If you’ve been on the fence on whether to add social media as one of your executive products, there is no better time then now to begin!
New research continues to come in on how much consumers are using social media, but the numbers for CEO’s and executives doesn’t match up. In fact, according to an article on Harvard Business Review, called “Why CEO’s Should Use Social Media“, written by David K. Williams and Mary Michelle Scott, only a fraction of executives consistently use these products.
Did you know that half of the population uses Facebook? And nearly 40% are using Twitter.
In comparison, only around 7% of CEO’s are taking advantage of Facebook and 4% are on Twitter. The only social media platform where executives outperform the general public is on LinkedIn. So what does this mean for you?
According to the article, IBM recently ran a survey among CEO’s and discovered that over the next 5 years, the percentage of executives using social media is expected to grow from 16% to 57%.
Why the sudden interest?
Top executives and business owners are becoming aware of what the consumer have known all along: Using social media is about creating connections!
Really as a CEO, the possibilities with using social media are endless.
How CEO’s Can Use Social Media
- Engage customers to build relationships
- Connect directly with suppliers or contractors
- Express your mission and values
- Immediately manage consumer questions
- Develop groups for employees to interact
- Obtain new contacts and connections
- Create buzz about a new launch
- Build trust and credibility
Recent study results from the BRANDFog 2012 CEO Survey, stated that an overwhelmingly 82% of respondents are more likely to trust companies who have a team or CEO visible and engaging on social media.
These results offer an opportunity to those CEO’s that are either already on social media or planning on becoming active.
Regardless of your product or service, your customers are hanging around on social media. Beginning the process now of becoming active and creating relationships, will put you ahead of the curve. When the floods of executives jump on board, you will already have strong and committed relationships built.
So, what are you waiting for?
Are you on social media already? What are your experiences? We’d love to hear your stories. Share them below or visit us on Facebook and share.