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Why CEOs Get LinkedIn Engagement But No Business Results

Posted By Elaine Walsh-McGrath, Managing Director, 10 October 2025

Here's what I've learned after 25+ years working with serious businesses: most CEOs are brilliant at creating content, terrible at converting it.

I see this pattern constantly. A CEO posts something on LinkedIn that gets proper traction. Multiple comments from exactly the people they want to work with. Someone even mentions a specific pain point their business solves.

And then... nothing. The conversation dies in the comments. All that effort creating the post, getting the engagement - left sitting there like someone who knits half a jumper and leaves the arms off.

The Gap Between Visibility and Business Outcomes

You're already in the right rooms. You're posting content. You're getting engagement. You're doing all the LinkedIn things.

But here's what you're probably not doing: converting that activity into the calls, partnerships, and opportunities that actually grow your business.

Your expertise deserves better execution than this.

The Moment Most Executives Miss

Here's what typically happens:

Someone comments publicly on your post about a problem your business solves. A genuine pain point. The perfect opening for a conversation.

But you treat it like a social media moment instead of a business development opportunity.

Here's what you should do: reply publicly with something brief - "That's interesting... I'm messaging you" - then move the conversation private. Because that's where the real discussions happen. That's where you build relationships. That's where you book calls.

Instead, the conversation stays public, goes nowhere, and eventually dies. The opportunity sits there unconverted.

Three Things You're Missing (That Are Costing You Real Opportunities)

1. You're Not Following The Trail

You post content. It performs well. People engage. And then you move on to creating the next post.

Meanwhile, the people who engaged with your content - the ones who took time to comment, to share, to react - they're sitting there. Some of them would genuinely love to talk to you about working together.

But you're not following up because you think it would be "pushy."

Here's the truth: reaching out to someone who engaged with your content isn't pushy. It's professional. It's what serious business leaders do when they understand that public posts build visibility, but private conversations build business.

Set aside 15 minutes on a Monday. Connect with new people. Another 15 minutes on Wednesday - go and like one of their posts. Not randomly. Strategically. The people who could be clients, partners, referral sources.

This isn't networking for the sake of it. It's business development with a system behind it.

2. You're Treating LinkedIn Like A Performance, Not A Platform

I see this constantly with the CEOs and MDs who come to me. They nail the content creation. They show up. They share insights.

But when I ask "are you following up with the people who engaged?" - that's where the system has been breaking down.

They've been treating the post as the finish line. Once it goes live and gets engagement, they think the work is done.

But that's actually when the real work starts. That's when you see who's in the room. Who's paying attention. Who's raising their hand by engaging with your content.

Your existing clients would be genuinely impressed by what you're sharing. Potential clients would find it valuable. But if you're not actively connecting that content to conversations, you're leaving those opportunities completely unconverted.

The executives who get this right? They use public content to attract attention, then strategically move qualified conversations to DMs, emails, calls - wherever the real business discussion can happen.

3. You're Missing The 'Why' Behind Everything

Why are you posting on LinkedIn? Why are you connecting with people? Why are you creating content?

If your answer is anything other than "to create relationships that lead to calls, referrals, and business opportunities," then you're doing it wrong.

Every single action should have a business purpose. High-reach content builds your audience. Sales-focused content converts that audience. Outreach and follow-up turns engagement into revenue.

But here's where it gets interesting - most CEOs do one or two of these things brilliantly. Then completely ignore the others.

You can't do one without the other. Otherwise you end up with great content, solid engagement, zero conversion. You're doing half the work and wondering why you're not seeing the business outcomes your expertise warrants.

The Pushback I Hear Most Often

"I just don't want to seem disingenuous."

And I get it. We've all been socialised to think that reaching into the DMs is somehow sleazy.

But here's the thing - we've all had conversations that we didn't enjoy at one time or another. A sales call that was over the top. A pitch that felt pushy. But that doesn't make us stop having conversations.

When someone engages with your professional content about a topic you're expert in, and you follow up professionally to continue that conversation? That's not disingenuous. That's business.

The cost of not doing it? You're leaving your own opportunities unconverted. You're making it harder to hit your revenue targets. You're working twice as hard because you're not following through on the visibility work you've already done.

What Changes When You Get This Right

The fix is simpler than you think:

  • Diarise 15-minute slots for LinkedIn activity (not content creation - follow-up and outreach)
  • Create a lead bucket in Sales Navigator for people worth connecting with
  • Set a goal: one meaningful business conversation per week from LinkedIn activity
  • Stop treating engagement as the end goal and start treating it as the beginning

When CEOs implement this properly, they start booking consultations from people who'd previously engaged with their content. Qualified prospects. Conversations that would never have happened if they'd kept treating LinkedIn like a performance rather than a platform for business development.

Your LinkedIn Activity Should Be Working As Hard As You Are

You're already in the right rooms. You're already creating content. You're already getting engagement.

The question isn't whether you have the expertise or the opportunities. It's whether you're systematically converting them into the business outcomes your expertise deserves.

You're doing the hard work of building visibility. Now it's time to build the conversion system that turns that visibility into actual business results.

That's not a visibility problem. It's an execution problem. And execution problems have systematic solutions.

Ready to ensure your visibility translates to business outcomes?

After 25+ years developing strategic communication for global brands like L'Oréal, Colgate, Volkswagen, and Ryanair, I've learned that successful leaders aren't just excellent at creating visibility - they're excellent at converting it into business results. My Strategic Visibility for Ambitious Leaders service helps established CEOs, MDs, NEDs, and senior consultants build systematic approaches to ensuring their expertise generates the recognition and opportunities it deserves. This isn't about building a personal brand - it's about creating the infrastructure that converts your existing visibility into tangible business outcomes. Book a strategic consultation to discuss how systematic conversion processes can transform your LinkedIn presence from activity to revenue.

 

Photo Credit: Elaine Walsh-McGrath

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Tags:  business development  ceo linkedin strategy  ceo networking  executive visibility  linkedin conversion  strategic communication 

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CEO Visibility: Why Great Results Don't Guarantee Executive Recognition

Posted By Elaine Walsh-McGrath, Managing Director, 06 October 2025

We both know you wouldn't admit this out loud, but does this sound familiar?

You're delivering exceptional results. The 70% growth in market reach. The 30% increase in operational efficiency. The partnerships that transformed your competitive position. Your board presentations are flawless, your team respects your judgment, and your clients see genuine value in what you deliver.

But here's what keeps you up at night: the opportunities you want—the board positions, the key partnerships, the investor meetings—aren't materialising at the pace your track record warrants.

Why CEO Visibility Doesn't Match Results

Here's what I've learned after 25+ years working with global brands: there's a fundamental difference between having excellent results and having executive visibility.

You can achieve remarkable outcomes, but if the right people don't see them in the right context, those achievements remain operationally valuable rather than competitively advantageous. Your competitors with half your experience are securing opportunities because they understand something you might be missing about executive presence.

The kicker? This isn't about your capabilities. It's about positioning.

Why Recognition Doesn't Follow Results

Most established leaders assume that excellent work automatically translates to recognition. Here's the reality: in today's business environment, visibility requires the same systematic approach you apply to every other critical business function.

Your results speak for themselves—but only to the people who are already in the room to hear them.

The opportunities you want to attract operate on a different level entirely. Board positions aren't filled by the most qualified candidates; they're filled by the most visible qualified candidates. Speaking engagements don't go to experts; they go to recognisable experts. Investment opportunities don't flow to the best businesses; they flow to the most well-positioned businesses.

Executive Visibility Strategies That Actually Work

Here's what visible leaders do differently: they treat their expertise as an asset that requires systematic positioning for industry recognition.

When you deliver that 30% operational improvement, visible leaders don't just report it—they leverage it. That achievement becomes a case study for industry publications, a speaking opportunity at key conferences, a thought leadership article that positions them as operational excellence experts.

When you close that complex deal, visible leaders document the approach and share the frameworks that made it possible. Not the confidential details—the thinking that demonstrates their methodology.

When you solve that challenging business problem, visible leaders position themselves as the expert who understands that specific challenge better than their competitors.

CEO Visibility as Competitive Advantage

Let's be honest: you already have the expertise. You already have the results. What you need is executive presence that ensures the right people recognise what you've achieved and understand what it means for their opportunities.

This isn't about personal branding or content creation. It's about thought leadership communication that positions your existing expertise for the industry recognition it deserves.

The CEO who leverages their turnaround expertise into executive visibility becomes the go-to advisor for similar challenges. The MD who positions their growth methodology becomes the obvious choice for board positions in scaling businesses. The senior consultant who demonstrates their frameworks becomes the preferred partner for high-stakes projects.

Your results should be opening doors to opportunities. If they're not, the issue isn't your capability—it's your executive visibility.

Making Executive Recognition Inevitable

CEO visibility isn't about getting lucky with recognition. It's about systematic positioning that makes industry recognition inevitable.

The leaders who attract the right opportunities understand that their expertise deserves amplification. They invest in executive presence and thought leadership with the same rigour they apply to any critical business function.

Because here's what I've learned working with L'Oréal, Colgate, Volkswagen, and Ryanair: the most successful leaders aren't just excellent at what they do—they're excellent at making their expertise visible to the right people at the right time.

Your track record has earned you opportunities. Executive visibility ensures you actually secure them.

 


About Strategic Visibility for Ambitious Leaders

My experience in high-stakes negotiations and award-winning strategic campaigns has taught me that visibility isn't about personal branding—it's about strategic communication that positions leaders for the recognition their expertise warrants.

Ready to stop watching less qualified competitors secure your opportunities? My Strategic Visibility for Ambitious Leaders service helps established CEOs, MDs, NEDs, and senior consultants translate their offline success into online authority. This isn't about building a personal brand from scratch—it's about communication that matches your business calibre. Book a consultation to discuss how proper positioning can level the competitive playing field.

 

 

Photo Credit: Elaine Walsh-McGrath

Tags:  ceo visibility  c-suite visibility  executive presence  executive visibility  industry recognition  thought leadership 

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