CEO Master Class: Using LinkedIn to Amplify Your Thought Leadership Strategy

Thought leadership is one of the most effective—and inexpensive—ways to show your expertise, build trust, and be seen as an authority. Yet there are two major problems:

1. Most life sciences CEOs aren’t spending time developing and publishing thought leadership content.
2. Most thought leadership content that’s out there offers little value–which may be deterring CEOs from creating their own because they get nothing out of most of what they read.

During the pandemic, thought leadership skyrocketed as companies pivoted to digital selling. Now, quantity is far outpacing quality.

In one study, 71% of decision-makers said less than half of the thought leadership they read contains valuable insights.

And yet, 54% of decision-makers and 48% in the C-suite spend over 1 hour a week reading it.

Decision makers and healthcare professionals are hungry for quality content from thought leaders—content that delivers valuable information, fresh insights, and deep expertise. Keep that top of mind as you work to build a loyal audience and attract potential customers by providing real value through your content.

Look No Further Than LinkedIn

By strategically using thought leadership, you can rise above the noise and amplify your reach and influence of the right audience.

One of the best places for life sciences CEOs to do that is on LinkedIn—a platform with nearly a billion professional members. Four out of five of them drive business decisions. LinkedIn makes it easier than ever to grow your influence with Creator Mode and other features that support thought leaders, such as enhanced analytics.

While it may not feel intuitive, leveraging LinkedIn to your advantage isn’t difficult. Sometimes starting really is the hardest part, but we promise it will become one of the most productive uses of your time. Just follow the steps outlined below and you’ll see immediate results.

10 Steps to Position Yourself as a Thought Leader on LinkedIn

1. Optimize your LinkedIn profile.
   
• Create a list of keywords that people might use to find you and the services you provide. (You can use tools such as Ubersuggest, Google Keyword Planner, and even LinkedIn to find keywords.) Add these keywords to your profile.
• Add your accomplishments. List any licenses, certifications, featured articles, etc.
• Build your Skills, Endorsements, and Recommendations sections to capture industry expertise.
• And we hope we don’t have to say this (but apparently we do), make sure you have an actual profile photo.
2. Engage and connect with other thought leaders in your industry and/or field. Thought leadership should fill a void. By connecting with other thought leaders on LinkedIn, you’ll know their focus and can carve out your own niche. Engage with other thought leaders by commenting on their posts, asking questions, and sharing their content to your feed (with your own insights). You may start getting noticed by their followers!
3. Create cross-promotional content with other thought leaders. Consider co-creating and cross-promoting content with other LinkedIn thought leaders. Doing so can expand your brand’s reach and drive more traffic and leads. And you can reach a totally new market without the cost of creating it yourself.
4. Stand up for the things you’re passionate about that align with your company’s strategic intent. Thought leaders don’t just have expertise in their niche. They also believe deeply in their ideas and are driven to share their knowledge. If you’re not passionate about your ideas, why would others get fired up enough to follow you?/li>
5. Curate a diversified feed using the 4-1-1 rule. This is a simple rule of thumb that divides the information you share into three types: 4 pieces of curated content shared from external sources, 1 piece of original content that is produced by you, and 1 piece of promotional content that is aimed at growing your business.
6. Post updates about your company, or re-share company posts. Especially when re-sharing posts, avoid regurgitating content. Instead, include insightful commentary. Why do you think the piece is a must-read? What questions can you ask your audience about the piece to drive engagement?
7. Add perspective and value to every post. Thought leadership is about service. With every piece of content you create, ask how it delivers value for your audience. Devika Das advises aspiring thought leaders to consider their audience’s pain points and how their experience can help them.
8. Consult with your internal teams to curate content that helps amplify your company’s messages. By soliciting input from experts throughout your organization, you can provide greater value to your audience. Accessing a bigger brain trust helps you address nuanced customer needs at every stage of the sales funnel.
9. Use hashtags to make it easier for other LinkedIn members to find and follow your content. When you turn on Creator Mode, you can add topics you post about the most as hashtags. These are usually related to your company, industry, and field.
10. Use the feature section (part of LinkedIn’s creator mode) to highlight articles, podcasts, and other linkable content to validate your expertise. The “Featured” section is one of the most important parts of your profile. It’s near the top of your profile and allows you to highlight your most important content.

Real-World Examples

Looking for some thought leadership inspiration from the life sciences space? Check out these real-world examples:

Anthony Fernando, CEO of Asensus Surgical, Reimagining Surgery

Thought Leadership Example: Telesurgery and Surgical Robotics—7 Predictions for 2022

A frequent poster, Anthony not only identifies challenges in his industry, he offers fresh solutions. Anthony’s expertise is evident, and so is his passion. Additionally, Anthony is taking advantage of the LinkedIn article feature by authoring posts that share his vision of how technology will redefine the future of surgery. This is an excellent platform to control the narrative and humanize your personal and company brand.

Joe Urban, CEO at Potrero Medical, Pioneering Predictive Health

Thought Leadership Example: The Mission of Potrero Medical

Joe does a great job with posting frequently, using hashtags, and leveraging shared content to build a community. Potrero Medical is on a mission to #ProtectTheKidney and they successfully use LinkedIn as an avenue to educate and motivate healthcare professionals to join this critical cause. He frequently posts real-world examples and helpful information geared to showcase how Portero’s innovative technology can dramatically improve patient care in new ways. 

At Grey Matter Marketing, we work with CEOs and executive leadership to position them as thought leaders across multiple mediums, including LinkedIn. Beyond providing workshops and guidelines, we can even develop content and manage your LinkedIn presence.

We want to see your thought leadership reputation flourish. To help, we’re happy to do a quick audit of your LinkedIn profile to identify any gaps or opportunities. Just contact us and we’ll give it a look!