Too many directors expect their social media to be managed by a junior member of staff, in the belief that their time is much better spent on running the business.
The question I have is:
Why are they entrusting the reputation of their business to someone else?
A business lives and dies by its reputation and the reputation of its senior management. Those of a certain age with remember Gerald Ratner's infamous comments about his product being "crap" that led to the rapid collapse of the business. We wait, with baited breath, to see the outcome of the recent issues with H&M. The media is full of other examples.
So what are the risks for the director and the business?
- How do you know what the person managing your social media is going to say, especially if they are in a bad mood?
- Are they connecting with the right people for your business? If you're asking them to increase the size of your network as well as add content, they need to be carefully managed.
- Are they looking at quality or quantity? Too many are asked to "connect with as many people as possible" rather than looking for the right people.
- Will they know what to look for to comment on? Social media relationships aren't all about promoting the business. Sharing and commenting on posts made by others is a key requirement in building relationships that will benefit the business.
These are just some of the risks a business takes when a director asks someone else to run their personal social media accounts. Is it really worth the risk when you are talking about 10-15 minutes per day?
. Business leaders will become social influencers Social media in business is becoming increasingly personal, and CEOs will start to embrace it rather than leaving it to the marketing teams. Only the CEO can truly speak on behalf of the organisation and engage more effectively with top level influencers. The internal PR team will start to take on a coaching role to ensure the CEO is equipped to enter the fray.
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