In an age where social media presence speaks volumes about a brand, it is essential to carry out active personal branding campaigns for C-suite executives like CEOs and CXOs, who are the backbone of a brand. However, most of the C-suite executives prefer to stay off the grid when it comes to social media platforms. As per the Forbes list of the top marketing trends, executive branding has turned out to be one of the hottest marketing trends for B2B companies. In fact, many B2B companies have realised that building a polished personal brand helps in highlighting their expertise and knowledge to their target audience. The voices of C-suite executives shape the identity of a B2B brand and help them connect with the customers.
The Need for Personal Branding in B2B Space
Customers are attracted by human connection. Building a personal brand is not always done to gain popularity on the Internet or a ton of followers. The emphasis is on establishing leadership and expertise in the industry. When building a personal brand, C-suite executives also establish themselves as a trustworthy brand ambassadors for the company.
According to a report by sprout social, approximately forty-five per cent of customers are more likely to opt for a brand or a service if the leaders such as the CXO of the company promote it. However, the question is how to build a personal brand, especially for B2B platforms? This is where social media platforms can be of great help.
Creating a Personal Brand through Social Media
Only a few CXOs have leveraged the power of social media to build a personal brand. Considering this, C-suite executives can take advantage of this gap and use the power of social media to build personal brand. The following steps can help CXOs establish as a thought-leader using social media platforms:
1. Look Beyond LinkedIn and Twitter
For B2B brands, Twitter and LinkedIn are the most widely used platforms. However, to build a personal brand it is necessary to be present on all the social media channels. The only essential point to remember is to keep the messaging and image consistent across the platforms. While LinkedIn portrays digital first impression and expands the professional network, Twitter is the right platform to share content and start a discussion. In addition, trendy channels such as Instagram can help in gaining thousands of new followers.
2. Start a Personal Social Media Account
Customers, even in the B2B space, connect more with people than companies. Making presence felt on platforms such as Facebook or LinkedIn using brand accounts is a tough task. Humans are not drawn towards faceless brands, which is why it is necessary for C-suite executives such as CXOs to create a personal social media account. Starting a personal social media account helps in building rapport and genuine human relationships with customers. Use the account to create and share content that aligns with the company’s objective or simply share posts from the brand page via the personal profile. This also helps in increasing the visibility of the content and puts a real face on the source of information.
3. Create a Social Media Plan
In order to increase visibility on social media, it is necessary to develop a social media plan. Decide which platforms to use to connect with the audience and the frequency of posting on each platform. CXOs need to actively engage with their shareholders, customers and also the employees on the social media platforms. Use photos and videos to craft an authentic image and develop a long-term relationship with the customers.
4. Be Authentic
Even B2B customers love following people who are authentic and relatable. Being authentic and vulnerable with followers will build trust and also help in developing a deeper connection. Sharing success mantras, reviews about motivational books or even organizing giveaway contest can help in connecting with the followers and increase brand visibility.
5. Posts Regularly with Moderation
Being active on social media is necessary. However, this doesn’t imply that something needs to be shared every hour. Work on a plan to develop a consistent routine that works well with the followers. Share some thought-provoking and relatable posts once or twice a day on all the platforms. To make thing easy, schedule the posts at once with the help of tools like Hootsuite or Sprout. Take the help of renowned social media agencies as they have the expertise to plan, strategize and create a personal brand on B2B platforms.
Conclusion
Staying active on social media can help in staying ahead of competitors and also foster a valuable connection with customers. However, it is necessary to do a lot of research and prepare a result-oriented plan to create a personal brand online, which can be done with the help of an expert social media agency. So, if you are looking for a social media agency to build your brand, get in touch with Envigo, a full-service digital marketing agency with expertise in building branding on social media platforms.