LinkedIn posts from CEOs have risen 23 per cent over the past year. In 2024, we know that organisations that empower their leaders and employees to produce authentic thought leadership and content succeed at many levels. We know that Gen Z are demanding authenticity not just from brands, but from their jobs, employers and prospective career opportunities. This doesn’t just work for the individual however, but as an approach for companies to manage internally, and as a future focus that needs nurture and process.
And it’s not just a Gen Z ‘thing’ – C-suite video has become one of the hottest trends in corporate communications. First-time creators wanting to get their own messages out to the masses can look to Blackstone Inc. President and Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Gray. Gray brings his ‘Dad Energy’ to his content and is among a growing number of top executives running firms from Shopify Inc. to Spotify Technology SA are now experimenting with posting such videos to engage employees and customers about what’s happening with the business.
Beyond the idea of ‘personal branding’ – objective success relies on a combination of the personal brand voice, the corporate brand voice and the employer brand voice – something that many organisations are just starting to appreciate.
Leveraging the strength and advantage of these combined voices can significantly influence the positioning and enhancement of a positive corporate brand, and should be the first choice for communications and creative leaders to share – who is behind the work after all?
Every organisation will have a different agenda for its workplace branding style, but the three form a synchronous relationship for success:
- Personal branding: differentiate individuals
- Employer branding: attract and retain best available talent
- Corporate branding: build and reinforce the value of a company in the minds of customers and other stakeholders.
As well as the obvious advantage of company visibility, in the current job market, candidates are eager to gain insight into the authentic narratives of individuals in the workplace. This extends beyond a mere interest in qualifications, experience, and skill set requirements, and encompasses a desire to understand the organisational culture, values, attitudes, and qualities of its employees. Internally, recruitment is increasingly going ‘beyond the resume’ – particularly in the communications space.
Why should creative companies listen?
Humanises the Company
Statistics reveal that leaders who post regularly cross platform are regarded as company brand ambassadors, ‘humanising’ organisations, giving them a personality that augments the corporate image, and making them an integral part of the company’s social presence.
Faster Engagement from Prospects
45 per cent of decision-makers use thought leadership content to vet organisations and individuals they may do business with. Your ‘social proof’ is everything in a search first economy.
Builds Stronger Stakeholder Relationships
82 per cent of people are more likely to trust a company whose leadership team engages with social media. By a margin of 9 to 1, financial readers trust a connected leader more than a leader who doesn’t use social media.
Attract the Best Talent
60 per cent of employees research an executive leader’s social media account before deciding to join the company. Employees are 500 per cent more likely to work for executive leaders who use social media to share their insights and a look into the companies they lead.
Dense financial or industry jargon falls flat on platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and X. Instead, content needs to meet viewers ‘where they are’ – whether they’re stakeholders, consumers, employees, or potential hires.
Moving beyond dry numbers and industry speak, you can create compelling narratives sharing real-time movements on the company’s progress. This in turn tells a story from the people at the top who make the tough calls.
It’s time your brand speaks human.
By Robyn Abou Chedid, Director of Brand & Culture at GRG.
