For today's influential executives, particularly CEOs or CMOs, the opportunity no longer knocks. It tweets, snaps, likes, and shares.
Being a social leader is no longer optional for executives, especially those in charge of marketing, communications, and public relations.
"3 out of 4 consumers say a CEOs presence on social media makes the brand more trustworthy!"
This guide on Why Social Media Management for Executives Matters is broken down into four parts:
- Why Social Media Presence For Executives Is More Important Than Ever
- Biggest Social Media Challenges For Executives
- Getting Started with Social Media Management For Executives
- Social Media Management For Executives And Teams Made Easier With Statusbrew
If you've already made the jump to social media, go to our section on Getting Started with Social Media Management For Executives.
Why Social Media For Executives Is More Important Than Ever
Social media is still considered an unnecessary distraction by a majority of executives and is the primary reason why 61% of Fortune 500 Company CEOs don't have an active social media presence.
Having an authoritative person engage in an open platform has a positive effect on the public's relationship with your brand.
Executive social media presence, if done right, makes the brand more approachable, authentic, and transparent.
People tend to be more attentive and receptive when a person in power has to say something, be it about the brand, product, or even a personal opinion.
Executive Social Media Done Right
T-Mobile's CEO John Legere is the perfect example of executive social media done right.
.@roseybeeme that story was amazing!! If you’re a @TMobile customer, I'd love to credit you for the extra wifi, because that was definitely worth it!! #TmobileWingman
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) July 3, 2018
From showcasing his rock star personality to actively engaging with people over Twitter, John's presence on social has given T-Mobile an edge over its competitors.
And he's not the only one who has used social media to uplift the public image of his company.
Politicians and government organizations are arguably the most hated entities on social, but India's former foreign minister Late Sushma Swaraj is another example of the positive impact an executive social media presence can have on the public.
From being crowned the 'supermom' of India by Washington Post to becoming one of the most followed politicians on Twitter.
Even if you are stuck on the Mars, Indian Embassy there will help you. https://t.co/Smg1oXKZXD
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) June 8, 2017
Sushma Swaraj 's exuberance and generosity on social media regained the long lost trust of Indian people in the ministry of external affairs.
Biggest Social Media Challenges For Executives
Dedicating time for social media every day isn't feasible for a lot of execs, and we understand that.
Being an executive comes bundled with a jam-packed schedule and a lot of other high priority tasks. You cannot drop the other tasks on hand to push a tweet out or engage with a customer on social.
Apart from time constraints, there are other reasons why executives avoid social media.
Inexperience Or Lack Of Expertise
The executives can undeniably be the best advocates for the brand, but lack of social media experience can often hold back a leader from onboarding the social media train.
Uncertainty And Risks
"Global public trust in top executives is at an all-time low, just 37%"
This decline in credibility does raise a question of uncertainty in the minds of executives deciding on social media.
Also, handing over your social media credentials to another individual or a team posses other risks as well.
Not Enough Content Ideas
We understand how hard it is to come up with new and exciting content ideas everyday.
Related: Improve your social media presence in 30 minutes a day
Executives need to keep in mind a lot of things before pushing any content online. You're speaking to an audience that comprises of existing customers, stock-holders, potential new prospects, and even your employees.
Return On Investment
If an executive decides to put in considerable time and resources into the social, there needs to be metrics in place that define the return on investment.
It needs to be apparent how social media activities help personal gain and bring more value to the business.
These things are weighed in a lot by execs and are the primary reason why managers refrain from using social media.
Getting Started with Social Media Management For Executives
Gone are the days when merely posting once in a while gave you free exposure on social media. Brands and execs need effective social media management to make the most of social media.
For execs, just starting with social, identifying your target platform, and mastering it will work better than becoming a novice of all.
Start slowly, you don't have to post ten times on your first day.
If your target audience is on Twitter, learn what types of posts do well on Twitter, identify the best posting time, and keep a check on what your industry competitor is posting.
Have a strong stance on things that you care about but refrain from offending a person or a community with your words.
Hiring A Dedicated Social Media Team
Executives usually go the route of hiring a dedicated social media manager or a team to handle all the social media channels.
Hiring a team of creative individuals to handle your social works the best for the execs who don't have time for staying active on social media all the time. It can also help avoid instances where a post can result in a significant loss for your brand.
Tesla Motor's CEO, Elon Musk, is arguably one of the most active executives on social. Elon is often applauded for his witty tweets and constant engagement with Tesla owners and fans.
But last year, one particular tweet from Elon cost him and Tesla Motors $20 million each and him step down from the post of chairman for Tesla Motors.
Social Media Management Tools A Neccessity?
Executives handling their social profiles might not need a dedicated social media management tool. Following the tips mentioned above can get you by just fine.
However, if you have a team managing all the accounts, things can get a bit tricky.
A social media management tool can help save time for you and your time and eliminate privacy problems like sharing your credentials with a bunch of people.
Read more: The Complete Guide To Social Media Manager Salary
Social Media Management For Executives And Teams Made Easier With Statusbrew
At Statusbrew, we realize the need of social media management for executives and built a product that takes care of all your concerns.
Statusbrew removes the hassles of posting online, tackles all your privacy concerns, and give features to measure the return on your investment.
Time Management
- Create, schedule and publish posts for popular social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram at once with a single click.
- Plan your social media calendar once and let our categories feature take care of scheduling.
- The all new Statusbrew Planner help you save time by letting you visualize a complete timeline of all your posts and taking your content planning to the next level.
- Manage your social media activities on the go with our timely broswer notifications and Slack integration that notifies you about all your publishing activities.
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Eliminate the need of manually going through customer replies and mentions. Use our keyword listening feature to keep a track of conversations that matters the most to you and your brand.
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Remove uncertainties regarding time management and lack of expertise around a particular subject by assigning a team member better versed on the same to do the job.
No More Rogue Posts And Errors
Avoid the embarrassment of posting a tweet with a typo or a post that can harm your brand reputation.
With our neatly designed publishing workflow and approval system, get a real time preview of your posts and make sure nothing goes out un-noticed without the need for you to dedicate a lot of time to it.
Social Governance Made Easy
The need of social media for executives is to learn where the customers are. You need to assist and support people in a constant and engaging manner which is not a one man job and you need a team to handle it for you.
"For the growth of the social media, leaders need to own the strategy and let other people and technology do the job for them."
However, the biggest concern of having a team or another person manage your social for you is privacy. Handing off your credentials to someone and giving them full access can turn out to be a nightmare.
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Secure your social media and brand with Statusbrew, grant employees access to only the profiles and networks they need and set custom permission levels to get rid of that uncertainty.
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Keep track of things with our Team Activity logs feature to make sure nothing goes un-noticed.
Measure The Return On Your Investment
Track the return on your investment with the Report Section
Our unified reports give you a detailed analysis of metrics such as engagement, likes, views, followers, etc. Customize the reports the way you want. Add your brand's logo and present it right away.
Reap the benefits of social media management, eliminate the pain of bringing in people to handle your social, and maintain the credibility of your brand with Statusbrew.
Want us to build something for you, or have any suggestions? Please let us know in the comment section below.
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