Today, almost every business creates and maintains a blog as an effective content marketing channel that helps drive website traffic, provides information on products and services, shares corporate updates, and the list goes on. In fact, many businesses initially started as a blog. Some of these brands include:
- Groupon – promotes coupons for all types of products and services
- Copyblogger – a software company focused on content marketing tools and training
- HuffPost – received a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 and became the first commercially run digital media enterprise in the U.S. to gain such recognition
The importance of blogs as a powerful marketing strategy hasn’t gone unnoticed by senior executives and CEOs, many of whom have started their own blogs to help instill elements of thought leadership while also providing companies with a “face”, which earns additional levels of trust from potential customers, current customers, and other various stakeholders. However, before starting to blog, senior executives need to weigh the pros and cons while also committing to regular participation. After all, consistency is key.
Below are some key learnings from CEO bloggers that you can parlay into your own executive blog.
- Provide thought leadership – Share industry-related updates and your expert opinion on those updates so that readers will relate, while also drawing inspiration. One of such famous CEO blogs providing thought leadership is Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of Virgin Group. He mainly shares entrepreneurial and business strategies with his observations and promotes Virgin as an industry leader. Don’t be afraid to reveal your human side as well.
- Showcase industry expertise – Share posts with potential resolutions and explanations of how to overcome the challenges people face in your industry. Share in-depth information and insights on the questions people ask frequently. Your readers will develop trust in your knowledge and your authenticity, driving them to seek out your input whenever they’re faced with a challenge. The executive blog of Dharmesh Shah, CTO of HubSpot exudes his passion about startups and entrepreneurship while sharing valuable insights and information for his readers.
- Become the face of your company – As humans we prefer to connect with people. As one of your company’s executive leaders, if you blog regularly, you give a face to the company while simultaneously developing trust with your readers. This trust can easily turn into new business when a reader requires something related to your product or service, they will remember you. Matt Mullenweg, the CEO of Automattic, has been blogging for fifteen years and is the company’s face for his readers. Apart from writing about WordPress, he also writes about technology, books, and other personal interests. His blogs display his vulnerability, making him human and relatable to his readers.
- Control your media image – To a large extent, through your blog, you can help control your image in the media. Blogs work as a medium of personal branding as well. You can showcase your true self on your blog and express your opinions on various subjects for people to understand you better. Such a blog is GatesNotes by Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft and Co-Chairman of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He gets to control public perception of his personal brand and his philanthropic foundation through his educational and thought-provoking blog posts.
- Social media presence/reach – Social media is a powerful medium to reach potential customers. Ensure that you promote your blog posts across various social media platforms frequented by your target audience. More people will get to read your blog this way. Similarly, your regular readers get to know your company’s social media presence through your blog. This creates an excellent opportunity for cross-promotion. Mark Zuckerberg, the Co-Founder and CEO of Facebook has his own page on the platform, which is similar to a blog. He shares pretty long posts on his page to share company announcements and initiatives. This page is diligently maintained as a part of his public image.
- Good, constructive PR – Leverage your blog as a platform to establish constructive public relations. Along with sharing your company’s updates, you can also guest post on other blogs. This gives you and your company increasing levels of positive exposure. Joshua Strebel, CEO of Pagely, blogs on new feature releases and industry news. He ensures that he updates his customers on every new product release or a feature release and upgrade. He also guest posts on other related blogs, earning him his fair share of good digital PR.
Every executive has a lot to learn from CEO bloggers. You will always find valuable insights within their blogs. Then, take your new found inspiration and start writing your own executive blog. Remember, become a SucceedSmart member today and start enjoying exclusive access to a library of fantastic content that helps leaders hone their executive brand and skillset.
Check out the additional resources below to help get started.
