Business owners need to be “visible and engaged”, says report

Consumers are looking for business owners who are “visible and engaged”, according to a report by Brands2Life.

The report showed that British consumers are looking for more high-profile business leaders, such as Sir Richard Branson.

Important traits

Over 60 per cent said that they believe that it is important that CEOs are “visible and engaged”, especially on social media, whilst over 20 per cent said that business leaders should meet and greet their customers.

More than 20 per cent said that CEOs should “seem like a real person”, whilst 18 per cent believe that they should “be interesting when they talk.” CEOs should also not be afraid to speak their mind in public, according to 20 per cent of consumers.

Other important traits that consumers believe business leaders should possess include “appearing to be interested in what staff and customers think” (48 per cent), and having a public image that influences a consumer’s decision to purchase the company’s products (25 per cent).

Public image

According to the report, “British reserve” holds CEOs back from self-promotion. Management Today editor Matthew Gwyther stated that many CEOs avoid becoming high profile as a result of “anxiety, worry that they will get it wrong.”

This may not be an unreasonable anxiety, as over 20 per cent of respondents said that they had stopped buying a company’s product because of the image of the business leader.

Telefonica UK chief executive Ronan Dunne said that business leaders should “take responsibility” when it comes to building up a profile.

“I think it is down to the CEO to take the initiative if he feels his profile should be higher. Of course he should take advice but he should take responsibility for driving his own profile particularly through social channels,” he said.