Tips for building leader visibility and personal branding power
You would think that every CPA firm professional uses social media; when in actuality, a lot of people resist posting about their personal life. But the problem with ignoring (or resisting) social media is brand perception. It sends social networking signals you do not want. Some signals could be that:
- You aren’t on top of industry trends
- You don’t care about technology
- You don’t engage with your team
- You aren’t interested in new business relationships
And the number one signal you don’t want out there:
- You left, quit, disappeared, retired
Does it take effort to stay visible as a busy leader? Yes, but social media is one of the easiest things in your control. You can set privacy. You can celebrate the accomplishments of others. You can easily share/curate content that aligns with your work.
So below are some tips to keep your posting easy, true to your branding identity and interesting:
1. Schedule out some of your posts – A personal social media calendar will relieve some of the posting pressure. Start by scheduling at least one post a week, and then from there you can always backfill with timely posts. (Note: In LinkedIn, you can write several posts in one sitting and, instead of posting right away, click the little clock in the bottom, right-hand corner and schedule them.)
2. Get help from your marketing team – Ask your internal team or a colleague to brainstorm posts with you that include a variety of topics, professional and personal and media types; this will help your feed look more interesting when people scroll it. (For example, this could include posting a short video messages, posting photos, or linking a post to an article you found insightful)
3. Like and repost from your company page to your personal profile – This is the easiest thing to start with if you just need a basic presence that will show up to your connections (For leaders, make sure to repost or share team outing photos or promotions; it shows that you care about your team. Extra tip: be sure to add a message when resharing!)
4. Share stories – Talk about the real impact of your work and why you care about it, why you appreciate your team or your colleagues (Easy tip: Have someone ask you questions about your favorite engagement, your biggest lesson, your vision for the firm…your favorite ice cream; have them edit it for you to post.)
Social media is not just a resume or a vision board. Social media is a search engine and a publishing channel.
More people are going to social media for their news and industry connections than ever before. We need positive, knowledgeable leaders out there, like you, sharing factual and helpful information.
Your connections and your friends will thank you.
To learn more about how we can assist with leader’s social media, contact us.
