- [Instructor] The C-suite's personal use of social media
can have a significant impact on their brand
as a leader and their company's interests.
Why?
According to Edelman, 84% of people expect CEOs
to inform conversations, policy debates,
and weigh in on relevant societal issues.
One of the best use cases for the C-suite to embrace
social media is directing the narrative
about themselves and their organization.
With consumers, employees, the media,
and competitors sharing their opinion,
it is essential that a company's leadership
is an active contributor to the conversation,
otherwise others will tell your story for you.
Drive the narrative on social media
by regularly communicating the social issues
your organization is passionate about, company news,
and your opinion on the industry.
For example, Hamdi Ulukaya, the CEO of Chobani,
the yogurt company, tweets about how his organization
embraces employees of all backgrounds.
Through his comments about immigration policy in the US
and sharing the stories of employees who are refugees,
he's highlighting the issues he and the brand values.
While others can certainly choose to chime in
about the issues the company supports
and their hiring practices, it is not as impactful
as hearing it directly from the source.
It is impossible to completely control the narrative,
but as a leader, you have the ability to direct it
in the right direction by lifting the curtain
and discussing what's happening at the company.
For example, T-Mobile's CEO shared articles
written about his company's investment
in a better customer service team
by adding commentary to their news coverage on Twitter.
He's driving more attention to the media's positive
coverage of the organization and adding
his two cents to the discussion for context.
As seen in the third example, not all the messaging
a leader shares on social media has to be original,
as resharing what others are saying
and responding to it is often just as effective.
Lastly, speak on a leading development or challenge
in your industry from your perspective as a leader,
or explain how your company has
or plans to address the issue.
The goal here is to bring your perspective
into the greater conversation and showcase
the organization's position on an important topic.
For instance, Arianna Huffington shared an article
she wrote on LinkedIn with her response to the debate
about building a sustainable company
culture and the importance of rest.
She wrote an open letter responding to an interview
where Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, said he's been
working 120-hour weeks, which she strongly
condemns as an unhealthy habit.
While the interview didn't reference Huffington,
she's friends with Musk and runs Thrive Global,
which is focused on ending burnout
at work with science-based solutions.
This was a prime example of using social media
to share her opinion as a leader on an industry-wide topic
that she and her company are uniquely qualified to speak on.
Sharing her perspective helps to direct the narrative
on the subject, further establishing what her beliefs
and viewpoints are as a leader.
Command the conversation about your organization
by communicating on social media about company news,
important social issues, and relevant industry trends.