One topic that sparks lots of discussion is whether a brand's leadership should use their individual social media channels professionally to represent their company.
Some individuals argue social media is the way of the future and should be part of executives' job descriptions. Others say it depends on the executive and his/her comfort level with social media.
I believe social media is here to stay, and the faster executives learn to use it, the bigger the competitive advantage their company will have.
A study by BRANDfog found that:
-"82% of respondents were more likely or much more likely to trust a company whose CEO and leadership team engage with social media"
-"77% of respondents were more likely or much more likely to buy from a company whose values and mission are defined through CEO and executive leadership participation in social media"
-"94% of respondents said that CEOs and an organization's executive leadership team enhance the brand image by participating on social media"
-"78% of respondents would prefer to work for a company whose leadership is active on social media"
A brand's leadership is the face of the company; its easier for its audience to establish a relationship with the executives leading the company rather than the company logo or name. Executives already know many of the skills needed to succeed on social media (networking, building relationships, providing value, etc); they just need to familiarize themselves with the features of social platforms in order to translate those skills into the online world.
As an example of how brands' executive leadership is leveraging social media, here is a list of the top 17 CMOs on Twitter and what they're tweeting.
What do you think? Should a company's executives leverage social media to further their brand? Post your comment below--I'd love to know your thoughts!
Until next time.
Ingrid