The chief executives and owners of companies are often asked to participate in conferences or seminars because of their influence and insights into their industry as thought leaders and experts in their field.
In times of crisis a CEO proactively communicating about how they are solving the problem can calm stock markets and be a great public relations strategy to protect market value and brand integrity. Just recently Alan Joyce the CEO of the airline Qantas had to very quickly and proactively communicate with it’s customers and community about the the airlines safety after an engine blast on a Qantas Airbus A380 flight from Singapore nearly turned into a major disaster.
How CEO’s Can Get Their Message Out
Leaders very often need to get their message out and in the past the only means they had was via mass media and Alan Joyce was on every major TV channel to reassure the flying public that they were safe flying with Qantas.
Communication is not always about good PR strategies in times of crisis but also continuing to proactively position the company and the brand as thought leaders in their industry.
CEO’s and senior executives now have other means to communicate to the market and in real time and they are the new social media channels that can continue to provide information about the company and the industry as it happens.
The 3 Essential Social Media Tools
So what are three tools that can help a CEO communicate,lead and inspire his troops that is proactive and displays leadership?
1. Blog
A blog is great way to provide insights that employees can read and view at any time. Blogs can also help a leader get his message out about how he sees the industry and what they as a company should be doing to grow their sales and improve their service to their clients. The blog can include video snippets of conferences that the CEO has attended that can be both inspirational and informative and ensure damaging rumors are nipped in the bud. It is also a very authentic way to communicate that can build trust and morale that can maintain respect and leadership to the corporate team. Also a blog can reveal a passion about the company and the industry that is hard to display by other means.
2. Twitter
Twitter is a great tool for people to communicate directly with the CEO and also for the leaders to make announcements in real time. Twitter can also be a great way for the CEO’s blog posts to be promoted and spread
3. LinkedIn
LinkedIn’s vast network of nearly 100 million professionals is a vast community that has many groups and professional groups from retail to tech. Senior executives and CEO’s participation can be influential and be a efficient way to network in their industry. Also on LinkedIn you can display your Twitter feed and also the latest blog articles
Greg Savage the CEO of FireBrand Talent use all these tools to great effect to communicate, maintain his authority in his industry, rally and inspire his team and continue to develop respect from his peers.
Check out his his blog ( The Savage Truth), Twitter and LinkedIn Channels to find out how he uses the fast evolving social web to both his and FireBrand’s advantage.
This “New Media” enables CEO’s and executive to place their stamp and authority on their industry and creates an influential digital brand that is an ongoing online asset that in the end is hard to ignore, because they are everywhere.