24 Nov The Impact of Executive Social Media Engagement on Workplace Culture

There are many topics that CEOs and other executives can share on social media, yet the one that typically draws the most engagement revolves around company culture. Some business leaders may consider these types of posts to be “fluffy” and unimportant. Yes, they can be “fluffy,” but they also contribute to an executive’s overall social media content mix and have a significant strategic purpose.

These types of posts may not directly tie into a CEO’s thought leadership strategy, but they have a major impact both on how your company’s executive is viewed by others and can even influence how the general public views your company.

In this article, we share our tips on the types of work culture-related content that your company’s executive may want to share online and why it matters.

1. Reiterating Company Values and Culture

As the public face of the company, CEOs are intrinsically linked to their company’s brand image — and vice versa. With that said, messaging about company culture and values shared by a CEO can be important for a number of reasons.

It showcases that an organization’s vision is something that is shared by everyone at the company, including those at the very top. Sharing company values on an executive’s social media feed can be an effective way to bring up this topic in a more natural way, especially since it’s a person speaking about company culture, rather than a faceless company social media page.

Marketers may also have different objectives for their company’s social media properties. For example, they may focus solely on promotional content, product or service-related topics, and so on. There may be fewer opportunities to organically speak about “internal” company-related content like values and culture on company social media pages. Executives on social media can help plug in any gaps in your digital marketing messaging strategy.

2. Sharing Company and Employee Successes

Next is a company-related topic that many readers will be familiar with: speaking about achievements and other successes, either earned by the company as a whole or by specific employees.

Sharing successes and other key milestones helps build a sense of pride among existing employees, creating a stronger sense of camaraderie. In many cases, these social media posts often call out by name employees who may have been involved in the achievement. Getting recognized for your hard work is always a good feeling, especially when it comes from a business leader.

Sharing company and employee success is also helpful in attracting top talent. Many people want to work for an innovative, award-winning company, especially one that promotes positivity and success.

3. Highlighting Community Engagement

Last but not least, one of the most common examples of a company culture-related post is sharing content about volunteer events and other charitable causes the company or a group of employees are engaged in. Here are some examples:

Donation announcement: Posting about donations made on behalf of the entire company can help shed light on causes that are important to the business. At times, this may be tied to specific dates, such as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Photo gallery featuring employees at a volunteer event: While this type of post can also be shared on the company’s social media accounts, executives may also want to post about it, especially if they’re taking part in the event.

Highlighting company initiatives: Showcasing internal projects can help spread the word about what your company is engaged in. An example is sharing a post about how a company is improving its sustainability efforts.

Why Company Culture Matters

Before today’s top talent even sends in their resume, they’re turning to social media as a way to research companies and their CEOs. In a Glassdoor survey, almost 80% of job seekers said they use social media when searching for new job opportunities. In addition, job seekers want to work for a company that aligns with their values. In this CNBC and Momentive survey, almost 60% said they wouldn’t even consider working at a company that didn’t share their values.

However, having your company’s executive share content about workplace culture isn’t just about attracting top talent. It’s also about retaining your existing employees. CEOs and other executives are a reflection of their company — for better or worse. When company culture matters to an executive, it’s a clear indication that the employees’ working experience is also valued.

Here’s one last tip! While sharing culture-related posts can result in a more rounded, strategic executive social media presence, it’s important to be authentic about the content being shared. Performative actions and words can have a negative impact on both the executive and the company. That’s why it’s important to consider the messaging and the person sharing it. For example, if your company’s CEO is very passionate about sustainability, it makes sense to have them share content around this topic, rather than the CMO who may be more passionate about another social cause.

For marketers looking to position their company’s executives online, check out some additional social media resources and guides below!

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