How social media can be used by company leadership

Today’s society is showing just how powerful social media really is. A single act of police brutality in the USA can spark civil unrest across the planet – within days. There are brands who still believe that they can manage meaningful relationships without social media, but this is putting the organisation under undue pressure and makes much more work for everyone. Social media can see to a range of functions in a company, but where it really adds value is when the brand’s leadership take to social channels – becoming the faces of the organisation and garnering trust with transparent, human social interactions with everyday people. Here are three beneficial ways social media can be used by leadership.

Finger on the pulse

Leaders of organisations can seriously enhance their own understanding of their target audiences by joining the masses on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms. They’ll be able to see what the public are talking about and if they’re talking about the brand or not. This also helps to gather information about what is popular among the people at any given time, and what they need in their lives that the organisation might be able to provide. Leaders can keep their fingers on the pulse of the marketplace on social media.

Appeal to the yuppies

Millennials are on social media, and they’re using it to screen brands and products before committing to the purchase of a product or service. However, if an organisation’s leadership and other staff members are not on social media – promoting their brand and keeping engaged with the public – then there will form a disconnect between them. By establishing a solid presence where target audience hangs out online, leaders can solidify their reputations as thought leaders in their specific fields. This will improve brand loyalty because people don’t connect with brands anymore – they collect with people.

Show your fun side

Other than knowing what is happening in the brand’s marketplace (including monitoring competitors) and being the face of the organisation, leaders can also leverage social media channels to show that they’re not just the stiff suit-and-tie corporate bores that people assume them to be. The younger generations are the future consumers, and by using the social media channels where young people hang out, brand leaders can show their fun sides and show that they are ‘cool’ enough to appeal to the younger crowds who might end up as loyal brand advocates when they’re older.

Social media is a unique, challenging promotional platform to harness. However, when done correctly, social media can become a very powerful marketing tool for any brand in any industry!

Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing

See our highly popular Social Media Marketing course, or find something more your speed on our digital marketing courses page.