This study shows that top executives who use social media to engage followers are held in appreciably higher regard than others, and drive better brand and company image. Integrating social media into your marketing toolkit really pays off, in other words, when you secure participation from the C-suite.
That holds for B2B firms too, we’d argue. Maybe it’s even more important, because most B2B categories rely on a more personal level of interaction between company principals and prospects and customers.
From an employee engagement standpoint, the results are clear: 82% of employee respondents said they’d trust their company more when its CEO and leadership team use social media.
Any communication between company insiders and your target audience should, of course, be subject to a planning and execution process that makes even a CEO’s participation one element in an overall engagement strategy. Rupert Murdoch’s recent proclivity for Twitter celebrity isn’t necessarily a good example to follow.
Social media may be one of the best tools out there for taking the pulse of your stakeholders and customers. Peter Aceto, CEO of ING Direct Canada, is a noted user of social channels, and he points out how using social media allows him to gauge how employees and consumers alike view his company and products. “We saw it as a competitive advantage for us.”