Are you one of the 61% of CEO’s that doesn’t have a social media presence? Hard to believe that many CEO’s don’t understand the importance of a social media presence for their personal brand and credibility.

It amazes me how many CEO’s, directors and business owners have little or a very poor presence on their digital channels, particularly LinkedIn which is your own piece of professional real estate.

Too many CEO’s are leaving their personal & company branding in the hands of the marketing team. Why? Laziness, lack of know-how, time restraints (which we all have) or just a lack of understanding of the importance of taking control of your online visibility.

This Is your brand reputation we are talking about here peeps. If your profile is poor, how can you expect your team to have great profiles? You must lead by example. Your LinkedIn profile, in particular, is a projection of your image to your team, your clients, your suppliers, your future clients, and bosses.

I have formed an opinion of a CEO or senior manager purely based on their LinkedIn profile. If you don’t care about the image you are projecting for yourself, that reflects on the image you project for your company and how people see you.

Look at my LinkedIn page and feed as an example of activity. You need to be consistent and you need to take control of your personal brand online.

Trends in the US show that companies want to hire people that aren’t afraid to have a profile and showcase their expertise, at all levels and this starts with the C-suite. So, if you are looking for new opportunities then your overall social media profile is especially vital.

Another key point is that you must be active and aware of what is being said about you online. Do you know what your marketing & PR department are saying about you, tagging you in, pitching you for? What about the reviews, photos, and conversations going on without your business being highlighted! It is important for you to control your Brand so you can command and control your online presence.

Here are some reasons why you want to take control of your online brand:

• Shows your credibility and expertise
• shows you understand the importance of digital for your business success
• Shows you are serious about leading your team to greater success
• it is part of the bigger picture brand strategy
• Showcases your personal brand and company culture
• allows you to be aware of what is being said about you, your brand and your industry
• allows you to share your authentic voice with suppliers, peers, your industry and potential new staff hires
• opens up opportunities for speaking engagements and collaborations
• Increases your visibility in the market > you never know who is watching

Richard Branson, Janine Allis, Gary V, Lorna Jane Clarkson, Lisa Messenger to name a handful are instantly recognizable as leaders in their businesses. Their online presence has been carefully honed in social media, blogs and other media. Their high levels of name recognition can be attributed in large part to the effort these thought leaders have put into building their public personas.

Not convinced, then here are even more reasons why you need to control your online brand.

In an IBM study of 1,700 CEOs across the globe, researchers concluded “companies that outperform their peers are 30% more likely to identify openness—often characterized by a greater use of social media—as a key influence on their organization.”

According to Forbes, an eMarketer report reveals that 77% of buyers are more likely to buy from a company if the CEO uses social media, while 82% trust the company more.

A study by Social Media Today shows that authenticity on the part of your CEO’s blog posts is more important than strategically crafting what to tell the audience. Those business stories get traction as your audience relates to them and they show you as a real person who experiences what we all do every day.

And finally, it’s an opportunity to build trust. Just one-in-five CEOs use a social media account, according to Hubspot. Those that do engage on social media have a unique opportunity to generate what even the priciest marketing campaign can’t guarantee—emotional relationships with customers. Bottom line, to all your CEO’s, is that having an online presence can contribute in a positive way to your company bottom line. So, what are you waiting for?