21 surprising facts on companies with Social CEOs

 
 
Social CEOs

  • 79% of Inc CEOs have an active social media presence
  • 30% of Fortune CEOs have an active social media presence
  • 50% of these CEOs are most active on Twitter, 47% on LinkedIn and 45% on Facebook (source: CEO.com)

The 10 most active Social CEOs are:

  1. Richard Branson: Founder, Virgin Group
  2. Jeff Weiner, CEO, LinkedIn
  3. Msrissa Meyer, CEO, Yahoo
  4. Adriana Huffington, Group President, AOL
  5. Elon Musk, Chairman/CEO, Tesla Motors
  6. Anand Mahindra, Chairman and MD, Mahindra & Mahindra
  7. Kaifu Lee, Chairman/CEO, Innovation Works
  8. Jeff Immelt, CEO GE
  9. Jack Welch, CEO, Welch Management Institute
  10. Angela Ahrendts, CEO, Burberry Group (source: BBC)

Key attributes of Social CEOs are:

  • Insatiable curiosity
  • DIY mindset
  • Bias for action
  • Relentless givers
  • Connect instead of promote
  • Company’s #1 Brand Ambassador
  • Lead with an open mindset (source: Harvard Business Review)

These stats, examples and character traits indicate Social CEOs are different than CEOs in general. Not only are Social CEOs different, but, as a result of their social media participation, so are public perceptions of their companies.
How do Social CEOs change a company culture, perceptions and workplace? Here are 21 surprising facts on companies with Social CEOs.

  1. 87% of US employees and 79% of UK employees agree that having a social media policy in place allows a company’s leadership team to be proactive rather than reactive in response to company challenges (source: Brandfog)
  2. 85% of US employees and 75% of UK agree social media is a valuable public relations channel for managing brand reputation (source: Brandfog)
  3. 84% of US employees and 76% of UK believe that social media is an effective way to monitor conversations about a brand online and to help brands prevent potential reputation crises (source: Brandfog)
  4. 83% of US employees and 73% of UK believe that CEO participation in social media builds better connections with customers, employees, and investors (source: Brandfog)
  5. 82% of US employees and 71% of UK believe that CEO engagement on social media helps to communicate company values and shapes a company’s brand reputation (source: Brandfog)
  6. 82% of US employees and 71% of UK overwhelmingly believe that executive use of social media raises brand awareness (source: Brandfog)
  7. 82% of customers are more likely to trust a company whose CEO and leadership team are active on social media (source: Adweek)
  8. 81% believe CEOs who engage on social media are better equipped to lead companies in the modern world (source: Brandfog)
  9. 79% of US employees and 68% of UK believe that having a socially active C- Suite leadership team can mitigate risk before a brand reputation crisis occurs (source: Brandfog)
  10. 77% of US employees and 69% of UK agree that executive use of social media fosters brand transparency. (source: Adweek)
  11. 75% of US employees  believe a company’s C-Suite executives and leadership team use social media to communicate about core mission, brand values and purpose is more trustworthy (source: Brandfog)
  12. 67% of UK employees believe a company’s C-Suite executives and leadership team use social media to communicate about core mission, brand values and purpose is more trustworthy (source: Brandfog)
  13. 67% of US and UK employees agree social media has become an essential aspect of PR and communications strategy for C-Suite executives (source: Brandfog)
  14. 61% of US employees and 50% of UK are more likely to purchase from a company whose values and leadership are clearly communicated through executive leadership participation on social media (source: Brandfog)
  15. 55% of employees believe a Social CEO is a good communicator; this compare to 38% in companies with CEOs does not use social media (source: Weber Shandwick)
  16. 52% of employees feel inspired by CEO participation in social media (Weber Shandwick)
  17. 51% of employees with Social CEOs believe their social media participation is not risky (source: Weber Shandwick)
  18. Between 2012 and 2013, the perception that C-Suite and executive participation in social media leads to better leadership increased from 45% to 75% (source: Brandfog)
  19. 48% of employees believe a Social CEO is open and accessible; this compares to 37% in companies with CEOs does not use social media (source: Weber Shandwick)
  20. 42% of CEOs participate in social media today; 63% are estimated to be participating in social media in 5 years; that’s a 50% increase (source: Weber Shandwick)
  21. 37% of employees believe a Social CEO is a good listener; this compares to 29% in companies with CEOs does not use social media (source: Weber Shandwick)

Below is an infographic that shows some of the facts about Social CEOs.
Do these facts about companies with Social CEOs surprise you? Do they change your perceptions? Does your C-Suite and CEO need help learning how to participate in social media to realize these Social CEO benefits?
Social CEOs

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