19 Jul

The professional services (PS) industry is broad, ranging from legal and accounting to IT and consulting. In this article, we share some of the common social media policies to look out for and content ideas that PS executives can post online.   Professional Services Policies and Regulations While some executives in the PS industries don’t need to contend with the strict compliance requirements like executives in the financial or healthcare spaces, there are still a variety of key regulations and policies that executives should be aware of when using social media for strategic business purposes. Some of the important policies and regulations, as well as major governing bodies, in the professional services industry include: The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Code of Professional Conduct American Bar Association (ABA) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Federal Trade Commission...

14:05 / Executive Expertise
05 Jul

Hot off the heels of the new Fortune 500 list for 2024, we’re back with another article recapping our executive social media analysis! For all 500 companies on the list, we looked into whether their CEO was on social media. Here are the top findings from our research!   Executive Social Media Trend Among Fortune 500 CEOs   74% of CEOs on the 2024 Fortune 500 list are on at least one social media platform. Almost three quarters of Fortune 500 CEOs are on at least one social media platform. This is a slight increase over last year’s figure of 73%. We believe this mid-70s range could represent a peak, with expectations of minimal fluctuations in the coming years.  Part of this is due to the nature of the Fortune 500 list. Consider the companies that typically make the list year after year — Walmart, Amazon, Berkshire...

14:37 / Executive Expertise
07 Jun

Executive personas play a large role in how their social media content is perceived. Several different factors contribute to the overall "persona," ranging from the executive's own personality, the content they want to share, and the business objectives they want to achieve with their social media presence. In our mini-series, we cover some of the most common executive personas you may come across on social media. If you're just joining us, check out part 1 in our series where we share our insights on executives with the passionate/enthusiastic, authoritative/informative, and edgy/provocative personas. Keep reading below to learn about the curious/inspiring, friendly/casual, and serious/trustworthy personas!   Curious and Inspiring The first persona we'll discuss is the executive who is curious and inspiring. Executives in industries that experience a lot of innovation and change often portray this tone, which overlaps with the daring/grandiose tone that will be...

14:21 / Executive Expertise
10 May

Over the years, we’ve seen a growing number of CEOs leveraging social media to support their strategic business objectives. Way back in 2015, an article on CEO.com found that only 39% of Fortune 500 CEOs were on any social media platform. In 2019, we decided to take a closer look at the Fortune 500, which is an annual list of the largest U.S. companies ranked by their total revenues. Our study found that 54% of Fortune 500 executives have at least some social media presence — a drastic shift in just four years! In 2020, our updated study found that 62% of Fortune 500 CEOs were on social media, and our 2022 study saw 70% of executives were on social media. We’re back with another analysis of the Fortune 500 list from 2023! What executive social media trends are we seeing? Keep reading...

14:03 / Executive Expertise
01 Mar

Many different types of services exist to support executives and their companies — but which one is right for you? Some agencies are more social media-focused, while others are geared toward the individual and their leadership skills. In this article, we dive into the major differences between executive social media agencies, leadership coaches, and PR firms. Keep reading to learn which one may be the most suitable for your needs.   Executive Social Media Agencies Primary purpose: Strategically build an executive online presence through social media Leverage an executive’s social media content to drive towards business objectives Suitable for:  Companies that want to complement their existing digital marketing program with a more authentic presence Executives who want to be positioned as a thought leader within their industry Executive social media agencies function similarly to digital marketing agencies. These agencies work with their clients to support their...

14:57 / Guide
01 Feb

The growing momentum of executive social media means LinkedIn’s thought leader ads are a useful addition to the platform. This feature allows marketers to sponsor or “boost” organic posts from their employees, such as their CEO or other executives. A complementary piece to your overall digital marketing program, LinkedIn’s thought leader ads can help drive brand awareness, build credibility, and strategically position your executives on LinkedIn. In this article, we share our tips on how to craft the perfect LinkedIn post to sponsor as a thought leader ad!   Before You Start, Identify Your Goal! The first thing marketers should keep in mind is that you don’t want to sponsor just any post from your executive. If you’re investing in thought leader ads, start with a goal in mind. Thought leader ads take an organic post and push it out to your target audience...

16:16 / Guide
05 Jan

The phrase “new year, new me” doesn’t just apply to you — it can also reflect how executives approach their social media presence. Since we’re just a few weeks into the new year, now’s the time to freshen up any executive social media profiles. With many CEOs and executives choosing LinkedIn as their primary social media platform of choice, here are three easy ways digital marketers can give their profile a makeover.   Update Your LinkedIn Profile Images LinkedIn profiles have two main areas where users can update images: a circular profile picture and a rectangular profile banner. Here is an effective example from General Motors CEO, Mary Barra (a few years ago, we featured her in our Executive Spotlight article). What makes her profile images effective? Her profile headshot is well-cropped and clear. Because the circular profile image size is much smaller than the banner,...

16:10 / Guide