There is no doubting it that the most influential and effective leaders throughout history have been great communicators. Often the way they speak with humbling yet powerful tones is what captivates the people they lead and inspires us to build for a better tomorrow.
Communicating on Twitter
In the digital world however, the traditional rules of communication don’t necessarily apply. Great leaders are forced to condense their thoughts into 140 characters or less and the luxury of Teleprompters and hours of practice are absent.
The question that social media marketing departments often have to answer is “Will having our boss on Twitter add value to the brand or will one comment cause us to crash and burn”. Twitter as we know is a great tool to add a face or humanize a brand and allow brand advocates to feel personally connected to the decision makers. On the other hand if your boss is not well trained on proper social etiquette, a PR disaster may be on the horizon.
According to a survey conducted by Weber Shandwick, only 10% of the chief executives running the world’s 50 largest companies regularly tweet. This may also have to do with the fact that the majority of today’s business leaders are aged 50-60 and are perhaps too old to understand social media fully.
Twitter for the Leaders of Tomorrow
Personally I believe that depending on your company and organizational goals, having a strong Twitter presence isn’t necessary. But, it will however become essential for the future business leaders of tomorrow to maintain a well-kept social media presence. It will almost be expected of them having grown up in the digital age.
A strong Twitter presence for leaders can definitely enhance their brand even when they aren’t talking about things related to the business. People are interested in who the leaders of their favourite brands are and their values and opinions. Users on social media expect full transparency from companies and look to social media to gain insights. It is important for brands to open up a two-way dialogue with their customers and fans and provide them with benefits and incentives to remain loyal.
Although there have been many train wrecks on Twitter from some of business’s top leaders, when trained and executed properly your bosses words of wisdom could translate into valuable earned media your the brand.
