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YEAH BABY! TIME TO THINK BEYOND YOUR OWN BOARDROOM

Forget “turn on, tune in, drop out”. Because, sadly for the psychedelic, it’s 2015. That means it’s time to get LinkedIn instead. And it’s CEOs who really need to get with it, baby – or risk going the way of the VCR (and they’re way not retro enough to be hipster… yet).

Whether you model your career on Richard Branson (over 8 million followers), Ariana Huffington (over 3 million followers) or ANZ’s Mike Smith (109,326 followers and counting) each one has a found value on LinkedIn and uses it to their advantage, building contacts way beyond their own boardrooms.

In Australia, LinkedIn (a.k.a. LI) has over 7 million members[1]. At the same time, however, the latest 2014 Social CEO Report shows a whopping 68% of Fortune 500 CEOs have no social media presence. That’s good news for you – and for your company’s CEO.

It means there’s still time to harness your CEO LinkedIn profile and get way out ahead of the pack. You may not be quite the front runner as Mike Smith, who was appointed a LI influencer and made it to the front page of The Australian for his feat (because, yeah baby, social media is so irrelevant).

Our own research of CEOs from the 20 largest financial services organisations in Australia, across banking, insurance, funds management and wealth management, shows:

  • 85% have no active social media presence. By active we mean owning at least one social media channel and using it in a proactive manner by posting or interacting.
  • LinkedIn is the most commonly used channel but only to house a profile.
  • 95% have a LinkedIn profile but do not use it to post content – just under half don’t have a completed profile.

Having no social media presence can be every bit as damaging as having a poor social media presence (don’t believe us? See here and you’ll need no further convincing).

Now that we have you, here’s how a CEO can get up, running – and effectively social – on LinkedIn.

Using LinkedIn effectively

  1. Optimise your profile. Think of your LinkedIn profile as your online first impression. Often the first Google result when someone searches your name, it’s the modern day equivalent of a good suit. Fully complete your profile, include all relevant skills and experience and a professional photograph (consistent with your corporate branding). If possible customise your URL and ensure your profile, particularly your summary, is keyword rich to boost your profile’s ‘searchability’. Seek recommendations where appropriate (think similar level, brand and skill compatible) and link to all relevant online assets e.g. your organisation’s website or social channels.
  2. Review settings. Once you’ve set up your profile, make sure your privacy and broadcast settings are suit you. For instance, if you’re using LinkedIn to share thought leadership, ensure your activity broadcast settings are on so it will be shared with your connections. You should also set the frequency of LinkedIn notifications so you can control how often you receive messages, group digests and news. We don’t recommend turning these off completely as doing so will hinder your ability to engage in real time and you’ll reduce your opportunities to connect and network.
  3. Build your network. The entire point of LinkedIn is to help you increase your professional network. Building your network takes time, and actively sharing regularly or using LinkedIn’s new blogging platform will help attract people to you. However, the best approach is a planned, proactive one. Set time aside to build your network, which means reaching out and always including a reason why others should connect with you (adding value).
  4. Join groups. Groups are a great way for LinkedIn members to come together and share insights/experience, learn from experts and others with similar interests, keep across cutting-edge news, all the while building connections with industry peers and prospective clients. They’re also a great place to find content to share with your connections.
  5. Follow company pages. Following the company page of organisations or industry bodies pivotal to your business or industry is a great way to gather intelligence, whether for your own leadership agenda, organisation or clients.
  6. Follow influencers. LinkedIn’s influencer program is a platform designated for ‘thought leaders’ across all industries to share valuable insights. For CEOs, it’s proven to be a useful – and highly accessible – way to learn and hear from other leaders that they admire.

With over half of LinkedIn users agreeing that the platform helps them build and nurture relationships for the purposes of generating leads for their businesses (54%)[2], putting effort into your LinkedIn profile is clearly worthwhile.

Or, we could even say, way out!

For more about why and how participating in LinkedIn and other forms of social media have become a must for today’s CEOs, download our latest e-book.

YES, SEND ME THE GUIDE NOW

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[1] About LinkedIn, LinkedIn

[2] Australians on LinkedIn – A Snapshot, LinkedIn

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