How to post on social media as a C-Suite exec
+an old marketing tactic is new again thanks to creators
quick summary ⚡️
Why [and how] executives should be posting on social
Cultural gems for your to-read list, including how small businesses are marketing on socials and a save the date for Swifties
Reminder to slow down heading into the end of the year
the case for having execs on social
People in the C-suite are not known for having light schedules, but more and more of them are carving out time to be on social media (or, having their teams carve out time). The Financial Times is reporting on these new numbers from LinkedIn:
There has been a 35% increase in C-suite professionals in the U.S. on LinkedIn in the past five years
There has also been a 23% increase in posts from chief executives globally year on year
Their content gets four times more engagement than other content from LinkedIn members
This makes a ton of sense, because as we see such big increases in influencer marketing, it’s clear that audiences are connecting more with people than faceless brands. In that case, then, who better to build affinity and trust than the people at the top of the business?
This is happening at the same time as LinkedIn’s investment in video, the fastest-growing format on the platform, with uploads up 34% year-over-year.
Dan Shapero, Chief Operating Officer at LinkedIn, tells FT: “In particular, videos from executives are some of the most engaged content on the platform, because people want to get to know these folks that are leading organizations that matter to them.”
The FT story highlights that in trying to write valuable posts, some execs are getting too personal. That worked during the pandemic, but these days, LinkedIn’s algorithm has shifted to prioritizing content that shares insights or advice.
[Don’t miss this post from a man who does both when he shares a story about his former CEO seducing his wife and the professional lessons he learned from the experience. It does have high engagement…]
If you - or an exec you work with - is wanting to get on social or do more, bookmark the thought leadership strategy we shared earlier this year. We map out what to do and how to do it, including picking a platform, deciding what to talk about, and engaging with the audience.
We also talk about assessing the competition, and share some examples of who’s doing it well [and not just on LinkedIn, because execs should be on whatever their preferred platform is]. A couple other good follows from FT: Spotify’s Daniel Ek and Blackstone’s Jon Gray.
Another important point from the FT story is what C-suite profile can do for recruiting: ”According to a 2022 report by the advisory firm Brunswick, when applicants research a business they might join, they look first at the company website and then the CEO’s LinkedIn page.”
At this point in our social media world, it’s clear that most people agree that execs should have some sort of presence. When it comes to their aforementioned time [or lack thereof], Social Media Today hypothesizes that we are seeing more of them come around thanks to AI: “Time-restricted CEOs can now utilize generative AI to come up with more compelling, resonant content, or to distill their ideas into more palatable copy, with the assistance of PR pros and editors to improve their messaging.”
Here are a few more MTD resources if you’re feeling inspired:
🤝 What you can learn from 3 execs crushing it on social
🤝 How to create impactful content on instagram as an executive
🤝 Personal branding lessons from Bozoma Saint John
💎cultural gems💎
The cultural moments and news that caught our attention this week:
SMALL BUSINESSES ARE GETTING CREATIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA - AND DRIVING FOOT TRAFFIC, marketing brew
“People come from all over town, from Chicago,” said Judy Wang, who has become a local celebrity in Galesburg, Illinois because of her efforts to promote Judy’s Family Cafe on social. “We had our first customer from Tennessee drive for eight hours.”
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SOCIAL MEDIA TELLS YOU WHO YOU ARE. WHAT IF IT’S TOTALLY WRONG?, wired
“Pinterest and Threads seem convinced I’m in my sixties or going through menopause. Spend enough time in the bizarro worlds of these feeds, and you can start to believe anything.”
MOLLY BAZ AND FORMULA MAKER BOBBIE BRING BREASTFEEDING TO TIMES SQUARE, adweek
This is a pretty incredible ad that has made for an even more incredible social moment. For awhile, Times Square billboards felt like a stale marketing ploy - particularly when everyone who actually lives in NYC does what they can to never step foot in the area. But in the age of creators, a billboard in the center of it all is a co-sign of their legitimacy. [Another example of that here.]
TAYLOR SWIFT IS RELEASING THE ERAS TOUR (BOOK VERSION), the cut
Swifties, mark November 29 on your content calendars - this book will surely be all over our feeds.
inspo
Reminder that good things come to those who wait ⏳
Did you see that the Taylor book is Black Friday in store exclusive the first day?! Target is desperate to juice the in store numbers