How C-suite can use LinkedIn to their advantage?

To be a C-suite & lead from the front, you should have excellent networking, communicating & strategic maneuvering skills. As a C-suite, you are responsible for planning, motivating & empowering people besides taking strategic decisions & driving business growth. Role of C-suite is something which cannot be taken up in isolation & requires a blend of responsibility with strategy & executive decision making.

Leveraging LinkedIn profile goes a long way in providing host of benefits such as influencer, boosting credibility, enhancing personal & professional brand & opening yourself to opportunities that can help you create success for business & yourself.

Some key statistics about LinkedIn:

• 660+ million members worldwide
• 90 million senior-level influencers
• 63 million decision makers
• 20 million jobs from 30 million companies
• 17 million opinion leaders
• 10 million C-level executives – like you

( Source: LinkedIn)

In today’s disruptive world, C-suites need to keep themselves updated with the latest trend. Innovation, digital & strategy are buzz words. There is no better way to network, build & share new perspectives than LinkedIn.

It’s where you build  influence and maximise significant opportunities for business because this is where everyone else hangs out, including your competition.

How can you drive maximum benefits out of LinkedIn

1. Build that perfect profile: Having a great profile goes a long way to build trust, fortify your online presence & drive professionals to engage with you. With a powerful LinkedIn profile, you will not only reach out to your company’s customers but also leverage engagement with employees, recruits & peers. You need to adopt a clever & digitally powered strategy to improve your engagement & reach. Start adding video clips, presentations, powerful & relevant keywords to optimise your profile & increase your visibility & helping you get viewed by relevant influencer, decision makers & professionals. It is not only about writing an attractive summary but also including a professional photograph & customise your background.
2. Build new connections: Focus on forging new connections with senior executives to share their expertise, insights & be open for opportunities. Be choosy in accepting LinkedIn connection requests without dismissing potential relevant connections. Target growing your networks(an average C-suite has 930 connections) by subscribing to new groups, sharing & commenting on relevant content.
3. Promote yourself as industry/subject matter expert: Sharing ideas, insights, opinion/viewpoint  & collaborating with others with portray you as expert in a particular area. It is important for leadership to take active part in the conversations showcasing that they are in sync with what consumers are saying & are inclined to add value into the conversation.
4. Media attention: Journalists look out for industry experts/influencers on LinkedIn for their opinion & views which certainly helps in boosting your organisation’s as well as your personal credibility. They may connect with you for your comment to contribute to a research or report that will position you & your organisation as an influencer
5. Share information & expand knowledge base of others: LinkedIn is a powerful tool to enable you to share your knowledge & also learn from others in similar or higher roles that will result in enhanced skills.  When you write your own articles & provide valuable/relevant content for others to share, it boosts your engagement.

As the founder and executive resume coach  at Sushant Kumar Ventures, I offer customized executive resume and LinkedIn profile writing services for C-suites.. Sign up here for our services/free consult.