Consumers like leaders to be available to the public eye. A BRANDFog survey found that 82 percent of consumers trust a company more if its leadership engages on social media and 77 percent said leadership’s social media presence makes them more likely to buy. It’s clear that consumers want leaders to be online – but what about the inherent “fishbowl” risks of social media?
There are ways that leaders can tap into resources like social media, however, and still come off as professional and in control. Take a look at a few safe ways that leaders can harness the power of social technology to advance their companies:
Post motivational quotes and memes.
Want to get your fans and followers pumped up? Post a quote or meme that has universal appeal and represents the leadership traits like determination, hard work, and courage. Make sure that you attribute the quotes to the correct people (in other words, do a little fact checking) so you aren’t called out publicly for inaccuracy. If there are any quotes that you have found particularly inspiring, they will probably resonate with your audience too.
Recognize others.
Great leaders are quick to point out the way that others have helped them succeed. Use your social media presence to name names by tagging colleagues, vendors and even customers that deserve some special recognition. This boosts your own social media presence but keeps the focus on others.
Link to official releases.
When your business releases something new, shout about it online through your own social media channels as well. You don’t want your content to always be focused on selling, but you should use your leadership position to your advantage when the time is right.
Share the content of others.
Not really sure what to write about or share on your social media profiles? Look through the status updates, tweets and pins of others in your industry or company, and then share what they have to say. The importance of following the right people on social media comes into play here because when you are looking for content to share, you want to be able to find it quickly. You can also keep a list of people whose posts you generally like to reference when you find yourself in a social media content dry spell of your own.
Have a conversation.
Expanding your social media influence and presence does not have to happen just on your own pages. Comment on the content of others and get involved in relevant online conversations. This may even help you draw new followers from those third-party pages. Of course you want to avoid anything controversial or airing opinions that could reflect poorly on your company. Stick with safe threads and stop commenting if any of them take a turn for the worst.
What ways do you boost your leadership clout through social media?
Original article: 5 Safe Social Media Tasks for Business Leaders
©2015 UNSPOKEN. All Rights Reserved.
