As a B2B company looking to maximize its impact, you may be thinking about deploying your executives on social media on behalf of the brand. There are many reasons to do so, and this centers around establishing them as thought leaders in their field to attract clients, talent, partners and potentially investors.
But this is often more easily said than done, and one of the surprising stumbling blocks that can hold a program back is determining which executives to position on social media.
The guide below was created based on the criteria we see as the most important in determining the success of a program. This can serve as a framework to decide which leaders would be best suited as the focus of your executive social media program:
1. The company will benefit.
Their position within the company is outwardly visible and they could benefit from a strong position as a thought leader with some combination of prospects, clients, partners, talent and investors. This means these stakeholders will look up this executive prior to meetings and potentially follow them, creating an opportunity for the company to gain credibility and positive association when this executive’s ideas and expertise come through on social media.
2. They have substance.
It is easiest to work with an executive and develop a strong social presence on their behalf when they have ideas and specific expertise that is of value. You can think of this as something they are often already known for or perhaps that they should be better known for. This can include some combination of subject matter or technical expertise, visionary ideas within the industry, strong perspectives on leadership and culture-related topics or other things that attract talent, customers, partners and/or investors to want to work with them.
3. They complement brand messages and reinforce priority themes.
As you look at your B2B social media marketing program, executives should be seen as complements to the brand. The brand may be conveying certain messages, but those messages can be stronger coming from a particular leader within the company. Therefore, as you think about key marketing messages or themes and your company’s value proposition, certain executives may come to mind as leaders who can drive these priority messages home and bring them to life. Consider positioning executives who can add credibility and unique perspectives that tie into the messages that you want to come through most clearly.
4. They see the benefit of a public profile.
The leader should ideally be open to a public profile through social media and potentially to speaking engagements, media appearances, video content and/or podcasting that can come along with it. This doesn’t mean it needs to be a super charismatic, extroverted executive. In many ways, social media can create a platform for certain executives who don’t already have a strong public profile in a way that can showcase their expertise and ideas and work well with their style. There are plenty of opportunities to tailor a program to a specific executive’s comfort areas and strengths, but you should think about the potential for their social media presence to lead to other opportunities and you’ll want an executive who is open to taking these on.
Relatedly, when the executive sees the benefit to the company and themselves of positioning themselves on social media, they also tend to be more open to having a third party (either someone in the marketing department or an external agency partner) support them with managing their social presence. If they understand it is being done for the brand’s benefit and think of it as part of the company’s marketing program, they understand this isn’t something they need to be managing personally, given social media likely isn’t their area of expertise.
5. There is an expectation of reasonable longevity with the firm.
This one is tricky and shouldn’t become a fixation or obstacle, but it should be considered. If you have an executive who has historically moved around every 3-4 years and you’re approaching that timeframe, you may want to better understand their intentions before launching a program on their behalf.
That said, the reality is that companies invest in their leaders in many ways and that investment often reaps rewards, even if that person isn’t with the company for 5+ more years. During the time they are with you, they can be an important asset for the brand. So, you should think more about their personal positioning and value in your brand toolkit over the next 12-24 months and how they complement what you are doing with the brand’s social presence and other executives (No. 3 above).
In summary, there are a number of criteria to consider when selecting which executive or executives will be best suited to represent the brand on social media. The above framework provides key considerations to get to an answer so you can move onto the important next step of executing on the strategy.