We’ve been talking about the concept of the “social CEO” for years now. In fact, I remember Richard Branson being on Twitter in 2007!

But, the notion of the social CEO has really never taken off. Sure, there are a number of CEOs who are somewhat active on social media channels (Spencer Raskoff-Zillow, John Legere-T-Mobile and Gary Kelly-Southwest come to mind), but for the most part it’s been an uphill battle the whole way convincing CEOs this is worth their time and effort.

However, the tide may be turning.

I’ve noticed some stats and numbers recently that lead me to believe 2019 may be the start to more CEOs embracing social media.

Consider a recent BRANDFog survey that found 78% of people prefer to work for a company whose leadership is active on social media.

Or, what about the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer that found business is more trusted than government and that 64% of people believe CEOs should take the lead on change rather than waiting for government to impose it.

That same Edelman study also found that 56% have no respect for CEOs who remain silent on important issues. And, more than half (54%) believe it’s easier to get brands to address social problems than to get government to take action.

And finally, only 20% of CEOs have a social network account today.

What I see here are three big trends coming together, and one large opportunity.

First trend: Employees wanting to see more of their leaders online/on social media. This shouldn’t surprise anyone. When I worked in corporate communications years ago, “I want to hear more from the CEO” was always a chief complaint among employees. Today, I’m certain that refrain still rings true. Employees want to see and hear from their leaders, and social media channels give them another way to do it–and more importantly, they represent channels that aren’t named “email” or (the dreaded) “intranet.” Great example here: Jack Salzwedel of American Family Insurance. I’ve written about Jack’s involvement on social before (with the help of Tom Bucheimm, who we just featured on the Talking Points Podcast!). If you follow Jack on Twitter or LinkedIn, you’ll notice he interacts with employees all the time. They’re a key audience for his work on social.

Second trend: People are looking to brands and their leaders to enact change on key issues. Now, to be clear, I’m on this whole “CEOs need to take stands on key issues” bandwagon that agencies and experts have been expousing recently. I’m just not buying it. BUT, the scare tactics may just work. They may convince some CEOs that they need to start social media accounts. And from there, they will evolve. I think this series of stats may be one that gets them off the proverbial dime.

Final trend: Recruitment marketing pressures will continue to mount. It’s no secret many companies are having a hard time recruiting top talent. At the same time, “recruitment marketing” (specifically, social recruitment marketing” has become a thing). And, a big part of that recruitment marketing is getting key leaders out onto platforms like LinkedIn to be active so potential employees can see that when researching these companies. It plays to the first stat provided above. Think about your process when researching an employer. What are the first things you look up? Company web site. Glassdoor, maybe. Then, most likely, social channels. If you see the company CEO on LinkedIn talking about company news and issues, wouldn’t that catch your eye? Wouldn’t that make a favorable impression? Wouldn’t that change the way you think about that company–even just a bit? I think it would. And, I think it’s a key BUSINESS reason we’ll see more make the leap in 2019.

The opportunity is clear: With only 20% of CEOs on social media, there’s a lot of room for growth here. I see a lot of this happening on LinkedIn in 2019. It simply makes the most sense for most brands. Your employees (are usually) there. Your vendors are there. Your customers may be there. And, it’s relatively safe, unlike the toilet bowls that are Twitter and Facebook.

Time will tell, but this is one trend I’ll be following closely in 2019.

Four years ago, my friend Kevin Hunt (General Mills) and I had a crazy idea: Why don’t we start a podcast focused on social media and communications?

Actually, not so crazy, right? The market is full of podcasts covering these topics. BUT, there are very few (any?) based in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. And, there are very few (again, any?) hosted by someone on the big company side (Kevin at General Mills) and someone on the solo consultant side (me!).

Four years later, we just recorded our 100th episode! We’ve interviewed leaders from Walmart, Dell, Sleep Number and US Bank, among others, over the years. We’ve taken road trips to local universities and companies to interview communications professionals. And, most importantly, along the way, we’ve had a lot of fun doing it.

But, after four years of producing the show, we thought it was high time to act like a grown-up podcast. So, starting today, we’re offering sponsorship opportunities on the Talking Points Podcast. In fact, we already have our first sponsor (tune in to the January show for the big reveal!).

To be clear, we’re not expecting to make millions of dollars in sponsor income. Dax Shepherd we are not. But, as anyone who hosts a podcast will tell you, there are expenses. We’re just looking to cover those expenses and maybe make enough money to pay for the instances when we take the show on the road each year.

So, if you’re interested in sponsoring the show, send me a note at arik@arikhanson.com. We’re offering three sponsor levels–see below. All three offer you and your company an opportunity to have at least one guest on the show, so it’s not all about “reads”!

Here’s to four more years of Talking Points Podcasts!

Sponsor Level: Silver

Cost: $500/year

Included in your sponsorship:

• One live show host read during each of our 12 monthly shows (at the top of the show).
• A link to your web site (or site of your choosing) in the show notes for each of our 12 monthly shows.
• Brand logo included on the Talking Points Podcast site
• One interview with an employee/person of your choice

Sponsor Level: Gold

Cost: $1,000/year

Included in your sponsorship

• One live show host read during all shows (monthly shows + interview episodes + Hot Topics).
• A link to your web site (or site of your choosing) in the show notes for all of our shows (monthly shows + interview episodes + Hot Topics).
• Brand logo included on the Talking Points Podcast site
• Opportunity to feature up to four employees/clients as interviewees on the Talking Points Podcast.

Sponsor Level: Platinum

Cost: $2,000/year

Included in your sponsorship

• Two live show host reads during all of our shows (monthly shows + interview episodes + Hot Topics) as the Title Sponsor of the Talking Points Podcast.
• A link to your web site (or site of your choosing) in the show notes for all of our shows (monthly shows + interview episodes + Hot Topics).
• Brand logo included on the Talking Points Podcast site
• Opportunity to feature up to eight employees/clients as interviewees on the Talking Points Podcast
• One monthly guest co-host opportunity for someone with your organization
• One-minute previously recorded segment by the sponsor offering thoughts on one of our Talking Points for the month

If you feel like you’ve read this post before, it’s because you have. Kinda.

This “coffee” post has become a bit of an annual tradition. And, truthfully, it’s more of a way to hold myself accountable than anything else.

And, before we go any further, I should hold myself accountable for my 2018 list. Here’s the list of folks from that list I DID have coffee with in the last 12 months (all new people to me):

• Kristin Zima, Optum
• Felicia Johnson, Minnesota Vikings
• Casey Hall, formerly of Thomson Reuters
• Nick Curtis, TCF
• Katie Heinze, Post Brands
• DJ Hamm, Securian
• Whitney Swanson, Optum
• Tara Olson Medina, Aveda

So, 8 of 14–not too bad! I missed the following folks in 2018 for coffee:

• Adam Kmiec, United Health Care
• Jen Alcott, Best Buy
• Sarah Hennen Carter, Nature’s Way
• Ellie Anderson, Grifin Archer
• Elise Bartlett, Life Time (however, looks like we’re getting coffee on the calendar in January!)
• Meghan McAndrews, Hearth & Home

As I look ahead to 2019, I’m hoping to meet up with the following (new to me) individuals:

Anna Squibb, Land O Lakes

Met her a couple times during her stint at Sleep Number, so not 100% “new. Time to reconnect!

 

Greg Bury, Medica

Feels like we met during my time at Fairview years ago. But, just can’t recall. Time to right that wrong!

 

Joel Leeman, Thomson Reuters

Casey Hall pointed me his way. And, I trust Casey Hall.

 

Maria Lettman, Fairview

Sue Serna pointed me her way. And I trust Sue Serna.

 

Dave Schneider, Red Wing Shoes

Not sure I’ve EVER had coffee with a CMO before. Hoping to change that with Dave in 2019 (bonus: he seems to be a big golf fan–looks like we’ve both been to at least one Masters!)

 

Marie Yarroll, Cargill

We met (briefly) at a recent happy hour outing. I’m kinda cheating because we already have plans to meet up in January.

 

Bethany Iverson, The Coven

I’ve heard her name for years, but saw her moderate a panel at MIMA Summit this past fall. Without question, the funniest (and maybe best) moderator I’ve seen. That alone is worth a coffee!

 

Monica Wiant, US Bank

I’ve enjoyed her articles on LinkedIn over the last year-plus and have always thought she seemed very interesting. You can just tell she puts a lot of thought into what she writes.

 

Whitney McChane, Dairy Queen

With the new leadership position at DQ, I’m sure she’s getting hit up for coffee by everyone. This one will be tough.

 

Chris Carpenter, Medtronic

Big brand experience with UHC, Carlson and General Mills. 95 U of M grad. Seems like we might have a few things in common.

 

Talia Wischmann, Fast Horse

Feels like I should know, Talia, as she works with many friends over at Fast Horse.

 

Madeline Riggs, Children’s Hospitals

I’ve always been a huge fan of Children’s and what they do. So, always looking to meet new people over there.

 

Brett Weinberg, Allianz

ALWAYS interested in meeting up with KU grads! Plus, he has a big B2B background which intrigues me.

 

Courtney Finn, MN Children’s Museum

Interesting job at the Children’s Museum. Also: I’m sure we have many common friends given her time at Weber Shandwick.

 

John Feld, Securian

Feel like I’ve “known” John for years as he’s been in the industry almost as long as I have. Feels like it’s time to meet up.

 

Jen Alcott, Best Buy

My one hold-over from last year. I’m determined!

I’ve never really liked the term “personal brand.”

Just something about it. Seems cheesy. Seems inauthentic. Seems contrived.

But nevertheless, there it is: personal brand. No matter what I think of the term itself, the CONCEPT of a personal brand is a very important one.

In fact, I might argue one’s “personal brand” has never been more important.

But, the question that’s been debated ad naseum over the last 8-10 years is this: How do you go about building and maintaining and effective “personal brand”?

People much smarter than me and more well-trained than me probably have better answers to this question. But, over the last 8-10 years I’ve learned a lot through the process of building my own “personal brand” (man, it sounds even worse when I’m talking about myself!). I’ve also learned a ton from watching what others are doing online in an attempt to build their personal brands. In fact, I’ve undoubtedly learned much more from watching others than what I’ve done myself.

What’s more, building and maintaining a “personal brand” (like how I always put it in virtual air quotes?) looks a whole lot different in 2019 than it did in 2009 when I first started to build mine (online, at least). Heck, it looks a lot different than it did just 3-4 years ago.

Today, I want to talk about six rules to building and maintaining YOUR “personal brand” in 2019.

Rule #1: You don’t have to be on all social media platforms

Might seem obvious, but I still see people trying to be in all the spots on the social web. That’s a waste of time. Building a personal brand online takes consistency. And, it’s just not realistic to be consistent on 4-5 different social platforms over time. It’s just not. Life happens. You get sick. You have kids. You lose a parent. Life will take your time. And that means your activity level on one or more of those channels will drop off. Instead, why not focus on 1-2 channels at most? Commit to participating in those spots weekly at minimum. Ten years ago, for me, this was Twitter. Then, as platforms and behaviors changed, that morphed to Facebook. Then, it morphed again to LinkedIn, which is where I spend the bulk of my “personal brand” time now. Sure, I still post on Facebook, Twitter and Insta, but they’re not the priority. Most of my time is spent on one channel.

Rule #2: If you’re going to be on one social media channel to participate on, pick LinkedIn

Why have I picked LinkedIn to focus on? Pretty easy, for me. Number one, it’s where my clients show up the most to talk about business issues. Most of my clients are PR or social media managers with midsized to Fortune 500 level companies. Those people aren’t on Twitter (largely). They’re on Facebook and Insta, but usually don’t talk about work there. But, they ARE on LinkedIn. They don’t spend a ton of time there, but they do show up from time to time. So, I show up, too. Also: it’s easier to cut through the “clutter” on LinkedIn than other social channels. I don’t have to “pay to play” (yet). My posts don’t see a ton of traction, but they see the RIGHT traction. The right people (MSP-based PR/social media managers) are seeing, liking and commenting on my posts. Finally, it’s also become a great networking place for me–much like Twitter was 7-8 years ago. I’m introducing myself to new contacts here (via private message). I’m commenting on other people’s posts, as a way to get to know them better. It’s a virtual networking at its best.

Rule #3: You don’t (necessarily) need a blog or podcast

I’ve made more than 1,100 posts to this blog over the last 10 years. I’ve created 100-plus episodes of the Talking Points Podcast with my friend Kevin Hunt over the last four years. And, I’ve sent out more than 200 Talking Points enewlsetters over the last five-plus years. Those tools have all helped me build my “personal brand.” They’ve been instrumental. But, here’s the thing: You don’t necessarily need them to be successful. Sure, a long-running blog or podcast would definitely help build your “personal brand.” But, so would weekly posts on LinkedIn (just ask Monica Wiant at US Bank). So would long-form posts on Instagam (just ask Nora Purmort).

Rule #4: Treat your network like your first-born child

Because, really, when it comes to building a “personal brand”, your network is everything. After all, you have no “brand” without a network of people who recognize it. So, make sure you take the time and effort necessary to build and nurture a vibrant network. This doesn’t mean networking like crazy to get a job and then doing absolutely nothing with it until you look for another one. Networking is a 24-7-365 full-contact sport. It requires careful consideration. It requires time (you need to make time for networking, just like anything else). If you’re starting scratch, begin by networking with the uber-connected–for a couple reasons. 1) They’ll usually say “yes” (even if it is a phone call–don’t turn that down!), and 2) They’ll usually also connect you to others. The uber-connected are typically going to be: 1) Recruiters, 2) Agency folks, and 3) Entrepreneurs/solo-types (sorry, corporate folks, you’re typically not the most well networked–with obvious exceptions like Kevin Hunt, Jamie Plesser and Natalie Bushaw). Start with those folks and build from there. Don’t take weeks off. And, use networking opportunities to practice your “stump speech”–your 1-2 minute explanation about who you are, what you do, and what you want. Which leads me to…

Rule #5: Create and refine your “stump speech”

Your stump speech is probably one of the single most important components to your personal brand. It should include the 1-2 things you want people to remember about you. It should be short, to-the-point and free of industry jargon (please, no I’m a strategic communicator with 20 years experience of creating long-lasting relationships for brands–I should know, I used to do this!). Get in the weeds. Quick. Talk about specific roles and work you’ve done. And, be specific about who you are–you’re not a strategic communicator, that’s too broad. You’re a communicator with a focus on social employee advocacy programs. And, last but not least, be as specific as you can with your ask, or what you want. It’s the single biggest thing I struggle with when I meet people for coffee. Tell me how I can help you! For example, don’t say: “I’m looking for a job in PR–do you have anyone I should talk to?” Um, yeah, about 500 people. Make it easy for people. Instead, say: “I’m looking for a job in PR at a med tech company in Minneapolis/St. Paul. I have specific experience in social media marketing. Who should I talk to?” See, that makes it so much easier for me to help. I would say: “Great–that’s easy! Talk to Amanda Gebhard at Boston Scientific–she’s fantastic and will be a great connection.” Work on your stump speech. Practice it at new coffee meetups. Ask for feedback. And refine the hell out of it.

Rule #6: Don’t forget to consider your visual brand

Keep in mind, I’m not talking about developing an entire visual brand architecture–that’s reserved for solo consultants for the most part. The average PR/social professional doesn’t have to worry about that. What I am talking about is your visual brand. How do you show up, when you show up? What do your social avatars look like? What about your LinkedIn profile? What about the kinds of pics you post on Instagram? All of this plays in. And, it probably makes a bigger difference than you think. One story to illustrate that point: I have a friend, Natalie Bushaw, who somewhere along the way, decided to have a yellow door on her house. She started posting pics of this yellow door on Facebook and Instagram. She started talking about it more. She even started referring to her home as “Yellow Door World.” The yellow door started to become a part of her “personal brand.” Another example: I started to adopt the uniform mindset a number of years ago. I don’t love to shop, and I have a hard time dressing myself. But, I need to look professional, put together and fairly “hip” as a consultant. So, I started to use the jacket/jeans/tennis shoes uniform. It’s my go-to outfit. I wear it 80% of most workweeks. It’s become a part of my visual brand. So, what’s your “yellow door” or jacket/jeans/tennis shoes?  And, how can it help facilitate your visual brand?

Over the course of any year, I have coffee with a lot of people. I do it for a lot of reasons. 1) To get out of the house! Being a solo can get lonely! 2) To cultivate new business connections, 3) To meet new people to feature on this blog, or on the Talking Points Podcast, 4) To identify new people to join one of the two mastermind groups I manage.

As I look back at 2018, I had 50-plus coffee meetings with all sorts of people. I met new people. Checked in with long-time friends. And, asked for introductions from people I already knew. Admittedly, there are a number of people I am probably forgetting on the list below–if that’s the case, I apologize in advance (I’m going by my calendar, and I know I had a number of coffees that didn’t make it on that calendar).

I’m thankful for each and every one of these coffee meet-ups–I truly took something away from every one of them. And now I’m looking forward to meeting a bunch of new people in 2019! Here’s the list of folks I met up with for coffee this past year. If you’re on this list–thanks again! If not, maybe we’ll be drinking a cup of coffee together in 2019!

Wendy Jacobson, Wendy the Pooh Communications

Jessica Rogers, Polaris (thanks to Holly Jo Spaeth for making the connection!)

Katie Bratland, Katie Bratland Communications (thanks to Ellen Van Der Linden for introducing us!)

Aaron Zaslofsky, Wheelhouse Communications

Cameron Potts, Deluxe (featured on the Talking Points Podcast in November)

Elizabeth Cooper, Second Harvest Heartland

Mark Hamel, Honeywell

Sue Serna, Cargill

Katy Epler, Richfield Tourism Promotion Board

Tara Olson Medina, Aveda (thanks for the thank you card and the wonderful Aveda products!)

Lindsay Stewart, Patterson Dental

Caitlin Rick, Explore MN

Sara Mulder, Blue Cross Blue Shield (featured on the Talking Points blog as part of my PR Rock Star series in November) 

Bruce Moorehouse, University of St. Thomas (thanks for the introduction, Aaron Zaslofsky)

Greg Zimprich, Medtronic

Felicia Johnson, MN Vikings (featured on the Talking Points Podcast in September)

Devin Harrington, student

Jay Olstad, United Health Group

Lynn Melling, Karwoski Courage (thanks for the introduction, Kim Insley!)

Nora Hayes, University of Minnesota

Chris Matt, imagination

Matt Woestehoff, MIMA president

Jennifer Krippner, Institute for Healthcare Excellence

Kate Metzger, Ameriprise

Kendra Klemme, United Health Group

Dave Folkens, Risdall

Jillian Froehlich, KNOCK

Brian Bellmont, Bellmont Partners (thanks for all the great advice you gave me this year!)

Susan Beatty, US Bank

David Feider, Wolters Kluwer

Kim Insley, Meet Minneapolis

Scott Broberg, Fast Horse

Meredith Weir, Abbott (thanks for the introduction, Susan Eich!)

Bryan Vincent, United Health Group

Pat Schaber, Intertech

Carrie Wyman, Brandpoint

Erica Webb-Belzer, Verde Technologies (thanks for the introduction, Christina Milanowski!)

Tammy Nysteun, Cargill

Bianca Jones, Best Buy (thanks for the introduction, Kirsten Wenker! Also featured on the Talking Points blog)

Chelcy Walker, General Mills

Krysta Larson, DTN

Kristin Sullivan

Jennifer Hannon, Patterson Companies

Julie Hurbanis, Macalester College

Betsy Andersen, University of Minnesota

Jen Bowring

Martha McCarthy, The Social Lights

Kimberlee Sinclair, HB Fuller

Katie Miller, Katie Rae Digital

Ianthe Zabel, 202 Strategy

Mike Walsh, Mike Walsh Communications

Lida Poletz, Genoa Healthcare

George Fiddler, OLSON

Ryan May

Cydney Strommen, Aveda

Aaron Pearson, Weber Shandwick

Sean Ryan, ie Network

Karla Hult, KARE-11

Mark Butler, Wayin

Matt Kucharski, Padilla

Alyssa Greve, Cambria (featured on the Talking Points blog back in April)

Brian Lucas, True Voice Communications

Julie Goetz, Goetz Results Communications

Jen Joly, Magid

Kendall Bird, Collegis (featured on the Talking Points blog as part of the PR Rock Star series in April)

Jon Ruzek, University of Minnesota

Theo Schweitz, BBDO

Traci Elder, Little & Co.

Jim Cuene, Fahren

Emily Negrin, G&S Business Communications (featured on the Talking Points blog as part of the PR Rock Star series in May)

Eric Lehnen, Redpath Consulting Group

Nick Lipetzky, AmpliFi Capital Corp.

Nicole Klang, Best Buy

Ava Bielke, Life Time

Melissa Neill, Be The Match

Gabby Griffin, US Bank

Kristin Zima, Optum (one of the 14 people I said I wanted to have coffee with in 2018!)

Whitney Swanson, Optum

Andrew Miller, OLSON

Heidi McGuire, Ingersoll Rand (featured on the Talking Points blog as part of the PR Rock Star series in February)

Joel Swanson, United Health Group

Chanel Schmidt, Sleep Number

Katie Heinze, Post Brands

Katie Thomas

Casey Hall, Lumberjack Social

DJ Hamm, Securian

Ryan Roddy, HealthPartners