Agency owners should be part of a “New Group of Executives” that are using social media to attract clients, generate exposure for their companies and acquire new business.
The importance of social media on business has dramatically escalated. It is a primary force that is redefining the role of the men and women who oversee the world’s largest companies. It is also redefining the role of the owners of small to midsize advertising, digital, media and PR firms.
We have moved through the “hype phase” of social media when businesses and agencies felt compelled to participate because it was such a fad. We have entered a productive phase where companies and agencies are turning it into a genuine marketing advantage.
According to research by Weber Shandwick, CEO social media engagement more than doubled in one year. Conducted in partnership with KRC Research, over 600 senior executives from 10 markets worldwide were surveyed. The research found that 76% of global executives say they want their CEO to engage in social media.
A few of the top benefits cited were:
- An improved ability to share company news and information
- A positive impact on company reputation and business results
- Ability to communicate more directly with employees, customers, and other key stakeholders
- Executives at companies with social CEOs say that their leader’s participation makes them feel inspired (52%) and technologically advanced (46%).
CEOs and agency owners that are truly social and engage their staff and potential clients in genuine conversation will be recognized as the new corporate leaders.
“CEOs who are social will be the next new thing.” Leslie Gaines-Ross Chief Reputation Strategist, Weber Shandwick
As consumers become more social savvy, so must company leaders. CEOs who are social are perceived as better leaders and better communicators.
Just as having a company/agency website has become standard over the past twenty years, utilizing social media channels has now become an increasingly essential platform for business leaders to communicate their messages to their online audiences.
Prospects expect to have direct connections to brands and brand leaders. The time has arrived for social media to become an expectation for company leaders. According to recent reports, 82% of buyers say they trust a company more when its CEO and leadership team are active in social media.
Social media is anticipated to rise from the least likely method for CEOs to connect with their audiences to the second highest method, just behind face-to-face interactions.
The Weber Shandwick report reveals 7 Habits of Highly Social CEOs that I hope will be an inspiration to agency CEOs to become more socially engaged for new business:
- Highly social CEOs use a more expansive set of social tools. Hyper-social CEOs realize sociability goes beyond dropping messages into a Twitter or micro blog feed. World class sociability requires a strategically crafted plan for driving the company’s content across several channels.
- Highly social CEOs own a blog. These CEOs see the value in long-form, content creation as a way of giving their perspectives context, meaning and depth.
- Highly social CEOs leverage the company website. These leaders realize the website remains “digital ground zero” for company information-seekers and offers a platform for content to be delivered in multiple formats. The company website can now be a destination for corporate and leadership content.
- Highly social CEOs self-author. These CEOs are DIYers (Do It Yourself). Their frequent postings influences their determination to author everything themselves although most probably take input from their marketing and communications executives.
- Highly social CEOs are forward-looking. These CEOs intuitively understand that technology and social media are the future of content distribution and they want to be part of this communication revolution.
- Highly social CEOs are spontaneous, yet not too informal. These socially adept CEOs maintain the formality of their office but let stakeholders know they can react quickly and seize opportunity.
- Highly social CEOs engage a wider variety of external stakeholders. These CEOs see the value in sociability and use it to reach out to a wide portfolio of stakeholders.
Social is certainly not limited to just social media. But, I think it is important for agency owners to develop a “social media mindset” and understand it is one of the most efficient ways to reach prospects and grow their agencies.
To have success with social media, agency owners need to understand that it is not just another marketing tool. It provides a two-way channel of communication, allowing them to connect and engage with large numbers of prospects quickly while maintaining the characteristics of one-to-one conversations.
Agency owners should spend 50 percent of their time generating new business. Drew McLellan, Agency Management Institute (AMI)
Social media is absolutely the best networking for new business. That’s why I’m such an advocate.
Email me at michael@michaelgass.com if you’d like a copy of my guide, Seven Steps for Fueling New Business.
