Exclusive Feature: Social media is more than just news and promotions: photo sharing and six-second vines have become more mainstream on social channels like Twitter and Facebook, while LinkedIn still remains the top networking site among the bunch.

With LinkedIn's new efforts to publish blog posts and articles, brands now have a new place to make an impression.
 
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is one of the first brands to take advantage of this new publishing opportunity, giving readers, guests and competitors an inside look at the luxury hotel group's most important asset: its leaders.

With 300 million users -- one third of whom are outside the United States -- LinkedIn is the channel of engagement where the expertise of senior leadership to enlivened and connects them directly with consumers and businesses around the globe. Simply put: this new initiative gets customers even closer to the brand.
 
Featuring 100-word posts from 30 of their global leaders, including President Herve Humler, throughout the year, The Ritz-Carlton's new thought leadership series is intended to spark conversation on LinkedIn around business best practices and successes.
 
"Our objective is to share some of the learnings, thinking and knowledge that could add value and further educate the audience of business professionals that connect with us on LinkedIn," said Ed French, chief sales and marketing officer of the luxury brand.

"We are frequently asked for information about processes The Ritz-Carlton has used to become successful, therefor it is a logical evolution to give our LinkedIn community access to intelligence, content and the opportunity to engage with global thought leaders who shape and form the success of this brand every single day."

In his first posts, Humler talks about maintaining brand integrity, competing in the luxury market, and ensuring customers are always experiencing the best of the best in service and quality.

What's great about this series is the conversation it sparks. Because the hotel group is publishing on LinkedIn, readers can leave comments, share insights, and engage in dialogue directly with the brands they revere and trust.
 
What else can readers expect?

Ritz-Carlton promises thought-provoking information and insight on everything from operations and sales to marketing, human resources, legal and finance department heads from around the globe.

This is strictly an exclusive feature, reprints of this article in any shape or form without prior written approval from 4Hoteliers.com is not permitted.

Melanie Nayer is a hotel reviewer and expert on luxury travel around the world. She has covered all aspects of hotels including corporate restructures, re-branding initiatives, historical aspects and the best of the best in luxury hotels around the world.

Melanie writes a weekly exclusive column for 4Hoteliers.com