social media

86: LinkedIn Tactics for CEOs to Grow Influence & Build a Personal Brand

In today’s episode, I share tactics for CEOs and founders to leverage LinkedIn as a personal and professional brand-building powerhouse. It’s no longer enough for executives to simply represent their company on LinkedIn—they must actively cultivate a personal brand, communicate thought leadership, and inspire a community around their vision. 

Whether it’s tackling pain points, sharing behind-the-scenes stories, or showcasing their unique perspective, I break down specific approaches that make LinkedIn a vital platform for senior leaders in B2B to enhance visibility, credibility, and engagement with multiple stakeholders.

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 - Introduction to the episode

  • 01:04 - Why CEOs and founders need to develop personal brands and become thought leaders on LinkedIn to humanize their companies, shape industry narratives, and build legacy

  • 02:04 - Qualities of effective leadership content on LinkedIn: boldness, vulnerability, inspiration, and storytelling

  • 02:58 - Content ideas that stand out, including sharing opinions on industry news, behind-the-scenes insights, and meaningful stories that highlight product and service launches

  • 04:01 - Discussing industry-relevant topics and sharing individual client stories to create relatable, granular content that connects with a broader audience

  • 06:03 - Importance of creating content that appeals to multiple stakeholders, from press and partnerships to potential speaking engagements and media opportunities

  • 07:06 - The visibility advantage: LinkedIn content as a driver for SEO and making executives more approachable to audiences

  • 07:29 - Announcing a new LinkedIn content service designed specifically for CEOs and founders to create engaging and varied content with minimal time commitment

Key Takeaways for Business Leaders:

Humanize Your Brand: Share personal stories that give audiences a behind-the-scenes look at your journey or your company’s recent initiatives. This approach not only adds credibility but also fosters a community of supporters who feel connected to your brand's mission and values.

Use LinkedIn to Educate and Inspire: Move beyond sharing facts and news; add your perspective on why developments matter to your audience. When leaders communicate why an insight or launch is meaningful, it encourages others to engage and consider the impact.

Leverage Specific Client Stories: Highlight real interactions, pain points, and transformations you’ve seen among clients. This granular storytelling resonates more deeply with audiences who can relate to those specific challenges, showing you’re attuned to their needs.

Think Beyond Prospects: LinkedIn content isn’t just for potential clients; it’s for press, partnerships, and opportunities that expand your reach and influence. Craft content that speaks to a diverse audience, showcasing your insights in ways that attract attention from influential stakeholders.

Listen on Apple Podcasts here.

Listen on Spotify here.

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify

Please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people like you who want to build a stronger business.

On Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars.

Connect with Christie Bilbrey

http://www.christiebilbrey.com

hello@christiebilbrey.com  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiebilbrey
Instagram: https://instagram.com/christiebilbrey 

Grow Your Business as a Podcast Guest: https://bit.ly/pod-guesting

Create Your Buyer Persona: https://bit.ly/3H4Q2Hw 

79: Maximize Your Personal Brand on Social Media with Ashley Mason

In today’s episode, my guest is Ashley Mason, the founder of Dash of Social, a content marketing agency. We explore how social media can transform your brand, where business leaders should begin with personal branding, the role of humanized content, what no longer works, and areas to pay attention. 

Ashley shares actionable advice on content pillars, avoiding social media burnout, and which platforms can help business leaders in B2B establish thought leadership and increase brand visibility.


Timestamps:

  • 00:00 - Introduction to the episode and Ashley Mason’s background

  • 02:33 - Ashley’s journey into content marketing and social media

  • 04:12 - Where business leaders should begin with personal branding: Focus on content pillars and goals

  • 05:45 - How to pick the right social platforms based on audience demographics

  • 06:31 - Tips for maintaining consistency on social media to avoid burnout

  • 08:09 - Importance of mixing personal and professional content to build trust

  • 10:21 - Avoiding burnout: Batch content creation and focus on inspired content

  • 12:50 - Quick tips for upleveling your LinkedIn presence

  • 14:14 - Optimizing LinkedIn profiles: Headline, bio, and career history

  • 17:14 - Metrics that matter: Why likes are a vanity metric

  • 19:12 - The importance of “lurkers” and long-term social media impact

  • 20:45 - Avoiding outdated strategies: Creative ways to keep engagement high on LinkedIn

  • 22:11 - Hashtags on LinkedIn and other platforms: Do they still matter

  • 24:45 - B2B on TikTok: How to make it work for business leaders

  • 28:23 - Building a content bank for TikTok and creating searchable content

  • 29:52 - Twitter (X) for personal branding: Industry-specific use cases


Key Takeaways:

Start with Clear Content Pillars: Before diving into social media, identify your content pillars—what you want to be known for. This helps focus your strategy and ensures your message aligns with your goals and target audience.

Consistency Over Frequency: Posting consistently, even just once a week, is more effective than trying to flood your audience with content. The goal is to establish a rhythm that your followers can depend on, which keeps you top of mind without burning out.

Humanize Your Brand: Personal content that shows the human side of your leadership is key to building trust. Sharing achievements, challenges, and personal insights makes your audience relate to you and, in turn, more likely to engage with your brand.

Metrics Beyond Likes: Focus on metrics that show deeper engagement, like comments, shares, and direct website traffic. These are more meaningful indicators of whether your content is resonating with your audience than likes alone.

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify

“I love Christie and The Business That Story Built podcast!” Does that sound like you? Please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people like you who want to build a stronger business. On Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars.

How to reach Ashley Mason

www.dashofsocial.com

www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyjeanmason

www.twitter.com/ashjeanmason

www.instagram.com/dashofsocial

How to reach Christie Bilbrey

www.christiebilbrey.com

hello@christiebilbrey.com  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiebilbrey/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/christiebilbrey 

Grow Your Business as a Podcast Guest: https://bit.ly/pod-guesting

71: A Lawyer’s Secret Weapon to Grow Reputation & Business Development with Angela de Cespedes

PR Series

In this episode I interview Angela de Cespedes, a litigation partner in Saul Ewing’s Miami office. She specializes in commercial litigation in sports & entertainment, eSports, and video gaming. We discuss the importance of taking your business development online and engaging with potential prospects, colleagues, and others to maximize your time while building your reputation and network.

A few takeaways … 

Identify business development activities that can draw your audience to you.

Prioritize your efforts to show up consistently online in a way that will raise your credibility for prospects, media, and others who are looking for someone who does what you do.

Take advantage of the headline LinkedIn gives you. Don’t fill it with something generic that doesn’t differentiate you. Think of the keywords you want associated with your brand. These are searchable and can help you show up for those in Google as well as on LinkedIn.

People will Google you and look at your LinkedIn profile before they ever go to your firm’s website bio. Make a great first impression by creating personalized professional profiles on social media.

This episode at glance … 

>>  (7:45-9:15) The importance of prioritizing PR in your legal career 

>> (9:30-11:20) Identify an approach that uses your strengths to grow your reputation & business development network 

>> (11:30-15:00) Why proper use of LinkedIn needs to be a part of your reputation building & business development strategy

>> (15:00-19:00) Mindset and time management choices to stay consistent with reputation & visibility-raising activities

>> (19:00-24:10) Define & protect your personal brand reputation & image

>> (24:15-30:25) Get creative to stand out with visibility efforts 

>> (30:30-34:15) PR trends lawyers should pay attention to 

>> (34:20-41:05) Best tips to maximize LinkedIn

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

“I love Christie and The Business That Story Built podcast!” Does that sound like you? Please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people like you who want to build a stronger business. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast! Every week I release an episode that helps strengthen the stories we tell ourselves and the stories we tell others. Follow now!

Ways to reach Angela de Cespedes & Christie Bilbrey

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-de-cespedes/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lawyerswithgame6662/videos 

Saul Ewing: www.saul.com 

www.christiebilbrey.com

hello@christiebilbrey.com  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiebilbrey/ 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/christiebilbrey 

Download my free guide: Create Your Buyer Persona

Download my free guide: 10 Tips to Grow Your Business as a Podcast Guest

70: Maximizing Social Media with Sarah Bugeja

PR Series

In this episode I interview Sarah Bugeja, the VP of Marketing at Later, the social media management software company. We discuss unique challenges that B2B business owners have with social media as well as how to more effectively take advantage of all that social media has to offer your business.

A few takeaways … 

Many B2B companies don’t take advantage of differentiating their business from others in their space with their creative content on social media, so many competitors begin to look and sound the same. 

A recipe for successful content on LinkedIn and other platforms is making sure that it is entertaining and interesting.

Sharing the stories of your wins and losses - and doing it in a way that uses layman’s terms, so that others outside of your industry can follow along. Your vulnerability will draw your audience to your willingness to be authentic and show that you don’t only share a highly-curated feed, making them more inclined to trust you and follow you for authentic tips and help. 

When repurposing content, think about where else you will want it to live before you create it. 

Look for opportunities for partnerships and collaborations to get in front of new audiences you want to target.

This episode at glance … 

>>  (6:15-11:50) Missed opportunities for B2B companies on social media

>> (11:55-15:05) Which types of content are most effective for B2B companies to engage audiences on LinkedIn

>> (15:05-17:30) Best ways to provide content that humanizes your brand

>> (19:45-24:30) How to approach paid ads with social media

>> (24:33-26:00) Taking advantage of the best times to post on each platform 

>> (26:05-26:30) Does scheduling posts affect your views? 

>> (26:20-28:25) Tips for repurposing content on other channels

>> (28:30-29:45) Metrics you should and shouldn’t focus on

>> (30:00-35:00) How to be seen by more accounts when a platform isn’t showing your content to much of your audience

>> (35:05-36:50) DM strategies to be effective and not spammy with cold outreach 

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

“I love Christie and The Business That Story Built podcast!” Does that sound like you? Please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people like you who want to build a stronger business. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast! Every week I release an episode that helps strengthen the stories we tell ourselves and the stories we tell others. Follow now!

Ways to reach Sarah Bugeja & Christie Bilbrey

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahbugeja/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mavrck/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latermedia 

www.christiebilbrey.com

hello@christiebilbrey.com  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiebilbrey/ 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/christiebilbrey 

Download my free guide: Create Your Buyer Persona

Download my free guide: 10 Tips to Grow Your Business as a Podcast Guest

42: Instagram Marketing for Women Over 40 with Amy Studer

Thought Leadership Series

In today’s episode, I talk with Amy Studer, a social media manager and Instagram trainer for women over 40. Amy started her social media business at 50 years old and inspires and equips other women over 40 to stand out and grow their businesses with social media. 

Today’s episode discusses how to shift mindsets that are holding you back from showing up consistently and confidently on Instagram, ideas for easy and effective content, and tips to simplify the content planning, creation, and scheduling process from start to finish.

Some top tips … 

Just start. To shut out the negative thoughts paralyzing you from showing up on Instagram the way your audience needs to begin developing relationships, you need to give yourself grace and get started. Done is definitely better than perfect and will help you show up as relatable to your audience.

If reels feel too daunting, start with stories. One idea is to share your to-do list every few days. This easy story shows your audience the various ways you are working, growing, and living your expertise every day. This demonstrates that you are someone to follow to learn more about your niche.

Stop trying to be an early adopter of every new feature Instagram rolls out. Instead, focus on getting comfortable showing up and sharing pieces of who you are and what you do.

This episode at glance … 

>> (7:30-11:40) The biggest roadblocks that hold back women over 40 from going all in with Instagram marketing 

>> (11:45-16:25) How to come up with more content ideas in your everyday life

>> (16:30-19:15) How to show up on Instagram as a thought leader

>> (19:20-21:25) Bio and profile photo must-haves

>> (21:30-23:45) Advice on handling Instagram’s constant changes 

>> (23:50-24:55) Do we need to go all in with reels

>> (25:00-26:55) How often should you view your competitors’ Instagram

>> (27:00-29:25) Where should we go to find inspiration for our content 

>> (29:30-32:25) Quick tips to incorporate more of your brand in your photos 

>> (32:30-33:40) Apps and tips to simplify the process

>> (33:45-35:00) An advantage to showing up on Instagram when you’re over 40

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

“I love Christie and The Business That Story Built podcast!” Does that sound like you? Please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people like you who want to build a stronger business. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast! Every week I release an episode that helps strengthen the stories we tell ourselves and the stories we tell others. Follow now!

Links to reach Amy Studer & Christie Bilbrey

www.amystuder.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boiseboutiquesocial/ 

www.christiebilbrey.com

hello@christiebilbrey.com  

Download my free guide: 10 Tips to Grow Your Business as a Podcast Guest

Instagram: https://instagram.com/christiebilbrey 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiebilbrey/

37: Grow Your Business on LinkedIn with Dr. Melissa Henault

Thought Leadership Series

In today’s episode we hear from LinkedIn expert Dr. Melissa Henault. Melissa teaches entrepreneurs and small business owners how to leverage LinkedIn to attract ideal clients and business partners. She leads the Burn Out to All Out mastermind as well as the LinkedIn Method Academy. 

Some top tips …

When it comes to LinkedIn, think of it as your own personal digital storefront. You don’t want to be a business owner or thought leader showing up as an employee. You only have 2 to 3 seconds to catch someone’s attention on LinkedIn which is why branding is so important.

When it comes to reaching out to make new connections on LinkedIn, go the extra mile and write a personal message. When receiving requests to connect, ask what piqued their curiosity about your profile to give you an opening to share what’s currently going on in your business. 

Melissa lists several ways to repurpose content you already have into engaging content to grow your results on LinkedIn, so make sure to take notes.

To avoid burnout, take off the mask and show up as your authentic self. It will be more life- giving for you and refreshing for the right audience who wants to connect with you. 

Tune into today’s episode for more details about growing your thought leadership on LinkedIn. 

This episode at glance … 

>> How to grow your thought leadership on LinkedIn. How your profile and bio should look to catch people’s attention and why the way you brand it matters. 

>> How should the content shared on a personal page differ from the content shared on a company page? 

>> Consistency is key when it comes to any social media platform.

>> Best practices when it comes to repurposing content. 

>> Outreach ideas to use when searching for connections on LinkedIn. 

>> Extra tips on making LinkedIn a positive experience and pursuing it in a way that it doesn’t drain you. 


Links in the episode for Dr. Melissa Henault and Christie Bilbrey

Dr. Melissa Henault
https://www.livethefreelife.co

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissa_henault/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-melissa-henault-7074ab25/


Christie Bilbrey

www.christiebilbrey.com

hello@christiebilbrey.com  

Download my free guide: 10 Tips to Grow Your Business as a Podcast Guest

Instagram: https://instagram.com/christiebilbrey 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiebilbrey/