10 Social Media Best Practices for Executives

For most people, social media is a way to keep up with friends and family, a window into pop culture trends, and a route to an occasional dopamine hit.

But for many others, including executives, founders, and entrepreneurs, social media is a communications tool that they can leverage to promote their business, company, and personal brand.

It’s not a frivolous undertaking. Studies have found that consumers are more likely to trust a company whose leaders engage in social media. According to 2022 research from Brunswick, 82% of employees believe it is important for business leaders to communicate the company’s vision and values through social media channels.

In this post we look at best practices for executives to leverage social media to reach their business, communications, thought leadership and brand goals.

1. Set objectives and goals

To be effective, a social media strategy requires objectives and goals. This is what separates using social media for strategic business purposes from a more casual, scattershot approach. Only by setting aims are you then able to evaluate whether your campaign is successful.

Critical objectives might include:

• growing your following,
• boosting your thought leadership brand,
• generated business leads, or
• gaining earned media opportunities for yourself or your company.

Equally important is tracking metrics and evaluating performance on a regular basis. Native analytics tools on major platforms allow you to track number of people reached and amount of interaction and engagement. Meanwhile, third-party integrations can also monitor business metrics like increase in sales or leads.

2. Be authentic

People are eager for content that humanizes companies and the people running them. For a CEO, this could mean sharing personal details or simply offering a glimpse behind the scenes at the culture and people that make a company special.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon approaches authenticity on social media by sharing peeks into his day-to-day on the job. He often posts about his visits to various company-owned stores around the country, giving shoutouts to employees and sharing photos of him meeting the staff.

3. Post quality content

The onus is on CEOs, founders, and business leaders to post compelling content. You want to hook the audience quickly with a catchy or thought-provoking opening line. Media such as images, videos and data visualization, also help grab the readers’ attention.

For instance, Brian Scudamore, founder and CEO of O2E Brands (the company behind 1-800-GOT-JUNK), publishes upbeat posts that offer personal insights, strategies, and motivational messages.

Beyond a catchy intro, it’s equally critical to provide followers with real value in exchange for their time and attention. Blatant self-promotion won’t cut it. Leave your followers smarter than when they arrived. Sharing practical takeaways and insights that can be used in business or even personal contexts is the surest way to develop a robust, engaged following.

4. Share consistently

Social media demands consistency. When so many voices are struggling to be heard, accounts that are not kept up to date with regular content will get lost in the noise.

Different platforms demand a different cadence of updates. On LinkedIn, posting one substantial update per week is often considered the gold standard. Meanwhile X (formerly Twitter) is a more responsive and real-time platform where shorter, more frequent updates prevail.

Time of day can also make a difference in post performance, as the graphic below from Blog2Social illustrates.

5. Leverage content that establishes you as a thought leader

An executive’s thought leadership status can translate into sales and leads, earned media, new audiences, and recruiting opportunities. To be seen as a thought leader, share news and opinions about your industry and company and issues relevant to your business. Thoughtful, educational and informative content wins the day; it demonstrates a leader who is staying on top of their game and who is not lost in a bubble or stuck in an ivory tower.

Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman uses LinkedIn to establish herself as a thought leader by publishing content that has made her a go-to source of market trends and economic forecasts. She has half a million followers on the platform and is a LinkedIn Top Voice.

6. Avoid needless controversy

Many an exec has gotten themselves into hot water due to a flippant or worse attitude. We’re not naming any names *cough cough ELON MUSK* but those who do weigh in on controversial topics with their hot takes are liable to be doing a lot of ‘splainin’ later. Unless it’s about something that you simply must comment upon for whatever reason—say, if not commenting might be just as bad as saying something—avoid wading in needlessly.

7. Showcase values and leadership principles

By demonstrating a commitment to corporate responsibility and sustainability, a leader can add value to both their brand and company. The CEO can also show an emotional, empathetic leadership style by posting about employee relationships and establishing and maintaining a positive work environment.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella shares business updates and technology news while also communicating values such as social justice, equality and diversity.

Meanwhile, Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert discusses environmental sustainability and other issues that matter to him—and reflect Patagonia’s core values.

8. Engage with your audience

Social media is a two-way street. Merely posting your viewpoints isn’t enough. Liking, commenting, and sharing other people’s content on social media demonstrates engagement with the platform, a willingness to communicate and curiosity about what others have to say.

Listening to and engaging with their audience also gives CEOs insights into what they want and expect from the leader and their company and can lead to collaborative projects.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew uses social media to promote brands besides his own. His TikTok posts show how the platform can connect users with content they love and other users.

9. Leverage social media during crises

Coming off as apathetic or uninvolved during a company crisis will reflect poorly on the leader and their brand. By posting in real-time during a crisis on social media, a leader can control the narrative, stop misinformation from spreading and let stakeholders know that steps are being taken to mitigate the situation. On the other side of the coin, social media lets leaders see how people are reacting and what questions need to be addressed.

During COVID-19, Airbnb used its platforms to keep hosts and guests updated on changing travel advisories and policy changes. The company also launched Online Experiences, which allowed hosts to continue earning income through interactive activities hosted virtually.

Satya Nadella also demonstrated good crisis management skills when the OpenAI board fired CEO Sam Altman. The Microsoft CEO  immediately expressed the company’s position and, in the days that followed, OpenAI rehired Altman. Nadella continued to post updates on Microsoft’s position.

10. Integrate personal, human content

A classic mistake executives make is removing any trace of humanity or personality from their social presence. On LinkedIn, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian Sr. shows a better approach.

He not only celebrates the companies his current venture capital firm invests in but also posts his “Papa Pancake” series where he makes pancake art for his daughter.

Beyond making him relatable, the series even led to an earned media opportunity. People Magazine profiled the art and Ohanian’s “business dad” identity in a feature. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the dude is married to Serena Williams.

All of this is a lot to consider, and time-strapped execs can be forgiven for not diving headfirst into social media when there are so many rules to follow. That’s why more and more business leaders are turning to social media management agencies to help them navigate these treacherous waters. For most executives, social media isn’t an option but a necessity. So why not turn to the pros?

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