What are the risks of having an executive on social media? Are there potential pitfalls that you and your team may be rushing into unknowingly? The answer is yes, but in this blog post, we'll show you how to prevent them....
While many other sources are, at this moment, recording Polman’s professional legacy, in this edition of Executive Spotlight by Influential Executive, we’ll take a closer look at the former CEO’s Twitter legacy....
Why Executives Need to be on Social Media Social media for executives — it truly impacts the bottom line. Recent data is showing a compelling reason for CEOs and their teams to look at social media more seriously. Millennials lead the charge on this trend, but they are not the only ones looking to social media and the web to better understand the brands they buy from and the companies they work for - focusing on the leaders that represent them. "Consumers are looking to social media and the web to better understand the brands they buy from and the companies they work for - focusing on the leaders that represent them." Millennial Decisions are Fueled by Online Research Millennials are now a key part of the workforce, meaning that they are both potential talent and potential customers for your brand. These millennials often...
One prominent participant in the Google walkouts conversation was Luis von Ahn, CEO and co-founder of language-learning app Duolingo. In this edition of Front Page Execs, Influential Executive will be examining what von Ahn did right, why he did it, and what he should have avoided when engaging in this conversation....
In order to understand what makes our in-house tool, Social Intelligence Optimization (SIO), so powerful, we must first analyze the social media landscape for executives. Our most recent research shows that executives and leaders clearly outperform brands in terms of engagement on LinkedIn, on the order of 3x. But to take advantage of this leg up on brands, executives need a strategic and thoughtful social presence that’s optimized for their audience. "Executives and leaders clearly outperform brands in terms of engagement on LinkedIn, on the order of 3x." As we look to position leaders effectively on LinkedIn and other social platforms, it is critical to analyze and understand the various parameters that can drive impressions and, more importantly, valuable engagements. This is something that agencies and brands alike have struggled with, often resorting to anecdotal insights and conclusions based on very small...
“I like forensic accounting, financial crisis hindsight, and kittens.” What Tracy Alloway has in her bio on her Twitter page is helpfully indicative of the type of content her followers can expect from her: a healthy blend of financial insights and humor. Formerly the US financial correspondent for the Financial Times, Tracy now works as Executive Editor for Bloomberg Markets. As the face of one of the largest financial magazines in the United States, Tracy positions herself as a thought leader within the financial news industry in order to promote both herself—and, by extension, Bloomberg as a whole—as a reliable provider of the most recent information and original insights. To this end, Tracy takes full advantage of Twitter’s fast-paced and discussion-focused nature, using it as her primary platform for leading the online conversation. Let’s shift the Executive Spotlight onto how...
Can leaders and executives naturally achieve much higher engagement rates on LinkedIn than the brands and companies they work for? We’ve seen third-party reports and articles on this subject over the last year or so, but we set out to prove it ourselves with data. We also wanted to better understand the variety of factors driving higher social media engagement rates for top-performing leaders on LinkedIn. Our Social Media Engagement Research We looked at more than one thousand profiles on LinkedIn, focusing on executives, leaders and brands, and created 3 tiers (low, medium, and high) based on the size of their respective followings. We defined the low tier as under 10,000 followers, the medium tier as between 10,000 and 50,000 followers, and the high tier as more than 50,000 followers. We then examined the rate of social media engagement, defined as likes and...
If your company’s chief executive is in the news, you always hope it’s for a positive reason. In the case of General Electric (GE), the company’s CEOs have unfortunately had a tumultuous relationship with the media in the recent past. Only last week, GE’s CEO John Flannery made headlines when he was ousted from the company after only 14 months. Part of the reason for such a quick change may have been the large shoes that both Flannery and his predecessor Jeff Immelt failed to fill: those of influential executive Jack Welch. Jack Welch was the illustrious CEO for GE from 1981 to 2001, during which time he garnered the reputation of one of America’s greatest business leaders. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that his social media channels also serve as an excellent model for thought leadership. Now retired, Jack...
Last week, executives of the world’s top companies spoke out on the separation of migrant children from their parents. In this edition of Front Page Execs, we’ll examine how three influential executives from two particular companies handled the situation: Lyft’s co-founders John Zimmer and Logan Green, and Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi....
Many executives, particularly those in business-to-business (B2B) industries like consulting, architecture, engineering, law, financial services, and technology, have a common goal with their digital presence: to establish themselves as a credible business leader in their field with a strategic thought leadership program. As we mentioned in a previous blog post, millennials are now a key part of the workforce, meaning that they are both potential talent and potential customers for your brand. As these millennials often turn to social media to learn more about brands, having an influential executive’s voice speaking for your business is crucial to gaining both their attention and their trust. Once an executive has successfully positioned themselves as an industry expert, they will no longer have to constantly seek out sales inquiries, speaking and media opportunities, and increased visibility themselves. Rather, they will receive an increasing flow...