As a Chief Marketing Officer, you know that your brand is an integral part of the success of your business. However, you may not realize that personal branding can be just as important as corporate branding in growing reach and increasing your influence.
Your executive brand is your calling card – whether you want an executive board position, employee buy-in, a successful startup product launch, speaking engagements, a new venture, career transition, or have a company mandate to participate on social media.
There are numerous benefits to personal branding that can help CMOs reach their goals.
For starters, personal branding helps establish credibility by demonstrating your unique skills, experience, and personality traits. It also gives you the opportunity to showcase your values, which can help you connect with employees and prospects, while setting you apart from other CMOs. Additionally, personal branding allows you to connect with peers or industry influencers and build relationships which could potentially lead to other business opportunities.
Your personal brand will help you:
1. Build your visibility with credibility: By engaging on social media, you will increase your visibility and credibility while strengthening relationships with employees, peers, prospects and other stakeholders.
2. Accelerate business through relationships: As a leader, you have a clear opportunity to propel business growth by providing proximity to your company and essential industry insights, even with brief high-value interactions on social media.
3. Get and share insights: C-suite executives and business decision makers are particularly aware of the power of executive image. 90% believe that their respect and admiration of an organization increased after engaging with a leader’s content, according to the Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought-Leadership Impact Study.
Most executives understand that participating on social networks is no longer optional but essential to lead effectively today. During periods of uncertainty, people have a psychological need to access leaders. And with the hybrid, fractured, or semi-remote workforce becoming the norm, more employees rely on social media for information.
Personal branding for CMOs is about creating a recognizable identity for yourself then leveraging it to increase your brand awareness and grow your influence. Personal branding for CMOs doesn’t have to be a daunting task.
These 3 simple steps can help get you on track.
In order to build your personal brand:
1. Start with WHY. Determine your goals.
2. Define WHO. Define who you are and who you want to reach – your target audience.
3. Determine HOW. Decide what type of content you can create to reach your audience consistently and engage them with insights.
First, create a website where people can learn more about you. You can share information about yourself. Identify and articulate what differentiates you. You can include your origin story, your professional experience, and a few personal interests. You can also create a blog with content on marketing topics that you’re passionate about.
Next, choose dedicated channels to connect with the people you want to reach, inspire or move into action. Create profiles on relevant social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter. This will help people find you easily and connect with you online.
Finally, Network. Network, network, and network some more. Let your fingers do the walking on LinkedIn. Connect with your top peers and prospects. Connect with other movers and shakers on Twitter. Engage during industry events. A strong leadership network will serve you and your organization well, but it also extends beyond the job. If you have a great reputation within your network, you have the advantage of having a solid group of contacts who can be resources when you need to extend your professional reach.
In order to make sure your audience is seeing the best version of you, focus on creating high-quality content that accurately reflects who you are as a brand. Quality content does not have to be long blog posts—it can be videos, podcasts, graphics, or anything that adds value to your audience’s lives and speaks to them in an engaging manner. If you have something interesting or insightful to say, people will pay attention and remember you long after they’ve stopped scrolling through their newsfeeds. Social media algorithms reward engagement which will also help you expand your reach and reputation.
2023 will bring new technology applications that could benefit your personal brand. Whether it’s virtual reality or AI technologies like ChatGPT, these digital tools can be used to create unique experiences for your audience. This could mean creating virtual tours of your office space or using AI-driven chatbots to respond to queries quickly and more efficiently than ever before. Integrating technology into your personal brand is key to staying ahead of the game in 2023.
Above all else, be true to yourself in all aspects of your personal branding efforts in 2023—no matter what strategies you decide to use. Authenticity is essential for building trust with stakeholders, employees, and customers alike. People want to work with executives who are genuine. Ultimately, when you are sincere and true to yourself you will also build stronger and more sustainable connections.
At Reactionpower we excel at empowering executives to clarify and convey their unique value in an authentic, credible way. Our insights are based on our deep understanding of executives’ priorities and constraints. We’ll help you:
Personal branding is an essential part of any successful marketer leader’s toolkit. It allows CMOs like yourself to stand out, create meaningful connections and make an impact. With careful planning and strategic execution, CMOs can expand their company’s reach while also boosting their own credibility as a leader. Combining tried-and-true methods like quality content creation with newer strategies like integrating cutting-edge technology will help ensure your success in 2023 and beyond!
Leave a Reply