During a recent client meeting, the CEO asked: Should I be on Twitter? This CEO had just come from an industry conference and had participated in a Tweet-up. This was the CEO’s first real exposure to Twitter, although the company has had an established Twitter account for several years.
The CEO’s question about Twitter was a timely one. I had just come across a recent study by Weber Shandwick that explored attitudes about CEO social media activity among 630 senior professionals (not CEOs) in 10 countries. As expected, most of those surveyed (76%) believed that CEOs should be active on social media for three main reasons: to improve a company’s brand; to increase business; and, to encourage employee engagement.
All of these are certainly compelling reasons for a company to be active on social media. But is it really necessary for the CEO to be highly active on these networks as well?
Social Media: A company wide commitment
We offer social media training and services for all our clients. These days most clients are using social media in some way, though the particular channels and their level of activity may vary. (Clients in regulated industries are the most common exception.) But when a client comes to us initially, suggesting the strategic integration of social media into other communication activities can still be a tough sell. This is especially true in the boardroom when trying to explain the value of social media channels to the harried executives who themselves aren’t always connected.
Most of the time our client’s social media accounts are handled by a joint client-agency team. The company’s internal social media team (usually marketing-communications staff) works in conjunction with our social media team. We provide a strategy, guidelines and best practices, social media training, monitor a client’s channels, schedule posts on industry-related news or the company’s news while the company’s internal team handles the more “real time” content and customer interactions. Clients post the internal and event news and client-related information that we simply wouldn’t have access to. This arrangement seems to work pretty well.
The CEO’s involvement tends to come if the company has a blog. In this case, I strongly believe that a CEO’s direct involvement is important as it sets the tone and lets others know that this form of communication is a priority. It’s also a great way for the CEO to share with industry colleagues, current or potential customers and the company’s employees. With a blog, we provide CEOs with plenty of support in terms of writing support, editing and help determining content to limit the drain on the CEO’s time.
Interestingly, in the Weber Shandwick study, the one reason that I thought would be tops in terms of CEO resistance to social media—lack of time—barely made it to the top five. Lack of time was beat out by “…unusual for the industry (35%), no proof of return on investment (34%), no demand (34%) and, too risky (32%).” Just 27% cited lack of time as a reason for resistance among CEOs.
The Social CEO: The one tool that trumps all
Knowing the demands on our client’s time, I didn’t think it was realistic to answer with a “yes” to the Twitter question—despite the recent study and other client CEOs active on social media. Given that this CEO’s company is already active on Twitter and several other social media channels, this CEO has far better places to allocate precious time. (A CEO does need to be aware of the company’s social media networks and be familiar with how and why they’re being used.) But blogs aside, I’m not convinced that every CEO should be spending time on social media or striving for the “highly social” status touted in the recent study — unless there is a personal interest in doing so.
There is one social tool I believe trumps all others when a CEO wants to strengthen communication and improve business results: good old-fashioned face-to-face communication. In this electronic day and age, it’s far too easy to forget the difference a walk through the company halls, a cup of coffee with a colleague or a site visit with a customer can have on business results. That’s one social tool that all CEOs should be scheduling into their days.
