Social media has become ubiquitous and, over the last two decades, one of the primary marketing channels.
A social media strategy is key for businesses that want to reach a large audience.
5 reasons executives should be active on social media
1. They’re natural influencers that impact the brand
Your organization’s CEO and other executive leadership might not have the personality or charisma to be engaging, but they are in a position of influence as they are already the face of the company.
Leadership’s posts may not be getting a lot of engagement, but they are still having an impact by simply being present on social media.
When top executives are visible to the public, it makes them seem more human and relatable, and audiences can see that they are real people with valuable insights leading the company.
There is often a lack of trust for company leaders or a feeling of cynicism, but when executives sound like themselves instead of like corporate robots, it creates more empathy for both them and the brand they represent.
If you’re on LinkedIn or Twitter, you’re already ahead of the game. A Hootsuite report states that execs who are on social media are “perceived 23% more positively than companies without.”
Additionally, executives whose CEOs are active on social media are almost twice as likely to say their leaders are inspiring. This is in comparison to those whose CEOs do not use social media, where only 26 percent say their leaders are inspiring.
When CEOs and social media work together, it has a positive effect on the brand.
Almost all consumers (93%) think that when a company’s CEO is active on social media, it communicates the company’s values, defines its reputation, and gives leadership during difficult times. Additionally, most executives (76%) believe that a CEO’s social media activity makes the company seem more trustworthy.
2. It improves communication and provides a competitive advantage
Social media platforms provide an opportunity for two-way communication, so it’s important for executives to be present on networks like Twitter and LinkedIn. This way, they can not only share their own thoughts, but also engage with their audience.
It’s also about facilitating connections and staying current.
The majority of CEOs on social media claim that one of the top advantages is being able to communicate with employees through this platform. Additionally, half of consumers believe that CEOs who do not use social media will be out of touch with customers.
Additionally, having executives on social media provides employees, future hires, current customers, prospective customers, investors, and others with the opportunity to give feedback directly to those who have the power to make changes.
This type of access makes it easier for companies to be transparent and seem more credible. Additionally, it allows company executives to see how consumers view both the company and its branding, identify areas that need to be improved, and learn how they can make changes to improve the company. This also creates more trust between the company and its consumers, which is important for a company to be successful.
A large majority of Americans believe that it is more important than ever for businesses to be transparent. In addition, a study found that a large majority of executives whose CEOs are social media savvy describe those CEOs as “open and honest.”
Company executives who are active on social media are preferred by 77% of consumers.
3. It makes them better leaders
Social media has given executives a new way to connect with employees and customers. Development Dimensions International conducted a study that found CEOs who are active on social media rank higher than those who aren’t for communication, networking, influence, decision-making, and empowering others.
Bad news for CEOs who aren’t on social media: Employees prefer to work for CEOs who are active on social media.
According to a survey, most people believe that CEOs who are active on social media are better equipped to lead companies. Additionally, most employees say that they would rather work for a CEO who engages with people on social media.
Twenty-three percent of CEOs say that one of the top benefits of social media is communicating with employees.
4. It inspires employees to become advocates
It is especially important to get the CEO and other executives on social media for employee advocacy initiatives.
If leaders don’t share company news and content, they can’t expect employees to do so either.
It’s essential for senior leaders to buy into internal initiatives for adoption, because employees look to executives for guidance. If they see leadership participating in company initiatives and actively engaging on social media, workers are more likely to do the same.
5. It expands thought leadership
Being active on social media benefits executives by making it easier to share their ideas and opinions.
This allows them to create their own legacy and future professional opportunities that can have value to them on a personal level.
The program also helps to develop leadership skills by allowing participants to connect with employees, industry leaders, and more.
Tips to help executives on social media
Align the core topics for posting
As a leader, you should share topics on your social media accounts that you have authority on. This will help attract followers who are interested in what you have to say.
Here are a few questions to consider as your leadership begins to use social media:
- What kind of tone or voice will the executives have?
- What are the core topics of content that will be shared?
- What’s an appropriate mix of professional and personal content?
- How often will content be shared?
- What social channels will be most valuable for executives to be active on?
- How will you measure the effectiveness of your executives on social media?
Make social posting a habit
If users see executives’ content regularly in their social feeds, they will be more likely to recognize them and have more opportunities to engage with them.
To maintain a high social media presence, it is important to post often. This can be a challenge for executives who are already very busy. However, it is still important to post, share, and engage regularly, even if your company leadership is not very visible.
Don’t worry about super polished content
Although professionalism is crucial, this doesn’t mean that your COO’s tweets should read like a press release or as if they have been checked by legal. Therefore, get rid of the generic copy.
People follow executives on social media to get an insight into their lives which they can’t get from anywhere else. They want to see their personality, how vulnerable they are, their empathy and how transparent they are.
This means that they would rather connect with a real person instead of a corporate bot.
Make sharing easy with an employee advocacy platform
Employee advocacy platforms are the best way to get employees involved in content creation and social sharing. They are also ideal for executives.
This platform is not only useful for executives to stay updated on what is happening in other departments, but it is also a great way for them to share news with employees. When executives are seen engaging with the platform, it encourages other employees to do the same.
The presence of executives on social media platforms is a positive indicator for an organization’s employer brand and brand ambassadorship. In addition to the other benefits that an internal social media program can bring to a company, its employees, and its culture, this is a significant advantage.
Be patient
However, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Some executives find it easy to build a social media following, while others find it more difficult.
Most executives find that it takes time to grow an audience that is active and engaged. Even when results are not good, it is important to stick to a schedule.
Now is not the time to give up. Try posting, liking, commenting, and engaging more often and you will acquire more followers.
Social media marketing report statistics from HubSpot
Here are some of the most interesting stats we discovered:
- 77% of social media marketers say social media marketing has been somewhat to very effective for their company this year.
- What’s more, 37% of marketers who said social media marketing was somewhat to very ineffective cited COVID-19, likely due to the rapid change in strategy.
- The number one goal marketers report having for their social media marketing strategy is advertising their products or services, following by increasing brand awareness.
- 82% of marketers say they repurpose content across social media channels.
- The majority of marketers surveyed say they post on most social media platforms four to six times a week.
- The platforms with the lowest reported engagement levels are Twitch, Snapchat, and Clubhouse.
- Short-form videos is the top social media format used by 54% of social media marketers, followed by live streaming, live audio chatrooms, and user-generated content.
- 80% of marketers say funny content is the most effective on social media.
- 68% of marketers’ companies work with influencers on social media.
- The most popular cadence to search for new social media platforms is once a month, followed by once a week.
- 84% of marketers target Millennials as part of their social media strategy.
- The biggest challenge marketers face on social media is creating engaging content, reported by 27% of respondents.
- 67% of marketers say they work with micro-influencers with 10K-100K followers or subscribers. Conversely, only 29% say they work with mega influencers with more than 1 million followers.
- 64% of marketers say they invest in building social media communities.
- 25% of respondents said they believe funny content is most effective with Gen Z.
Facebook statistics
- In a 2021 HubSpot Blog poll, 79% of marketers report buying paid advertising on Facebook. (HubSpot)
- Users spend an average of 19.6 hours a month on Facebook. (HootSuite)
- Facebook is a popular source of news with 31% of Americans regularly getting their news from the platform. (Pew Research)
- According to the same poll, more than 50% of marketers plan on increasing their investments in Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok in 2022. (HubSpot)
- Facebook has 1.96 billion daily active users as of Q1 2022. (Statista)
Twitter statistics
- Twitter has reached 229 million daily active users as of the first quarter of 2022. (Statista)
- In a HubSpot Blog poll, 79% of marketers plan to continue investing in Twitter Spaces in 2022. (HubSpot)
- Link clicks account for 92% of all user interaction with tweets. (HubSpot)
- The best time to post on Twitter is at 9 AM, and the best days to post are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. (Sprout Social)
- Tweets with hashtags get 100% more engagement. (Twitter)
Instagram statistics
- In a 2021 HubSpot Blog poll, 58% of marketers plan to leverage Instagram Reels in 2022. (HubSpot)
- 64% of Instagram users are under the age of 34. (Statista)
- 20% of marketers surveyed in a HubSpot Blog poll report generating the biggest ROI when working with influencers on Instagram, only behind Facebook. (HubSpot)
- 98% of marketers say Instagram is the most influential platform for influencer marketing, which is 44% higher than Facebook. (Sprout Social)
LinkedIn statistics
- LinkedIn has more than 830 million active users in 200 countries and regions worldwide. (LinkedIn)
- The most popular day to post on LinkedIn is on Saturdays and Sundays. (HubSpot)
- According to a HubSpot Blog survey, most marketers post on LinkedIn four to six times a week. (HubSpot)
- When it comes to B2B display ad spend, LinkedIn makes up the largest share at 32.2%. (eMarketer)
- As of January 2022, 59% of LinkedIn users were between 25 and 34 years old. (Statista)
YouTube statistics
- YouTube is the second-largest search engine globally. (Alexa)
- YouTube generates over 1.7 billion unique monthly visitors. (Hootsuite)
- 42.5% of marketers use YouTube for influencer marketing, according to a 2021 eMarketer report. (eMarketer)
- 50% of social media marketers surveyed by the HubSpot Blog say they plan to increase their investment in YouTube in 2022. In fact, 20% of respondents say they plan to invest in this platform the most. (HubSpot)
- The number of YouTube users is projected to reach 2.8 million by 2025. (Statista)
TikTok statistics
- 70% of TikTok users agree they feel a deeper connection to people they interact with on TikTok compared to other social networks. (TikTok)
- In a 2021 HubSpot Blog poll, 61% of marketers plan to increase their investment in TikTok marketing in 2022. (HubSpot)
- Douyin, TikTok’s original standalone app in China, had 300 million users at the time Musical.ly merged with TikTok. (The Verge)
- Two out of three users are likely to buy something on TikTok while using the app. (TikTok)
- TikTok was the most downloaded app of 2021. (HootSuite)
Reddit statistics
- As of Q3 2021, the Reddit mobile app was counting more than 13 million daily active users worldwide on iOS. (Statista)
- 50% of marketers surveyed in a HubSpot Blog poll plan to increase their investment in Reddit. (HubSpot)
- The site receives more than 50 billion+ monthly screen views. (Reddit)
- 23% of marketers surveyed in a HubSpot Blog poll plan to leverage Reddit for the first time in 2022. (HubSpot)
- Most Reddit users in the U.S. are male, but 15% of U.S. adults say they use the platform. (Statista)
Let data drive your social media strategy
Analyzing social media marketing statistics can give you insights into the current state of the business world, where it may be headed, and how you can make sure your business is always meeting customer needs.
The statistics in this article can help you understand how to use social media effectively for your business.