Those people act as ambassadors for the
brand, building a strong org reputation — and that brings in
customers.
In order to understand where this power cycle starts, I’ve invited
Zoe Bermant, the CEO
at
ZoecialMedia, creator of the
Caroself ™, and an expert in organic social media for B2B.
While many believe that the brand needs to be the focus of an
organization's social media, Zoe explains that the power in
organizational thought leadership comes from the people who work
for the company. Thought leadership is about creating a human
aspect within a business relationship; moving interactions beyond
data and white papers, and sharing meaningful interactions. By
elevating your people, you create passionate ambassadors for your
brand, and create an online presence that is credible, trustworthy,
and relatable - and that brings in more customers!
Learn why Zoe recommends starting this cycle at the executive
level, and how doing so can create a culture of engagement both
internally and externally. When executives interact with employees
(and customers) online in a direct and meaningful manner, it helps
build genuine relationships. This bolsters new sales, employee
retention, and even talent recruitment.
Great ideas can spark from anywhere, even a simple typo. Zoe shares
how she mistyped "caroself" in a message to a coworker (instead of
"carousel") and came up with a brilliant new idea. Using the pdf
carousel function of LinkedIn, Zoe made a document that humanized
her work experience, letting people know where she grew up, went to
school, and even her likes and dislikes - and she called it the
Caroself™. She then tagged others, and challenged them to do
the same. Before long the idea had spread to thousands of
users who saw the benefit of giving the world a deeper look into
their personalities, and move their career prospects forward by
going beyond the professional persona.
We wrap up our conversation discussing women in thought leadership.
Zoe works with hundreds of executives, and has seen a trend of
women being overly timid about sharing their insights. Many
incredibly insightful female leaders don't promote themselves
through thought leadership - and they should! The chat explores why
that trend continues, and gives suggestions around how to encourage
others to take control of their power and seize the opportunities
thought leadership presents. The world needs more great ideas!
Three Key Takeaways:
* The cycle of "invest in your people - let them be ambassadors for
your brand - build your brand reputation - engage more new
customers" is powerful, and it's one that more organizations should
use.
* You can't rely on a random algorithm to get the word out.
You have to actively seek out and build relationships, sharing
things about yourself (or your org) and creating a human connection
in order to succeed.
* When cultivating your social media profile, it's beneficial
to ensure that personal stories still relate to your expertise or
experience in a professional sense. Don't forget to show your
strengths!