A recent report from CEO.com found that 68% of Fortune 500 CEOs have no social media presence. Interestingly, we wrote about another study showing that roughly 80% of director-level respondents indicated that their CEO would be open to coaching and counseling.
Think that’s a void that PR can fill?
The dearth of C-level executives on social media (and the simultaneous desire for counsel) represents an opportunity for PR pros to step in and help CEOs build a valuable presence on social channels.
In a recent issue of PR News, Anne Green, president-CEO of CooperKatz & Co. Inc., argued that PR should take the lead on social. "PR has rapidly ascended the curve on social, to where we now drive the leading edge," Green said. "The multi-channel, multi-message nature of our work is perfectly suited to engaging heavily fragmented audiences." There's no reason why this shouldn't apply to a CEOs Twitter or Instagram account.
Need some reaffirmation about why it’s important that your CEO develop a social media presence?
Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, has more than 3.5 million followers on Twitter, and Bill Gates has more than 13 million.
Indeed, having your CEO on social channels can be a powerful brand asset. PR pros should seize this opportunity and make the push to get their C-level execs on board.
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Follow Lucia Davis: @LKCDavis.
Because they are damn busy! Do they REALLY need one?? Investors need CEOs who work hard and make money, not kind of “stars” with millions followers. That’s not important for businesses. Maybe for CEOs… especially when they lose their jobs :-) And again… nobody would hire them back based on their social media presence. This can be harmful, instead.