27 Mar

Posted on March 27, 2020 in Articles, Guide

Creating and maintaining an online social media presence is crucial for today’s executives. After all, research shows that over two thirds of consumers believe companies with a social CEO are more trustworthy. This is because many users feel that individuals, like C-suite executives, are much more approachable and relatable than general brand accounts where they do not know who the individual is that they are interacting with. When executives create content for their social media account(s), publishing business-related content can be an effective way to deliver brand-related content and updates. However, one of the biggest mistakes executives make on social media is creating brand-related content that is overtly self-serving or promotional. In this article, we will discuss how executives can seamlessly balance an authentic tone with brand-related content to achieve their business goals, as well as some tips at the end...

20 Mar

Posted on March 20, 2020 in Executive Spotlight

Tracee Ellis Ross is a busy woman. Between acting, being a showrunner, and running her own company, Ross has a lot on her plate—yet, she does not miss a beat when it comes to staying connected and marketing her various projects on social media. In this article, we will be analyzing Ross’ Twitter and Instagram accounts. We will be looking at how she utilizes these respective platforms for her company Pattern Beauty’s messaging, and how executives can draw inspiration from Ross’ authenticity and adherence to best practices....

13 Mar

Posted on March 13, 2020 in CEO Insights by Elissa Liu

For years, executives and even some brands used the fact they operate in a regulated industry to avoid developing a social media strategy and presence. From various sectors of the financial services industry and the healthcare industry to the alcohol and cannabis industries to name a few, there are a variety of regulations that affect marketing and advertising, including social media. This presents marketers with tricky social media barrier to navigate. However, this does not mean that companies and their executives can do nothing. Having worked with both brands and their key executives to establish a social media presence in several of these industries, we found there are two key steps in developing a successful marketing program in highly-regulated industries. First, it is about clearly understanding the regulatory constraint on any marketing or social media program. The second step is that...

06 Mar

Posted on March 6, 2020 in Front Page Execs

The global coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) epidemic is a cause for concern for many, and reasonably so: the highly contagious virus is spreading rapidly, with no current known cure or vaccination for it. It is precisely the highly contagious nature of the virus that is not only affecting humans, but is in turn affecting consumer markets and workplaces on a massive scale. Another result of this epidemic is widespread panic, ultimately resulting in a large presence of fear-mongering rhetoric online and in news media. The most important thing a person or company in a position of power can do at a time like this is use their platform to provide factual and productive information to the public. In light of this, many companies and executives are taking to social media to tackle misinformation and diffuse fear-based conversations, as well...

28 Feb

Posted on February 28, 2020 in Articles, Guide

Content mix is an important factor when developing a social media strategy for executives. Original video content draws a great deal of engagement among users and sets the executive apart from those who are not utilizing video as part of their strategy. While the majority of social media content is comprised of text or images, videos have grown to become an important part of online content diversity. In fact, one study showed that social media posts with a video gets shared by users 1200% more than other types of posts, such as text and images. In this article, we will be discussing how original video content can benefit executives on social media by giving them another way to connect with their followers.   Why Executives Should Implement Video Content   When it comes to video content, many studies have shown how important this type...

21 Feb

Posted on February 21, 2020 in Executive Spotlight

This week, our article focuses on business mogul and philanthropist Bill Gates, and in particular the way he adapts his content according to the platform he is using. The co-founder of Microsoft is perhaps best known as one of the pioneers of the microcomputer revolution, and these days is chiefly known for his humanitarian work through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates is extremely active on social media, present on four major social media apps (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram). However, we found that Gates’ Twitter and Instagram in particular are great examples of adhering to different aspects of his business and brand, and do so according to the best practices of each respective platform....

14 Feb

Posted on February 14, 2020 in Front Page Execs

On February 18th, 2020, Sandeep Mathrani begins his role as CEO of WeWork. He was previously the CEO at Brookfield Properties Retail, so his experience in the real estate industry has many hopeful that he can turn the struggling company around. While it appears Mathrani has accounts on both Twitter and LinkedIn, both profiles have not been updated in a long time. He has not tweeted since 2014 and his LinkedIn profile makes no reference to WeWork. It is not often that we feature a CEO that has no social media presence, however Mathrani's new position opens the door for him to implement an executive social media strategy. In this article, instead of analyzing his accounts, we will instead look at the conversation surrounding him on social media. We will then discuss how these topics are relevant and can be shared by...

07 Feb

Posted on February 7, 2020 in Executive Spotlight

When executives join social media, one of the biggest decisions they face is selecting which social media platform(s) to join.The most popular apps for executives are LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For executives who are not familiar with these platforms, a common mistake they make is thinking that all social media platforms are the same. However, as we have seen in our previous Executive Spotlight articles, successful executives on social media are the ones that truly understand the unique benefits each social media platform has. This week, our article focuses on the chairman of Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra, and his Twitter content. While he also has a LinkedIn and Facebook account, both are inactive with no posts. However, through our analysis, we find that Twitter is the most effective social media platform for Mahindra's content. In our analysis, we will take...

31 Jan

Posted on January 31, 2020 in Front Page Execs

Over the past week, one funny meme has gone viral across social media. With over 500,000 posts on Instagram alone, the origins of the meme came from an unlikely source–74-year-old country singer, Dolly Parton. Her original posts have received a lot of engagement so far. On Twitter, her post has almost 40,000 retweets and over 250,000 likes. Her post on Facebook has garnered almost 3,000 comments and over 14,000 shares, while on Instagram, her post has received almost 15,000 comments and over 1.1 million likes. https://twitter.com/DollyParton/status/1219681321762656256   The meme has spread across social media platforms with adaptations created by brands, celebrities, and the general audience using #DollyPartonChallenge. In this article, we will take a look at what makes this meme so popular, and some executives who have posted their own version.   The #DollyPartonChallenge Meme and Why it Spread   The #DollyPartonChallenge is a collage of four...

24 Jan

Posted on January 24, 2020 in Executive Spotlight

Mary Barra is the chairman and CEO of General Motors and with over 1.2 million followers on LinkedIn and over 48K followers on Twitter, it is clear that she is a well-connected executive. For many executives who act as a brand advocate on social media, one of their core strengths is maintaining consistency in their tone. In this article, we will take a closer look at how Barra’s social media strategy helps reinforce a positive brand image.   LinkedIn: Sharing Original Articles   First, we will analyze Barro's LinkedIn profile. The header image features a look inside a General Motors factory, emphasizing the industry she is in. Compared to her Twitter profile header, this is more brand-related and speaks more about the tangible products the company offers.     The majority of her content is brand-related, whether it is an original article, sharing a post from another...