Companies and nonprofit organizations understand the importance of Facebook. B2C brands especially realize the power of the world’s most popular social media network.
CEOs tend to ignore Facebook or maintain a passive presence, posting only occasionally and “lurking.” Social media experts now urge CEOs to join the crowd and maintain an active presence on Facebook.
“The era of CEOs remaining aloof and in the shadows, never mixing with mere mortals, is over,” writes Ryan Holmes, CEO of Hootsuite, in a Fast Company article. “Today, building trust with customers and rapport with employees requires offering up a real, human face for the brand. Social media represents one of the most powerful ways for CEOs to do this, efficiently and at scale.”
As many CEOs have proved, Facebook offers significant benefits when used properly. A CEO’s presence can support the organization’s goals and improve communications with customers and the public.
Examples of CEOs Active on Facebook
Reed Hastings of Netflix. Hastings is one of a handful of CEOs who maintain an official Facebook fan page, according to CEO.com. He provides personalized comments on new projects at his company, shares stories from third-parties and news related to employees, industry insights, and issues he cares about.
Tony Hsieh of Zappos. Hsieh reflects his down-to earth style, often sharing details from his personal life like his Airstream trailer. Hsieh relates company news, his favorite TED talks, and his latest reading list.
Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates’ Facebook page follows progress on the couple’s latest charitable initiatives. Most posts include a photo or video. He and his wife participate in a Q&A session on Facebook with high school students. He shares positive world news, human interest stories, and the good deeds of others.
Lars Seier Christensen of Danish firm Seier Capital maintains an active presence on Facebook that supports his personal brand and his business. He combines links to articles he finds interesting, political posts supporting his political stances, and personal posts about his travels and his family life. (Most communications’ professionals generally advise that CEOs avoid engaging in political statements on social media.)
How CEOs Should Behave on Facebook
CEOs must act differently than others on Facebook. Following successful models established by CEOs active on social media can optimize benefits and curtail risks. These are some recommendations on how CEOs can effectively use Facebook. The recommendations also apply to other social media platforms.
Be cautious. CEOs must keep in mind that anything they post, including comments on others’ posts, could be reported by media outlets or bloggers or go viral across the internet. The larger the company, the more influential the CEO, the greater the risk.
Give them what they want. CEOs on social media fall under a more businesslike standard than consumers. People don’t want business leaders to post personal antidotes on social media, according to a recent survey by G&S and Harris Poll. People want C-level executives to talk about company news and provide insights about the business. As far as the public is concerned, the voices of the CEO and the company are essentially the same. That voice should focus on the business and be businesslike, even on social media.
Take into account multiple constituencies. Followers of the CEO on Facebook and other social media platforms come from every constituency: customers, prospective customers, employees, investors, financial analysts, vendors, unions, really all segments. Before posting or commenting, a CEO must consider how the post will resonate with each of the constituencies. While informing or appeasing one constituency, the CEO must be careful not to offend another.
But don’t be too stiff. Maintain a human voice, rather than a corporate voice. A conversational tone works best. “While the majority of posts can be business-related, it’s good to include some personal news, too, because that makes both a CEO and the company… seem more approachable,” writes technology researcher Alexandra Samuel for The Wall Street Journal. Posting kitten photos may seem too frivolous. Instead, pick two or three personal interests to occasionally post about, such as a sports team band, she recommends.
Mix it up. Consider the 70/20/10 rule that calls for spending 70 percent of your efforts building your brand, 20 percent sharing outside ideas, and 10 percent on self-promotion.
Give employees space. CEOs should typically avoid sending friend requests to employees, Samuel advises. They don’t want to feel like the boss is watching their private affairs. For the same reason, CEOs should avoid commenting on employees’ Facebook posts. Only if the CEO is tagged in an employee’s post is it appropriate to comment.
Involve corporate PR/social media staff. The organization’s social media or PR personnel can draft posts, share links and help align posts with the company’s brand and social media strategy. However, it’s important to avoid “corporatizing” the CEO’s voice. Unless the CEO has an extraordinarily close and trusting relationship with the social media or PR personnel who are authorized to post or comment on the executive’s personal account, it’s best for the CEO to review copy of every post written by others for the CEO account before it’s posted. The CEO must take responsibility for every post or comment, even if posted by someone else on the account.
Include video. “This once up-and-coming medium is now exploding, with Facebook reporting more than double its daily video views to now 8 billion, exceeding even that of YouTube,” writes PR specialist Kristi McCain for CEO.com. “With social video, CEOs have a massive opportunity to ignite conversations in a way customers (and future customers) want to have them.”
A personalized CEO account on Facebook (and other social media networks) offers an extraordinary opportunity for CEOs and other high-level executives to communicate directly with all the organization’s constituencies. Though there are risks, thoughtfully developed strategies and careful editing can minimize them. The potential benefits to the organization and the CEO greatly outweigh the dangers.
Bottom Line: CEO’s can gain substantial PR and marketing benefits through their personal Facebook accounts. However, different recommendations apply to top executives since many consumers consider the CEO and the corporation one and the same. CEOs, supported by company social media and PR teams, can mitigate risks and boost corporate image by following these recommendations.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
I always try to persuade my clients to do a short video of themselves answering some scripted questions about their business. I call it ” The Dave Thomas ” approach. People still love candid honesty and they especially love it in a video format.