My fellow contributor Mark Fidelman in 2012 claimed that an IBM study showed that CEOs who don’t use social media are at a competitive disadvantage to those who do. Josh James, founder and CEO of Domo [Full disclosure: We not only share two names but James was also my boss at Omniture.], says “CEOs who shun social media risk losing touch with some of their most lucrative customers, prospects and influencers.” A study released this year found that 76% of executives want their CEOs to be active on social media, while another study found that only 5.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs are active on Twitter. What’s all this add up to? A massive guilt trip for anti-social CEOs.
Guilt leads to one of two choices; 1) action, or 2) rationalization. There are some who say most CEOs shouldn’t be on Twitter. I agree. But some should be, and if you’re one of those that should be then don’t use such opinions to rationalize making a poor decision. Take action instead. Here are 3 tips for getting started:
- Do It. If you’re merely going to set up social media profiles and then do nothing with them, that’s another reason to avoid social media altogether. Warren Buffett first tweeted on May 2nd, 2013. He has tweeted a grand total of three times since then. He’s also not following a single other Twitter user. When he had no profile his admirers could justify it. But to set up a profile and then not use it makes it look as though Buffett is asleep at the wheel. It’s worse than if he had never set up a profile in the first place. Look to Richard Branson as an example to follow. He follows 3,820 other Twitter users, and has tweeted 4,118 times as of the writing of this post. He follows his own advice to corporate leaders regarding social media, “Be authentic and organic. It can't be forced or it won't work. And most importantly, have fun.”
- Do It Yourself. If you’re not going to control your own social media profiles, then you shouldn’t be on social media. Being social does not mean tasking your marketing department with setting up social media profiles with your name on them and posting content as if they were you. If you’re going to do this then you might as well just set up a corporate profile or direct people to the “press” section of your website. Being effective on social media means being authentic, and that means the content being posted needs to come directly from you. If it doesn’t, it will be obvious to your followers and you’ll get little to no traction, even if you’re a business superstar who can attract lots of followers by dint of your name alone.
- Do It Now. I know what you’re thinking. “This sounds interesting, I’ll have to look into this next week.” You and I both know that’s code for “I don’t want to admit to myself that I’m scared to do this, afraid I’ll look like an idiot, and so I’m going to use the excuse of being too busy and put it off indefinitely, hopefully forever.” Look at this as an opportunity, not an obligation. Need some reasons why this is an opportunity? Here are 10.
If you’re a CEO who doesn’t tweet, you’re obviously not alone. You’re in the vast majority. If you’re comfortable following the crowd, then there’s no reason to keep reading this post. But if, like me a few months ago, you’ve become uneasy about your lack of acumen when it comes to social media, I’ve created a simple guide to getting started with social media, from one CEO to another. Note that this is not a definitive guide on how CEOs can become social media experts. This is how you dip your toes in and get started.
- LinkedIn. The easiest social network for CEOs to use and appreciate. Get started here by creating a full profile, connecting with those you know, and joining groups that are interesting to you. At least once a week post something to the LinkedIn homepage. It can be an article (along with your brief comments on it) or just your thoughts by themselves. Ask questions. Invite feedback. Read The Startup Of You by Reid Hoffman, one of LinkedIn’s founders.
- Twitter. After LinkedIn I would focus on Twitter. I found it difficult to get started on Twitter, but easier to use once I got used to it. Don’t want to look stupid asking for advice? Check out Michael Hyatt’s Beginner’s Guide to Twitter. Once you’ve set up your account create a schedule for tweeting by inserting a reminder in your calendar. Tweet once a day. It’s only 140 characters, it won’t take much of your time. Retweet interesting posts from people you follow. And by the way, follow a lot of people--anyone whose opinion you respect. Commit to using Twitter at least once a day for a month. I resisted Twitter for years, but one week of being committed to using it was all it took to make me an addict.
- Facebook. As a CEO, think of Facebook as a bit of LinkedIn and Twitter combined. Sure, there’s more to it than that, but that’s enough to get you started.
- Google+. “Ah, geez, do I have to?” Yes. HootSuite’s CEO Ryan Holmes says Google+ is sneaking up on Facebook, and as a recent convert to Google+ I believe him. It’s not quite there yet, in my opinion, and it lacks the active network Facebook has, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Google+ ends up being a Facebook-killer.
- Pinterest. I’ll confess, I’m not very active on Pinterest...yet. It’s on my to-do list. I’ve dabbled with it, but more for personal reasons than for business. If that’s all you have time to do, at least get started that way. Then start reading resources on doing business on Pinterest. As the article says, “One of the biggest mistakes marketers make is that they don’t create enough original content.” This is an area where you can enlist the help of your marketing team. Have them create content for you, then you post it with your authentic comments. Or share visuals related to the operations of your business. Did you just set up a new office? Pin pictures of it. New product? A photo of every product you sell should be posted to Pinterest with a link to where it can be purchased.
- Instagram. Don’t use Instagram the way you might use Pinterest. Social media consultant Lisa Parkin advises businesses to start out listening with Instagram, rather than talking. That’s sound advice. By the way, you need to be using a mobile device to sign up, unless you want to get fancy.
- Goodreads. I’m a firm believer in the Charlie Jones quote ““Five years from today, you will be the same person that you are today, except for the books you read and the people you meet.” I’m nose down in anywhere from 5 to 10 books at any given time, and anyone who knows me knows I love to talk about books, recommend books, and give books as gifts. Goodreads is a social network custom made for bookophiles like me, and it allows me to connect with business associates, employees, and clients on a very personal level. Just set up an account, connect with your Facebook friends, and start adding books you’ve read.
I could talk about Reddit, StumbleUpon, and another 50 social media websites, but I consider the above to be the basic ones any CEO new to social media should start with. If you’d like more ideas about how you can be active on these websites I recommend the excellent book Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt. It was reading Hyatt’s book that got me active on Twitter. In less than two months I’ve doubled my number of Twitter followers from around 400 to over 800. More importantly, I’m now having stimulating and important conversations via Twitter that are helping my business and my writing.
Are you a CEO who is active on social media? What tips can you pass along?
