CEOs have a lot to worry about, the least being the bottomline. Sometimes, surviving everyday troubles can take the life out of you. To make matters worse are nasty comments being made on you and your company both in the press and online. There has to be some way to not only emerge as a thought leader but also stem the misrepresentation. Importantly, it’s about creating a great working rapport with employees, investors, friends and potential recruits. And blogging is the way to go.
A CEO blog that carries illuminating, insightful and sometimes, entertaining information is more readable than something that is a mere press release. After all, nobody wants to worship anybody. They all want to know how to make the most of your blog post. And even if they don’t benefit monetarily, they should atleast be able to read a heartwarming, inspirational or entertaining story from the person heading the company. That’s the real ice breaker.
If you can call press releases as formal wear, CEO blogging is business casual. It’s a unique tool for CEOs to share their personal reflections, insights, news, musings and information, all dispensed in a direct and conversational style that invites discussion. It is a great platform where they can share their thoughts about the trends and issues they face, ask questions that genuinely bewilder them and, to varying degrees, talk about their personal life, hobbies and passions.
As an external recruiting tool, a CEO blog can be quite effective. After reading the blog, many like-minded companies and individuals might want to partner with the CEO.
Conventional wisdom suggests that you spend all of your time closing deals. But, the fact is that blogging will be the best idea and lead generator. The point isn’t to sign as many deals as possible; it’s to sign the right deals under the right terms. Developing a reputation as an industry leader will enable that.
Some examples of good CEO blogs include Bill Marriott (Executive Chairman, Marriott International), Richard Edelman (President & CEO, Edelman), Colin Byrne (CEO, Weber Shandwick EMEA, Mark Cuban (proprietor, Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theatres & Magnolia Pictures), Ross Mayfield (Chairman & co-founder, SocialText) and Matt Blumberg (proprietor, Return Path), among others.
Somebody once said that we’re defined by the stories we tell ourselves. Indeed, in a world where others’ perception of you is a function of a Google query, you need to own your online presence, and CEO blogging is the way to go.
Welcome to CEO blogs. Welcome to business casual.
P.S: I specialise in generating content for CEO blogs. You can reach me here: zahid@writewing.in