Should Your CEO Be Blogging (More)?

The short answer to the question posed in the headline is, yes, a thousand times yes! The idea of a CEO blogging is appealing for many reasons, and we’ll get into those below. But let’s talk first about the challenges. First, your CEO will need an authentic voice to best connect to your audience, and some may not have established that yet. Second, they need time; even if they are using a ghostwriter, that writer needs to be able to adopt both the tone and the wisdom the CEO has to offer. And third, they need to be able to take criticism—not only will readers be able to comment on each post, but they’ll also hold you to your word when topics are brought up in a blog.

However, NONE of these reasons is a good one not to blog. The value having your CEO’s voice consistently in the market pretty much overcomes any obstacle. So, let’s look at the reasons why your CEO should be blogging.

1. Thought Leadership. This is a big one—you can’t be a Thought Leader without putting your opinions and beliefs out into the market. Some Thought Leaders come by this naturally, but others with a desire to share their opinions widely can be self-made. See our Infographic for what makes up the anatomy of a Thought Leader.
2. The public face of the company. The CEO is generally the public face of the company and should consistently be in the public’s eye. Another way to do this other than visually is via a blog—it’s a great way to share information to a large group of stakeholders all at once and isn’t reliant on a CEO’s physical presence to communicate effectively.
3. It’s a great resource for journalists. Reporters and editors will utilize a CEO’s blog for quotes and information when the CEO herself isn’t available to speak or they are on a tight deadline. Having ready-made quotes available in the form of a blog increases your company’s chances of being included in industry articles.
4. Reinforcement of the problems you’re solving. Just like every good press release or case study reiterates the benefits of a company’s products and solutions, so too should a good CEO blog. There’s no better place to tell a story, provide examples, and talk about challenges and benefits than a blog post. Many companies actually accompany a press release with a blog post so that they can disseminate information that maybe doesn’t fit into press release form, such as longer customer examples. Being able to have two pieces of content that both march to the same message is a bonus for the company and for its audience.
5. SEO. While you don’t need the CEO blog to work on search engine optimization, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have your CEO’s name (vs. a company subject matter expert) linked to some stellar content.

If your CEO is passionate about a topic that’s related or semi-related to your company, consider having them write—or write more—about it. The results will be worth the investment!