Analyse your CEO

At Click 5.0, the Middle East's leading annual digital marketing event, the opening keynote was given by Yasser Al Kharobi from Saudi Arabia.  Yasser was a wise choice to open - he's a guru on social media in the MENA (Middle East &North Africa) region and has got the habit of pulling amazing statistics out that dispel your preconceptions.

This time he took on the big challenge people face, not just in MENA.  How do you persuade your CEO, who may be in the older age group and not a social media or even internet user, to invest in social media?

The best way to approach this, says Yasser, is to look carefully at your CEO's background to work out what is going to persuade him or her best.  In other words, analyse them!

Here's Yasser's CEO "types":

1.  Strong marketing background.  Welcomes new ideas. Charisma. Great leader.  You're on to a winner here.

2.  Financial background. May have previously been CFO.  Numbers driven.  Believes marketing is a support function and any new ideas must be driven by evidence of ROI.

3.  Background in logistics.  May have been COO or Head of IT.   Priority is financial and risk management.  Tough leader.  Wants IT department to lead digital activity.

4.  Company veteran.  Long server.  Came from lower ranks.  Can be quite insulated, especially to new ideas.   Historically driven and doesn't see need to change what is already working.

5.  Product driven.  Great products don't really need much marketing.  Relies on in house marketing and suspicious of external advice.

6.  CEO with no power to make decisions.  Nervous and constantly seeking and needing approval of board or Chairman.

What are some of the views CEOs hold about social media?  It's a fad.  I am too old for this.  I have no idea what you are talking about.  We don't need it, we have a website.  We are B2B and too boring for social media!    Its an issue for the IT department, not me.  The printed media has always worked for us, why change?  Our customers don't use social media (common view in luxury upscale brands), the traditional media is what is important, we don't socially relate to our customers offline, why do it online? We have nothing to say!

Yasser's prescription is to study what will be persuasive for your type of CEO.  But never over promise. Don't try to make your CEO LIKE social media or go "wow".  It's not going to happen.  Give your CEO solid data.  Give examples of what your competitors are doing successfully especially if it is making them money.  Above all, offer to start small and show them what you can do.

And you could also show them the Old Spice campaign or even the sneezing panda on You Tube (over one hundred MILLION views!)

(Posted from Dubai, United Arab Emirates)