CEOs and Social Media: A Guide to Doing It Right
In today’s highly competitive market, all CEOs face the same challenge of maintaining a strong brand presence and cultivating a favorable public image. Social media addresses this by giving executives a direct channel to share personal narratives and highlight their company’s values, achievements, and innovations.
By establishing a robust presence on social media, CEOs can communicate their company’s vision, share insights, and respond to feedback immediately. At the same time, they can also counter negative press and misinformation as it appears, responding promptly and transparently to any issues that require attention.
Should CEOs be on social media?
According to a recent report from H/Advisors Abernathy, 70% of CEOs are active on social media. Translation: CEOs should absolutely be on social media unless they want to be left behind by their peers.
What social media platforms are most effective for CEOs to use?
CEOs considering social media presences would be wise to set up shop first on LinkedIn, the de facto social network for professionals. According to that same report, 64% of CEOs are on LinkedIn, while 32% are on Twitter (now X). LinkedIn is great for engaging with industry peers, customers, and employees, while X can be useful for staying current with industry trends, sharing quick updates about the organization, and responding to the public.
CEOs may also want to use Instagram to highlight company culture, share behind-the-scenes content, and offer up personal insights.
What are the benefits of CEOs being active on social media?
There’s a reason seven out of 10 CEOs are on social media: the medium delivers several transformative benefits.
1. Enhanced transparency and trust
When CEOs actively participate on social media, it fosters transparency and builds trust. In fact, one study from Weber Shandwick found that 86% of executives describe social CEOs as “open and honest.” Since 71% of consumers say they’re unlikely to do business with brands they don’t trust, social media can be a great tool for winning customers.
By openly communicating about company updates, strategic decisions, and industry perspectives, CEOs make themselves more accessible to customers, employees, and investors, which can enhance the organization’s reputation.
2. Direct engagement with stakeholders
Social media enables CEOs to engage directly with customers, employees, and investors, creating a two-way communication channel. This direct interaction enables CEOs to collect real-time feedback, address concerns, and share important news about their organizations. Engaging with stakeholders openly and directly is a great way to build a sense of community and inclusiveness, making them feel valued and heard.
3. Strengthened personal and company brand
By being active on social media, CEOs can significantly improve both their personal and their company’s brand. Sharing insights, achievements, and thought leadership content positions the CEO as an industry leader and influencer, which in turn elevates the company’s profile.
Maintaining a steady presence on social media can help create a positive image while showcasing the company’s culture, values, and successes. In addition to helping CEOs engage customers and business partners, this can also help companies attract top talent — which can be a crucial advantage in today’s tricky job market.
4. Real-time market and industry insights
Social media lets CEOs keep their fingers on the pulse of the latest market trends, competitor activities, and industry news. By actively monitoring and participating in social media conversations, CEOs can gain valuable insights they can use to make data-driven decisions. This real-time access to information helps CEOs stay ahead of industry developments, identify business opportunities, and respond swiftly to market changes.
On top of this, engaging with industry peers and thought leaders on social media can inspire CEOs to adopt new practices and innovative ideas, increasing organizational agility and helping companies keep pace in a rapidly evolving business landscape.
What are some common pitfalls for CEOs to avoid on social media?
While social media can do a lot of good for CEOs, there are some pitfalls executives should keep top of mind.
Posting content that is inappropriate or too personal
While personal touches can help humanize a CEO, posting content that is too personal or inappropriate can damage their credibility, bringing their company’s reputation down with them. As a best practice, CEOs should avoid posting about controversial topics that don’t align with the company’s values or could alienate stakeholders. For the best results, strive to maintain a steady balance between personal and professional content.
Inconsistent engagement
When a CEO doesn’t post on a regular basis, it can signal a lack of commitment or interest in engaging with the public. When CEOs post intermittently, it can make it seem as though social media is not a priority, which reduces engagement and does the opposite of what CEOs should hope to accomplish with social media, damaging their reputation and their brand’s instead of strengthening them. By maintaining a regular and consistent presence on social media and engaging with comments, CEOs can demonstrate that they value ongoing dialogue with their audience and are attentive to their needs and feedback.
Ignoring negative feedback or criticism
When you post on social media often, it’s only a matter of time before someone leaves negative feedback. Ignoring or deleting those comments can give the impression that a CEO or their organization is unwilling to listen to concerns. Instead, CEOs should acknowledge criticism, respond to negative feedback professionally, and take corrective actions if necessary. Such an approach demonstrates accountability and a commitment to continuous improvement.
CEOs and social media: Challenges
Even when CEOs avoid these pitfalls, social media still poses unique challenges. In this section, we examine three key challenges — and what executives can do to overcome them.
Challenge #1: Finding enough time to manage their accounts
Given their insanely busy schedules, travel obligations, and numerous responsibilities, it can be tricky for CEOs to find the time needed to consistently create content, engage with followers, and monitor feedback. Unfortunately, without posting and responding on a regular basis, it can be difficult to unlock the full promise of social media.
Luckily, there’s a fix for this: delegating social media management to a team of professionals who can handle your accounts for you.
Challenge #2: Risk of miscommunication or controversy
Whenever a CEO posts on social media, their words are often highly scrutinized. As such, a single poorly worded post can lead to PR nightmares, damaging the CEO’s and the company’s reputation.
To avoid these outcomes, CEOs should be cautious and deliberate with their messaging, ensuring that all communications are clear and aligned with the organization’s broader strategies. This is another area where having a team of trusted social media managers can make a huge difference.
Challenge #3: Managing and responding to negative feedback
Sometimes, social media exposes CEOs to negative feedback. Such is life. As we all know, effectively managing and responding to negative comments and criticism is a significant challenge. If you ignore negative comments, you might be seen as dismissive. If you respond poorly, you can make the situation worse.
How should CEOs handle negative feedback or criticism on social media?
To lessen the blow of negative feedback, CEOs should approach criticism constructively, addressing concerns transparently and professionally. This requires not only time and effort but also a careful strategy that ensures each response maintains the company’s reputation and demonstrates a commitment to listening to stakeholders.
Unless you’re keen on handling this considerable responsibility on your own, you may be best off partnering with a team of experts that knows how to expertly navigate the ins and outs of negative feedback.
For more information on what such a partnership might look like, check this out.
