How to become a Social CEO
The demand on today’s leaders is to be visible, personal and relatable with a clear purpose and a focus beyond the company itself.
For companies, the website and social media are points of reference for consumers and potential employees to discover and form opinions about the brand. A study by Harvard Business Review found that nearly half of a company's reputation and market value are attributable to their CEO’s reputation.
In today's climate, company leaders must communicate in a way that fosters hope, instills trust, and inspires resiliency. CEOs need to reassure employees, customers, and community stakeholders that all will be well despite the fraught and fast-changing circumstances.
What is a Social CEO and why is it important?
Today, it's the people behind the company who deliver authentic communication and a likable image of a brand. A report found that 70% of consumers feel more connected when a brand’s CEO is active on social media and CEOs are more likely to make a positive impact when they share transparently, no matter what they post about.
How to get started
It goes beyond than just posting on LinkedIn. Developing a strategic approach to empower social CEOs makes it easier for brands to connect with target consumers and from potential employees.
- Establish your brand
Start by defining your CEO's "digital persona" with their topic preferences, specialties and affinities. A balance of corporate and personal content, combined with clear opinions, are important to establish your leader's brand online. - Preferred way of working
Gauge how hands-on your CEO would like to be in creating content for their own channel. Most CEOs don't maintain their social media presence alone: often a social media team takes care of their personal channels. - Choose a channel
Develop the appropriate social channel(s) that match your CEO's personal brand. While LinkedIn is the go-to social network for professionals, maybe they would also like to react to trending news and engage with other high profile accounts in a more fast-paced, direct way that fits more on a platform like X (formerly Twitter).
Before CEOs establish their digital presence on social media, we at H+K conduct training sessions that focuses not only on teaching them the mechanics on how to use social media, but also in establishing their digital brand, what social selling means and how to develop business opportunities on the relevant channels.
As people increasingly spend more time on social media, don't let your CXOs’ profiles become a missed opportunity to make a positive impact on the company.
Want to learn more?
Check out our previous newsletter editionsor get in touch with us at
ContentPublishing-Germany@hkstrategies.com for any questions!
We’re happy to advise you on the best digital strategy for your brand.