend.
Then there’s LinkedIn paid ads…but, as you likely painfully know, the ROI is almost non-existent.
The beauty of creating these voices is that you don’t have to find new budget, you simply have to repurpose your spend from the places that are now dated, competitive, and expensive.
Putting your executives front and center on LinkedIn builds your brand more cost-effectively and successfully. By using a portion of what you spend on all the above, you’ll outmaneuver competition and see better results.
And to return to our third point – these posts are stories, not marketing gimmicks or a press release. You’ll see significantly more results when execs are willing to share their ups and downs, biographical highlights, vulnerable moments, lessons learned, and insights into their lives outside of work.
It doesn’t have to get personal, but it should be authentic and organic. Talk about your brand, just not in every post.