Most B2B marketers have a budget for LinkedIn advertising and growing their Company Page, but how many have a budget for LinkedIn executive communications? In our experience very few.
This feels like a massive missed opportunity. Here’s why…
The first and most obvious reason is that, as you’d expect, LinkedIn users trust humans more than brands. According to Edelman and LinkedIn’s Thought Leadership Impact Report (2024): “73% of decision-makers find thought leadership more trustworthy than traditional marketing materials”.
LinkedIn’s COO, Dan Shapiro, backs this statistic up with hard logic: “It’s often easier to build trust with people than corporate brands, so executives, as an extension of the corporate brand, are using LinkedIn as a way to build connection and trust with the audiences that they care about”.
Unsurprisingly, companies are waking up to this opportunity.
According to the FT, in 2025 85% per cent of FTSE 100 chief executives have an active presence on LinkedIn, up from just 12 per cent in 2023. That’s a staggering 650% growth in LinkedIn usage just 2 years.
This investment into CEO social media isn’t founded on speculation.
There is strong evidence to suggest the C-suite offer excellent value for money on LinkedIn. A report from DSMN8 in 2023 found that, on average, CEOs receive the same number of LinkedIn reactions as Company Pages, but with 98% fewer followers. C-suite executives not only drive reach and engagement, they are respected for their insight and vision.
These two qualities are having an increasingly significant impact on sales and marketing.
In 2024, the Dentsu B2B Superpowers Index found that, in just 12 months, thought leadership had surged from the 20th to the third most important factor in decision-making for B2B buyers.
Given that LinkedIn, in particular, is an increasingly powerful channel for thought-leadership, a greater investment into LinkedIn executive communications seems a no-brainer.
Growth in importance of thought-leadership in B2B sales.
Of course, there are still lots of questions about LinkedIn exec comms: How do you measure the impact of social exec comms? How should you identify thought-leaders to promote? How much should you invest?
We can help. Get in touch for an informal chat about your LinkedIn exec comms needs.