Not having a LinkedIn profile as a C-suite level executive could be damaging your professional development. When you’re not visible to potential employers, connections or people in your industry, it’s much harder to drive your career forward – and you won’t know what job opportunities you’re missing out on.
Leveraging LinkedIn as a C-suite is well worth it.
To thrive at this level and drive professional growth, you must be a strong communicator, collaborator and strategic thinker, according to Harvard Business Review.
Maximising LinkedIn at C-suite
From shop floor to top floor, we understand the challenges you face. As a C-suite leader, you’re responsible for planning, empowering and motivating employees, as well as informing the board and making top level decisions.
It’s a role that fuses responsibility with strategy, and by definition it isn’t something you can carry out in isolation.
So why not maximise LinkedIn, the world’s largest and most effective business platform?
4 benefits of using LinkedIn at C-Level
Establishing and nurturing your profile on LinkedIn brings many benefits – and there are equally many reasons why you shouldn’t ignore it. Beyond building influence and boosting credibility, LinkedIn allows C-suite level executives to hone strategic manoeuvring skills by keeping you in-the-know on latest trends, buzzwords and innovation.
With over 1 billion members in 200 countries and 10 million C-suite executives just like you, LinkedIn is not only where you’ll find business and networking opportunities, it’s also where you’ll find your top competition.
Some of the benefits LinkedIn brings to C-suites include:
- Expand overseas without the need for recruiters. LinkedIn makes it easy to find top level executives in any country
- LinkedIn Pulse allows you to stay informed on what people in your industry are reading so that you can keep on top of emerging trends
- Humanise yourself and your business by taking a personal approach to networking. This also keeps you at the forefront of everyone’s mind
- Build influence and authority within your industry through engagements and endorsements via LinkedIn recommendations
People’s approach to business is changing. Gone are the days of cold, business facades. CEOs, recruiters, and employees alike are looking for businesses they can connect with, relate to, and approach.
There’s no better platform to champion this on than LinkedIn.
5 Ways C-level executives can use LinkedIn to drive professional growth
Follow this simple LinkedIn guide for executives and boost your professional profile.
1. Perfect your profile with this LinkedIn profile guide
It’s no longer enough to simply write an ‘about me’ paragraph and list all of your accomplishments. Everyone does that.
If you want to really be noticed and connect with people in your niche, you need to make your LinkedIn profile stand out.
There are a few ways you can do this:
- Post and share informative, niche-specific videos
- Write interesting articles that inspire discussion
- Utilise relevant keywords effectively and naturally
- Fill in all 45 skill slots and pin the three most important
- Make use of all 100 characters in your job title – get specific
- Customise your background to something interesting and relevant – see how Bill Gates did it
Perhaps the most important optimisation hack for your perfect LinkedIn profile is getting your ‘About Summary’ right – especially the first 100 words, because this is the only thing people can see before unlocking your full profile.
To make the most of this valuable real estate, put your contact information at the top, and follow it with a list of key phrases pertaining to your industry and your unique value.
With a perfect LinkedIn profile, you’re more likely to boost your executive career by attracting like-minded executives, recruiters, and talent. It’s your chance to build trust and authority and set yourself apart as a big fish in a big pond.
Want to know what your profile could look like? Here’s an example of a good LinkedIn profile for executives (yes, it’s mine – I practise what I preach).
This is a great example of a good LinkedIn profile because you understand in the first paragraph what I do. The rest of my profile is laid out clearly, it’s easy to scan and there’s a lot of information in there without being verbose.
There are examples to prove my acumen and experience, there’s a personal touch and I include a call to action at the end for people to get in touch. Which leads us nicely on to…
2. Focus on forging LinkedIn connections
The average CEO has around 930 connections on LinkedIn, and there’s a reason for it. When you engage with fellow C-suite level executives, whether it’s to share expertise or discuss a hot industry topic, you’re showing the human element behind the organisation you represent.
In a world ruled by impressive acronyms like CEO, it’s crucial to retain a personal approach to your executive career. It shows a warmth and relatability that others feel drawn to, and it even develops stronger bonds with fellow executives and recruits.
While you should be selective about the connections you make on LinkedIn, it’s important not to be dismissive about potentially enriching connections and the opportunities they could bring or the people they know.
Other great ways you can grow your network on LinkedIn and further your professional development is by:
- Joining groups that reflect your industry
- Commenting on content and becoming part of discussions (this will be particularly useful in demonstrating your authority)
- Making use of LinkedIn’s messaging function – InMail has a 300% higher response rate than email
3. Elevate yourself as a leading industry expert
Sharing ideas, insights, and collaborating with others in your niche will position you as an effective thought leader and specialist in your field. Social media platforms are this generation’s version of a white paper, leading the way for instant engagement and showcasing your ‘finger on the pulse’ expertise.
What’s more, it’s increasingly important for C-suite level leaders to be seen chiming in on conversations, showing that they’re in tune with what consumers are saying, and are willing to respond and add value to conversations.
4. Attract media attention
Journalists prowl LinkedIn. It’s their natural go-to for finding experts on specific topics, and this can be a highly effective way to boost your organisation’s visibility and profile as well as your own credentials.
Journalists may come to you for comment on a particular topic, or to contribute to a report that in turn will position you, and the company you represent, as an influencer and authority figure. If you’re wondering what the next step could be in your executive career, this is well worth keeping in mind!
5. Learn to share, share to learn
LinkedIn is a great place to further your executive development. It offers potential for you to not only share your knowledge, but to learn from others in similar roles, leading to enhanced skills and wider insights.
We’re never done learning, which is why getting involved in discussions can be so crucial to professional growth. If you stagnate for too long, you’ll not only alienate yourself from your peers, you’ll also miss out on valuable conversations that could have given you an edge over competitors.
But it’s also beneficial to start the discussion. When you write your own articles and provide rich, valuable content that is easy to share, you naturally boost engagement and attract others to you.
It will bode well to remember that 91% of executives rate LinkedIn as their first choice for professionally relevant content.
Taking advantage of LinkedIn as a CEO
By understanding how to make the most of LinkedIn, C-suite executives can expand their influence, establish their authority, make powerful connections, stay ahead of the competition, and hone their professional development.
With just a few simple tweaks to the way you’re already using it, LinkedIn will help you bring your business into a new era of success.
Discover how one particular American CEO is building culture through strategic techniques and fully harnessing the power of LinkedIn.
Closer to home, take a look at how our experts can help you craft a robust and effective LinkedIn profile as well as boost your CV with tailored support for board level.
Get in touch or give our friendly team a call today on 020 7100 6656.