It could be said that there’s something of a clear divide when it comes to CEOs: those that started managing before the advent of Social Media, and those who have never managed without it.
The difference is quite an important one when it comes to Social media attitudes of those leading companies. For those which social media is almost innate, it seems natural that you share thoughts regarding the company on the likes of Twitter. But for the more traditional CEOs who have been in the game for many years, the advantages of doing this may be lost.
So here are some reasons why the boss should be on social media; be they a young MD of a tech startup or an experienced CEO at a large corporation.
Becoming a thought leader
It reflects well on a company as a whole as the leading name for that organisation is seen as a thought leader in that field. Being recognised as a key voice in any niche can become a strong sales and marketing position. The top businesses on the planet all have very visible CEOs who are socially active. Just look to Mark Zuckerberg and Arianna Huffington, for example.
(Arianna Huffington is prominent across a number of social networks, including Twitter)
Sharing relevant content that’s related to your field, as well as potentially creating some of your own content, is a great way to get across the right message and also start becoming that industry thought leader.
Attracting the right talent
If your business relies on a strong millennial employee-base, then it makes sense that you share a social update once in awhile. Numerous research reports show that company culture is as important, if not more, for motivating this age-bracket of staff, and the CEO of the company being on social will help demonstrate a social company outlook.
It’s also an avenue for you to reinforce your company values by sharing messages and content that directly links into your businesses working beliefs.
A controlled PR outlet & company voice
In times of crisis, it helps to have an avenue by which messages can be delivered to masses of people in the manner that you choose. There’s probably no better platform to do this than Twitter, reaching potentially millions of people in a way that can help negate any negative PR storm.
Today’s consumers are a lot more aware of the businesses they’re buying from too, and transparency in having a publically-focused CEO at the helm of the company can really help create positive attitudes towards a brand.
But a quick word of warning…
For all the benefits of social media for leading business figures and indeed brands in general, social can also be a minefield. A risky tweet here, rude reply there or posting completely the wrong content by accident can all have a negative effect on brand outlook.
If you’re going to go social, do it, and do it well. Be consistent, double check everything and be friendly. All of the above benefits are there to be taken advantage of.
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