5 Reasons Why Leaders Need a Digital Presence

Today’s guest poster is Amy Cunningham – the other half of The Leader’s Digest. A PR Consultant with a penchant for social and content marketing, whilst I write the posts, Amy is a whizz at editing, optimisation and promotion. 

When I first met Suzi, she was a self-confessed techno-phobe.

Her business Facebook and Twitter pages were non-existent.

LinkedIn was like a weird ornamental Christmas gift. It was there, but she didn’t really understand it.

As I’m sure you’ll agree, she’s come a long way since then. Suzi now exhales tweets with every breath, pumps out hashtags quicker than a crossfit WOD and is chairperson of the Blogaholics Association. OK, slight exaggeration, but you get the idea.

Establishing a strong social voice can be hugely beneficial for leaders today.

Here are just 5 reasons why leaders need a digital presence:

1. Networking and collaboration. LinkedIn and Twitter are a great way to connect with influencers and stakeholders – and generate new business leads. Why? Because it’s accessible and easy (once you know how) to start a conversation, which can then be built upon. You don’t need to schedule time out of your day to attend an event, nor do you need to cut into family time to schmooze. It’s all at your fingertips.

2. Building relationships. Meeting someone in person, then following up by connecting in the digital sphere, is a completely natural progression in business nowadays. It reminds people of who you are, what you do and why you’re significant. It’s also extremely valuable in growing professional relationships.

3. Opportunity. Suzi has connected with award-winning authors and bloggers around the world, attracted new clients, engaged with existing ones and gained valuable media exposure by utilising the power of social media. Leaders need to have their fingers on the pulse. Through social media you can discover who’s talking about you, your organisation, products and services. These ‘pick ups’ can lead to wonderful opportunities – if you have your social ‘ears’ on.

4. Reputation. Creating interesting, valuable, relevant content is a highly effective way to showcase your expertise, become a problem solver, provide support and most importantly, build your reputation. When your reputation is strong, you have more influence, which is so essential for leaders.

5. Thought Leadership. By creating online ‘places’ where you can ‘hang out’ with other leaders, you can ask questions, tap into inside industry news/trends and establish thought leadership. This can lead to higher levels of creativity, inspiring new ideas and stimulating thinking.

Do you think leaders today need a social voice? I’d love to hear from you – please leave your response in the comments space provided below.

Amy is a PR Consultant and the owner of Cunningham Communications – a PR agency specialising in digital marketing and leadership communications. If you need help establishing your social voice, get in contact with Amy today.