Karen Kandia August 29, 2016
The Personal Brand of the CEO was a resultative and natural extension from the successful branding of the company. Worldwide, CEOs have leveraged this connection to build up a powerful personal brand that builds their authority and reputation. So much so, that the two have become synonymous; a face to the organization. Customer-centricity demands that the CEO of a company be personable, and several brands the world over are utilizing this as a point of differentiation. In Africa, with the rise in millennials taking up leadership positions, this is bound to be the norm in the future. However, the limited number of African Social CEOs today means that personal branding opportunities, and opportunities to boost their companies, are being wasted. Defining the African CEO’s personal brand has extended to, and made its mark in digital space.
‘Social Companies and Anti-social CEOs’: Scarlet Fu, Bloomberg’s Chief Markets Correspondent, addressed the discrepancy about the lack of social media presence from CEOs of large corporations. She also touched on the anti-social CEOs of companies which have a strong social media presence. Muhtar Kent, chairman and chief executive officer of The Coca-Cola Company, is such an example. This is characteristic of many CEOs in Africa who shy away from expressing theirs and their company’s value proposition on social media.
To Engage Customers and Employees
Tricia Morris in 6 Things Every CEO Should Know About Customer Service points out that everyone including the CEO should be a customer service representative. CRM should be upheld across the board, from top to bottom – through line staff and support staff. Time is a scarce resource in a CEO’s day, however, targeting and dedicating their efforts to specific social venues can garner a large ROI on their time and effort. Engaging customers on social media drives consumer brand loyalty, which is positively correlated to sales.
Connecting with employees using social media is just as important. Employees are able to give feedback which is valuable information for any CEO. This real-time system allows for faster communication with faster solutions. Engaging employees on social media also affects how others perceive the company’s culture. Boosting employee motivation and performance results from how employees perceive their CEO and the extent of his/her involvement.
Ornico’s Africa Brand Index is a listing of the most successful brands on the continent on social media, according to key metrics such as community growth and content engagement, among others. Kenya Commercial Bank appears on the list, based on how it communicates with audiences on social media. Notably, KCB Group CEO Joshua Oigara has made efforts into matching up to KCB’s social strategy success. He is active on Twitter and frequently engages customers on #KCBChat. More recently, he undertook in answering Chase Bank customer questions in a bid to clarify and encourage them.
To Establish Thought Leadership
Publishing material in order to share perspectives with peers is a resourceful way of sharing information with them. This method of unlocking networks builds trust and confidence in a CEO’s personal brand. CEOs who set their material to a higher standard often establish themselves as top-of-mind in their industries. It’s not just about producing promotional posts about the company’s products or services, but about producing authentic, value-driven insight.
KCB’s Group CEO Oigara leverages this by publishing posts on his LinkedIn profile. It is also worth noting that Oigara has an active LinkedIn presence. Similarly, Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore also publishes posts on his LinkedIn profile. Most recently is a widely shared post on Why We Need to Invest in Trust. A worrying number of CEOs do not have any presence on LinkedIn, some showcase only their names and titles, and a larger number have not optimized their profiles.
Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore’s LinkedIn post on ‘Why We Need To Invest In Trust’
KCB Group CEO Joshua Oigara’s LinkedIn post on ‘Self Regulation; A New Dawn For the Kenyan Banking Sector’
A fundamental area of establishing thought leadership has to do with gap analysis. Encouraging dialogue in these formats, which also includes engaging the customers and employees alike, highlights the humility in leadership. Creating this sort of impact as an advocate for the CEO’s company is almost essential, as it also reinforces reputation. According to a Weber Shandwick/KRC Research survey of 1,700 executives globally, 67% believe that CEOs should share new insights and trends with the public.
(Weber Shandwick, in partnership with KRC Research) The CEO Reputation Premium: Gaining Advantage in the Engagement Era
The CEO Reputation Premium: A New Era of Engagement, also reveals that highly regarded CEOs are more than three times as likely to participate on social media as CEOs with a weak reputation. African CEOs should determine which social media venues are applicable to them, and should develop social media strategies in efforts to build their personal brand. As we have seen, the CEO’s personal brand is linked to their company’s, and thus it necessitates that they do more in their personal, professional social arena. LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, is a great place to start.
Personal Branding is important for every CEO. However, seemingly minor mistakes are made by many CEOs on LinkedIn, and this ends up hurting their Personal Brand. Are you 100% sure you aren’t making the same mistakes on your LinkedIn Profile? If not, download the 9 LinkedIn Profile Mistakes and ensure your LinkedIn Profile is a perfect representative of who you are as a professional. Don’t leave your personal branding to chance.
Simply don’t have enough time to do it? If you need help refining your social media brand – or need more understanding about how to go about it – schedule a complimentary consultation here. We’re here to help!
