Why your CEO should embrace social media

3 reasons executives should engage on social media

Juggling the demands of big business, speaking engagements, board meetings and global sales calls, CEOs are some of the most sought after yet hard to pin down human beings. These elusive individuals are inundated with requests for “five minutes” from media, customers, vendors, clients and even their own families. How can a CEO be in 100 places at once while giving thousands of people attention at the same time? The answer is to leverage technology, particularly social media. Social media represents a powerful, scalable and efficient means to doing it all.

Convincing your CEO to add one more thing to an already overflowing plate of responsibility may seem a daunting task, especially if your CEO knows little about social media. For the resistant, here are three key reasons every CEO should consider becoming more social:

Establishes authenticity.

If you have loyalty to a major brand (Dunkin’ Donuts, Microsoft, Tesla), wouldn’t it be particularly interesting to read the opinions of its CEO? CEOs can reach vast audiences in record time simply by typing 140 characters of meaningful content. Entrepreneur Mark Cuban is well known for his Twitter activity. He shares thoughts on everything from sports to politics, and his followers adore him for it. His regular activity on Twitter provides a platform on which to share his opinions, ideas and feedback, while also giving his business partners, clients and even regular people a place to exchange ideas. The simplicity of the communication makes Cuban more relatable and approachable, and therefore more genuine.

Builds trust.

Right now, we’re all swimming in a sea of mistrust desperately demanding a course correction. Do we trust the news media? Can we trust the government? When a CEO takes on the task of being more social, they leverage a medium through which they can build trust simply by being present. Need more proof? A study by Hootsuite found that social CEOs earned 40 percent more employee engagement and sales teams engaged on social media were 50 percent more likely to achieve sales quotas, thus directly impacting revenue. The best way to gain trust is to communicate regularly and effectively, especially if your goal is to grow a brand and attract optimal talent.

Provides a human connection.

Bill Gates, Martha Stewart, Richard Branson and Mark Zuckerberg are all active on social media. By sharing thoughts, opinions, questions and images, these CEOs provide a more human connection, while subtly building brands, awareness and profile for whatever they deem relevant. By presenting their personal views, CEOs share themselves in a way that makes every customer and media contact feel more connected. Want to know what President Trump thinks about Alec Baldwin’s impersonation of him on SNL? Check his Twitter feed. Interested in Tesla’s plans for innovation in 2017? See Elon Musk’s tweets. Social media is a direct link to entrepreneurs, masterminds and a mindhive of experts. You need only connect.

While the seasoned leaders of many global corporations find technology more of a bane than a boon, savvier CEOs are finding significant value in social media presence. Social “street cred” gives CEOs an advantage, assists them in keeping tabs on and even leapfrogging competitors and earns new business. Convincing a CEO to join the social media revolution may take a bit of work. To ease the way, our social media-savvy CEO, @JasonMudd9, and the team at Axia Public Relations share our guide to help get the ball rolling. We look forward to engagement with your CEO on a social media platform soon.

Wendy Bulawa Agudelo has nearly 20 years of experience in technology, business, consumer and nonprofit public relations. She serves on the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress PR Task Force and is a culinary enthusiast and champion for the special needs community. Wendy has worked for Axia Public Relations since September 2014. Learn more about Wendy Bulawa Agudelo. Connect with Axia on Twitter @axiapr or tell us what you think in the comments below.