5 Ways to Boost the Profile of Your CEO
Martha Stewart. Richard Branson. Oprah. These household names demonstrate the power behind promoting a person in order to brand a company or product. Here are five ways to boost the profile of your CEO.
Connect CEO with community
The benefit of community outreach is the word of mouth that comes from their engagement – as the buzz spreads the company’s brand is enhanced along the way. Start by finding out what your CEO’s interests are. Look for organizations that your CEO can become affiliated with that align with those interests – from volunteering at community events to participating on boards. Because your CEO’s time is limited, connecting their community work with their interest areas will help foster their buy-in.
Get a CEO talking
Look for speaking engagements in communities your company operates in, impacts or would like to expand into. Many organizations are hungry for talented speakers who can address relevant topics, from local chambers to business associations. Make sure your CEO is speaking about a topic that aligns with their interest areas or the company’s overall industry, and remember to make the speech appropriate for the audience.
Leverage CEO wisdom
Is your CEO an expert in enterprise risk management? Climate change law? Whatever it is, look for opportunities to position them as an expert in their specialty areas. Look for timely news stories and find a way to offer your CEO as an expert spokesperson. Develop stories around their knowledge areas and pitch them to targeted media.
Socialize a CEO online
The key to using social media to promote your CEO is to show their personality online while balancing the company’s tone. An organization may want to convey a conservative tone in all its marketing materials but the reality is no one wants to read bland tweets or Facebook posts. Have a strategy, pick the right channels for engagement and add value to the dialogue by bringing your CEO’s personality to life.
Convert staff into CEO ambassadors
Employees act as ambassadors for the company – they talk about work with their families, friends and acquaintances. Give your CEO a voice on the intranet or in the employee newsletter. Make sure your staff see and read media coverage and learn about community engagements your CEO is participating in. Build pride internally so that when employees do talk about work, they also build the CEO and company’s brand.
