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
24 May

The Fortune 500 list includes the largest companies in the U.S. These days, it’s a given that major brands have a strong social media presence. What about their CEOs? Are they on social media as well? If you missed it, we shared our latest findings on Fortune 500 CEOs on social media. Be sure to check it out here, How Many Fortune 500 CEOs are on Social Media in 2023? In the infographic below, we summarize our top findings! Do any of the results surprise you? Infographic: Fortune 500 CEOs Social Media Statistics Key Takeaways For Executive Social Media Executive Social Media Takeaway #1: Executive social media matters. Almost three-quarters of Fortune 500 CEOs in 2023 were on social media, signaling that executive social media is no longer just an optional side project, but a necessity for a company’s digital marketing program. CEOs can strategically use...

14:03 / 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
15 Mar

Today, establishing a digital marketing program for a company is a given. Similarly, more CEOs and other business executives are finding value in establishing an online presence for themselves as a way to promote their company while strategically positioning themselves as an expert in their field. With marketers juggling both company branding and their executive’s personal branding, what are some of the challenges — and untapped opportunities — to be aware of?   Why Business Executives Need Personal Branding and Social Media Digital marketing strategies continue to evolve over the years. Even before the pandemic forced marketers to pivot, we saw changes in the way business leaders approached their personal positioning. Understanding that their company’s audience is increasingly using social media as a research tool, it became clear that executives with a strategic social media presence had a significant advantage over competitors that did...

14:03 / Guide
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
18 Jan

Long-form content can be an effective complementary piece to an executive’s strategic social media presence. With many CEOs and other business leaders using LinkedIn as their primary social media platform, one feature to consider making use of is LinkedIn’s increasingly popular “newsletters.” In this article, we provide a brief overview of what LinkedIn newsletters are, share our top tips to keep in mind, the benefits of your executive having a newsletter, and ideas on what to write about.   What is LinkedIn’s “Newsletter” Feature? Compared to many of the other top social media sites, LinkedIn is truly the home for long-form content. Not only do social media posts feature relatively lengthy character limits compared to a platform like X, but the company’s newsletter feature is also an excellent way to share long-form content on a regular basis. Both individual users and company pages can create...

19:08 / 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