Social Media Tips for C-Suite Executives

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Written by Christina Svetia
on December 8, 2010

Social Media Tips for C-Suite Executives


The Web is now an all pervasive presence in C-level executives‘ lives:  a generational shift that is transforming how they use the Internet and the social media. While these corporate leaders are positively disposed to use internet as their top information gathering resource, many are still spoofed over including any material presence over the social web.


Reflect on this, with people communicating more and more quickly than ever before, there is an enormous trove of data online. The fact that online users spend 22.7% of their time on social networking sites means any CEO or C-level executive will need to be fluent in social media in order to keep their companies relevant.


Here are thus some tips and advice that point to the need this generation decision makers to take heed on their social media mindset.



1) Be Where the People Are

The people of this world speak social media; we’re now seeing a web built around people who are consumed by and make possible rapid and widespread sharing of news, information, images, audio, video, and other content. As the communication landscape changes and new, executives understand that their time/financial investments need to go where people are spending time, and that’s social media.
2) ‘Social’ is Spoken on the Web
One of the real insights of social media communications is that most of people’s conversations tend to be much more revealing in business and personal communications than ever before. More personal statements are being told and explored on blogs, on Facebook and on Twitter. People are candid on their thoughts or reviews on relationships, products and companies. They love tweeting quotes they hear from speakers or share their wisdoms with their followers. Listening to the conversation online about their current products, services, their competitors can all  help gain real insights on what people think.
3) Be a Subject Matter Expert
A great way for people in the networking maze to remember you is to establish yourself as a fascinating subject matter expert. Any area of endeavour where you may specialize in or have special knowledge can become an important — read:  tweet: must-follow — source of information.
4) Reach, Engage, Integrate: Reinventing the Customer Relationship

The web is much smarter, more instrumented, interconnected and intelligent. Whereas earlier the conversations used to occur between you and your customer, it is now happening amongst your customers themselves and as a result, the power has shifted. Just as social media is about relationships, there’s also humanness behind each and every Tweet and Facebook status update.


John Battelle of Federated Media advises that CEOs and executives should, “Be the kind of person others want to seek out because each time they interact with you (or your brand), they feel like you’ve earned their attention and their loyalty.”
The CEO that can make it personal can connect with the individual beyond the medium.


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