Establishing a strategic social media presence as an executive or CEO is beneficial for many reasons, such as being able to support the company’s marketing efforts and increasing brand awareness. However, not all the benefits have to do with external factors for the public or consumers.
Another important reason for company executives to be on social media is that their content can resonate with potential and existing employees. Some benefits include building trust, improving retention, and supporting the company’s HR department with recruitment.
Keep reading to learn why being on social media as an executive is important in building employee relationships.
How CEOs Can Gain Respect From Employees
Executives can build a loyal employee-centric follower base through social media. According to a study by the Brunswick Group, employees prefer to work for leaders who are active on social media because executives with an online presence are perceived as more transparent and accessible.
This is beneficial to keep in mind, especially if your company is engaged in any recruiting efforts. Over the years, more employees are researching a company’s CEO when considering a job. LinkedIn, in particular, is a tool many individuals use to conduct company research. Check out the graph below for the percentage of employees that research their CEOs based on countries around the world.
[Source]
How can executives use their social media presence to retain and attract top talent? We suggest they share stories about their positive work culture, company-level and employee accomplishments, and how they lead. This helps build the respect of potential employees and also reiterates an executive’s values with existing employees. People want to work for someone that aligns with their values and when this content is available on social media, a top prospect may be more inclined to submit their resume.
Improve CEO-Employee Communication
For large corporations, many employees don’t communicate directly with their CEO or other executives. In many cases, CEOs are often just a name on an email or on the website. Social media can be an effective way to bridge this gap.
Just as we encourage executives to post their values and interests on social media to build the trust of stakeholders, this is also valuable for employees. Social media creates a community of people through a digital platform. Apps such as Facebook Groups and Twitter Communities have the ability to create a personal connection without needing to physically meet the executives.
Some examples of content to improve CEO-employee communications include a CEO sharing news about a critical new hire or changes to the work environment. The latter was a particularly common topic during the early months of the pandemic as executives spoke about how they value their employees and want to push for more flexibility in remote work options.
Highlight Company Initiatives
Reiterating company and personal values online can illustrate what an executive stands for to existing and potential employees. A major priority in large companies is continuing to show employees how to represent the company when working with clients or customers. Rather than doing this through memos or relying on managers to pass along the message, executives and CEOs can demonstrate this on social media.
[Source]
Starbucks is known for its customer service as most of its employees are warm and friendly when serving coffee. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz portrays these same values on his LinkedIn. He is positive, approachable, and values teamwork. His LinkedIn content is a good example of how a CEO’s personality and reputation online can positively influence employees — and, in turn, how consumers view a company.
Another way to highlight company initiatives is for CEOs and executives to share posts on new job opportunities within the company. Social media has the potential to reach top talent candidates through an executive’s social media, rather than just the company’s account. After all, a LinkedIn user may follow the executive, but not the company. A job posting shared through a CEO’s account can help hiring posts reach more people.
[Source]
The post above from Elissa Liu, CEO of Spark Growth and Influential Executive, is a good example of reaching new audiences by reposting a hiring opportunity.
CEOs, Remember Your Employees Are Also On Social Media!
Employees want to know that they matter to the company. Who better to speak about this topic than the company’s CEO and executive team? An online personal brand can demonstrate what values a CEO holds and provides a glimpse of what it’s like to work for them. Social media can become a powerful tool for attracting potential candidates and engaging in conversations with current employees.
What’s an effective way to reach existing and potential on social media? Use a multi-platform social media strategy. Each platform serves a purpose and you will most likely find different employees and candidates on each one.
If you want to learn more about how to establish your CEO in order to support your HR or other marketing efforts, let’s talk! At Influential Executive, we specialize in creating high-level strategies that can elevate your brand and your business across major social channels. Click the link below to start a conversation today!