Become a Social CEO - a minisode with Mel

We live in a digital world and people today expect CEOs and leaders to be seen and heard. Both within your organisation and within the broader community. This means you need to have an active presence on social media. In this minisode we talk about how you can become a Social CEO.

Why is this important? It’s important because people do business with people they know, like and trust. And if they can’t see you or hear you then how will they get to know you? Let alone like and trust you.

Research by recruitment firm DDI found CEO candidates with a social media presence were 46% more influential than CEO candidates without. Those without a social media presence miss opportunities but also risk looking out of touch.

CEOs and leaders with an active digital presence also have greater influence than those without. They are seen as being more connected, more confident and more curious.

Why is this important?

Seriously though, there are a few reasons. The biggest of which is that it will help you solve a few of the challenges facing many organisational leaders today. You know the ones: finding and keeping good people; managing customer expectations; providing greater experiences for your people (including your workforce and your customers) so they want to do business with you; showing greater transparency and accountability.

Having an active digital (and yes, this includes social media) presence, where you share your thoughts, ideas and knowledge will help you position yourself as an expert in your field, and your business as an industry leader. It will also help you become more known, both internally and externally.

Mark Schaeffer in his book Known, says that being known is about having the proper authority, reputation and audience to realise your potential and achieve your goals.

It’s important to realise that having a digital presence isn’t only about being active on social media. It also includes using other digital tools – writing a blog, sharing videos on YouTube, having an active presence on your company intranet or internal networking tool (such as Yammer or Facebook for Work), being a podcast guest (or hosting your own), sharing content on LinkedIn and Medium.

CEOs and industry leaders such as Richard Branson from Virgin Group, Janine Allis from Boost and Sara Blakely founder of Spanx, are all leaders who regularly share their thoughts using digital media – whether it’s blogging, video, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, internal networks or a combination.

They share their experiences – the good, bad and sometimes ugly – of what it’s like to live the life of a leader. They share professional wins and losses, personal stories, photos and video with their families, their thoughts on their industry’s future and so much more. And if you’re a fan of Survivor Australia then definitely read Janine’s blog as she talks about what her experience was like!

One of the most compelling posts I’ve ever read was when Rand Fishkin, the founder of Moz, wrote an extremely honest post about his struggle with depression. This was one of the first times I had read something so raw written by a CEO. This post made me want to know him a whole lot more. It also made me want to give him a hug. And yes, it made me want to know more about his business and how I could support it.

If you’re a CEO, Board Member, or want to be seen as a leader in your field, these are a few reasons why you need to be using digital and social media.

1. To communicate
2. To connect
3. To share your expertise
4. To demonstrate your purpose
5. To attract better people
6. To show your personality
7. To fulfil your curiosity

So now I want to ask you what does your digital presence look like?

Do you consider yourself a social CEO?

What’s stopping you from doing more?

I’d love to know. You can connect with me on LinkedIn or twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #thisconnectedlife and tagging me @melkettle

Or you can email me – mel@melkettle.com

If you need help with this please get in touch. I run training, coaching and mentoring programs for CEOs, other leaders and teams to help them become raise their profiles and help them become more confident using digital and social media. If you would like info about this please get in touch.

If you enjoyed this podcast, I would love you to subscribe on iTunes or Spotify or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

If you REALLY loved it, please leave me a rating and review on iTunes.

You might also like to:

• Attend one of my upcoming events
• Download my latest whitepaper The Social CEO – from invisible to influencer
• Signup to my newsletter
• Buy a copy of my book, The Social Association
• Book a time for a 15 minute chat

Mel Kettle is all about connection, communication and collaboration. She works with CEOs, leaders and teams to help them better communicate and collaborate (online AND offline) to achieve better relationships, revenue and results. Mel is a facilitator, trainer, speaker, author and mentor who provides practical advice that achieves results while having some fun!Download her latest whitepaper, The Social CEO – from invisible to influencer or order a signed copy of her book, The Social Association. To inquire about working with Mel, please email mel@melkettle.com or call her on 0404 600 889.