Nowadays, customers not only want to know what a company does, but especially who is behind it. The shift from ‘business-to-business’ to ‘human-to-human’ communication is a trend that is gaining strength. People prefer to buy from people rather than from companies, especially if they can identify with the values and vision of those people. You see more and more directors who communicate in a personal capacity. This is called executive profiling: strategically profiling the faces behind a company. In this article I discuss why a strong B2B PR approach is no longer possible without executive profiling.
Wat is executive profiling?
Executive profiling is about making the leaders within an organization visible. This means that as a CEO, founder or other manager you not only promote the business strategy, but also share personal stories, vision and insights. This can range from interviews and opinion pieces in the media to an active presence on social media, especially on platforms such as LinkedIn.
When leaders are given a face, a company becomes more human and accessible. This creates more trust, a stronger brand identity and more involvement from customers and stakeholders. In B2B it is often difficult to make emotional connections, but this is possible with executive profiling.
Pieter, Aukje and Jan-Hein
There are already several homegrown examples that successfully apply executive profiling.
Pieter from Coolblue
The best-known example from Dutch soil is Pieter Zwart, the ‘cheerful’ CEO of Coolblue. He positions Coolblue as a customer-oriented company and himself as an accessible leader through striking, humorous contributions on YouTube and LinkedIn.
In his videos he openly discusses both the company’s successes and challenges, which makes him human and approachable. This combination of transparency and authenticity creates a strong connection with both customers and employees. Pieter Zwart shows how a CEO can be a face and storyteller of the brand. But successes are also being achieved within B2B companies in terms of profiling the management.
Aukje van Kuijpers Installations
Take Aukje Kuypers, CEO of Kuijpers Installations and Businesswoman 2018, Bouwvrouw 2019 and one of the top 25 Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs 2021. Aukje is active on LinkedIn and in the media. She shares her vision on sustainability, innovation in technology and the value of good leadership. She uses her platform to not only promote her business, but also to discuss important topics such as sustainability and diversity. This makes her a strong and visible leader within the Dutch business world.
Jan-Hein from Strict
In addition, Jan-Hein Bastiaenen, founder and Managing Director of Strict, is an excellent example of a leader who effectively applies executive profiling within IT consultancy and digital transformation. He puts Strict on the map as a progressive player in digital transformation and actively shares his vision on digitalization and innovation on LinkedIn, in the media and at events.
His personal and authentic approach makes him accessible and reliable. In addition, he speaks openly about the company’s challenges and successes. In addition, he emphasizes the importance of a good balance between technology and the human factor within Strict, which makes the company attractive to both customers and potential employees. This strategy not only strengthens its own position, but also the visibility and success of Strict. Because we help Jan-Hein with this profiling, we know that this approach ensures more interaction, connections and findability.
Top votes
This increased findability is not only beneficial for reaching more customers, but also for being noticed by journalists. They increasingly use LinkedIn as a source to find relevant experts for interviews or opinion pieces. LinkedIn Top Voices, who regularly share valuable and current content, are often seen as authorities in their field. This makes them more attractive not only to customers, but also to the press. By consistently sharing your expertise and remaining visible, you increase the chance that journalists will approach you as a reliable source for their stories.
Employer image
Finally, in the current labor market, where well-qualified personnel are scarce, executive profiling can play a major role in attracting and retaining talent. Companies with visible and accessible leaders often have a more attractive employer image. Potential employees are more likely to be attracted to companies whose management communicates transparently, shares personal stories and conveys a clear vision.
A CEO who is visible and communicates authentically can therefore attract not only customers, but also talented employees. In a tight labor market, this can make the difference between a staff shortage or not. This once again emphasizes the value of executive profiling as a strategic instrument for companies that want to distinguish themselves and grow.
In a world where people increasingly value personal connections and transparency, executive profiling can no longer be missing from a good PR strategy. Make it easy for your customers by giving them the choice between a company that they have no connection with, or the company where they ‘know’ the director. This carefully constructed goodwill factor could make a big difference for your company.
Source: www.frankwatching.com
