It’s time for an additional version of the Put up Efficiency Report (PPR), a collection the place we showcase social media posts and campaigns inspiring us, and discover what makes them so genius. We unpack how your model can use these examples to spark your individual scroll-stopping concepts—whereas maximizing your funds and doing extra with much less.
If a C-suite government says the improper factor on social, it may snowball right into a model disaster and price them their job. That’s why many leaders steer clear of constructing a private model, whether or not by selection or company mandate. Regardless of the danger, many develop their followings by usually sharing model content material, thought management and even a peek into their private lives.
As a result of when executives strategy social in an intentional method, it makes their model appear extra approachable, sincere and reliable. With a targeted government social technique, leaders amplify visibility and deepen connections with clients, staff, traders, media and companions.
Let’s dive into our lineup of executives (and the groups who assist them) who’re the best on social, and ideas for creating your individual profitable government communications program.
Salesforce: There’s a primary time for every thing
As the corporate behind a number one CRM software program, Salesforce is a B2B advertising icon. With large occasions like Dreamforce and tens of millions of followers throughout platforms, the SaaS firm units the usual. But, up till lately, they weren’t in a position to do one thing pivotal: Leverage their CEO on social media.
When CEO, Marc Benioff, printed his first LinkedIn submit on October 30, 2024, it rocked the community’s algorithm. At time of publishing the submit has over 18,000 likes, 800 feedback and 1,900 reposts. Benioff’s submit targeted on an AI system replace to their platform—a transfer that comes amid fierce competitors within the AI panorama.
The submit dramatically boosted the attain of the announcement by means of natural engagement and paid funding.
The PR carry from Benioff’s submit and associated commentary contributed to media pickups associated to the launch, and reassured clients and traders of the corporate’s course.
The play: For social and communications professionals who’ve struggled to get their executives (particularly their CEO) on board with social model advocacy, you’re not alone. Even a number of the world’s largest manufacturers are determining overcome this problem. Let Salesforce offer you hope.
Make a case for creating an government communications technique by utilizing Benioff’s submit as a proof level. Inform a compelling story of what can occur to your model while you tie a pivotal model launch to a frontrunner’s debut on social.
Symphonic Capital: Creating a way of belonging
Symphonic Capital is a enterprise capital agency that invests within the subsequent era of establishments by means of serving neglected and underserved communities. On LinkedIn, their founding basic companion Sydney Paige Thomas has amassed a following by reflecting on what she’s realized investing in infrastructure know-how and highlighting the agency’s occasions.
Thomas is constant on social, which issues. However extra importantly, she’s herself. She talks about her experiences because the daughter of the primary Black Chief of Workers of San Diego Mercy Hospital. She shares private anecdotes from her faculty years. She even mentions astrology in her posts.
Thomas demonstrates why executives can (and ought to) carry their full selves to their on-line private model. Humanizing your leaders creates confidence in your mission by permitting your group to see your leaders’ values first-hand. What motivates them, what their objective is, why they assume their work issues.
Thomas’ efforts helped her land on the AFROTECH™ Future 50 record. This accolade is certainly one of a rising record of accomplishments she’s achieved as a trusted voice within the funding area. As she continues ascending within the subject, so too does her agency’s profile.
The play: Take a cue from Thomas and Symphonic Capital by giving your leaders area to embody their full identities on social. Give them permission to speak about their upbringings, hobbies and households in addition to their ardour for his or her work. Individuals belief individuals, and need to hear from them.
Elevating Cane’s: From CEO to celeb
In each B2C and B2B, it’s uncommon to see a CEO as concerned in firm advertising as Todd Graves. Graves is the founding father of Elevating Cane’s—the quickly rising American chain recognized for his or her rooster fingers. He has shared the stage with Snoop Dogg, appeared as a visitor shark on Shark Tank and gave Travis Kelce free rooster for a 12 months.
The Elevating Cane’s crew makes use of Graves’ outgoing character, likeability and recognition to their benefit, steadily that includes him within the model’s social media content material. Graves additionally has his personal public Instagram channel (one other CEO anomaly) the place he’s tagged as a collaborator on most of Elevating Cane’s posts—amplifying their attain to his greater than 500,000 followers. He seems in influencer posts, like this one the place he shared a meal at Elevating Cane’s with an influencer who had by no means eaten at certainly one of his eating places.
It’s troublesome to articulate simply how efficient this technique has been for elevating Graves’ profile. His unlikely origin story grew to become the bedrock of the model’s picture, without end intertwining Graves and Canes. Consciousness of 1 inevitability creates success for the opposite. The corporate is on monitor to amass $5 billion this 12 months and Graves was subsequently named to the Fortune 400 record.
The play: The “throw your CEO within the highlight” technique will not work at each firm. Most likely not even most firms. This playbook is simply meant for founders who stick round for his or her whole profession, till the following era inherits their enterprise. Even when manufacturers match into that bucket, they need to solely pursue this strategy if they’ve a frontrunner who has clearly outlined values, thrives within the limelight and is discerning about what to share publicly.
For manufacturers with all items of that puzzle, your CEO could be the golden ticket to large development and outpacing the competitors. For others, adapt what is smart to your firm. Perhaps it’s encouraging your CEO to create an Instagram account managed by the social crew. Or doing extra media outreach to your C-suite.
Google: Sharing the highlight throughout the C-suite
For a multinational, publicly traded company like Google, having government thought leaders on social is usually a vital threat (much more so than for startups or small firms). For that reason, some members of the C-suite may not be current on social in any respect, whereas others take a restrained strategy.
Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, chooses the latter, and shares well-curated content material like highlights from earnings calls, clips from conversations with leaders at different firms and reflections about the way forward for world rising know-how on LinkedIn.
Equally, Google’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandt shares how Google know-how permits sustainable practices, like discovering the right location for a photo voltaic farm, from her account. She additionally shares new pathways the corporate is creating for clear power and AI-powered sustainability.
Melonie Parker, Chief Range Officer at Google, makes use of her voice on LinkedIn to attract consideration to company initiatives tied to worker useful resource teams, partnerships with HBCUs and collaborations with nonprofit organizations.
It’s clear Google executives are in lock-step with their inside communications and content material groups, and play a necessary function in shaping their public narrative and steering consideration towards their firm roadmap.
The play: Although constructing an government communications program on social is usually a threat, the larger threat is zero government presence on social in any respect. Even when leaders solely repost present model content material with a considerate message, that also helps firms keep forward of and form information tales, whereas multiplying attain and growing worker engagement.
Take a cue from Google and create a posting calendar to your executives the place they reshare present content material tied to their operate. Counsel articles they need to share and tie their posts to inside milestones.
Hilton: Pulling again the curtain on tradition
For a well-established model within the hospitality trade like Hilton, the necessity for a powerful government presence on LinkedIn may not be apparent at first. The model is already well known globally (they also have a celeb spokesperson within the household). However as recruiting staff within the hospitality sector turns into a bigger precedence, so too does the necessity to strengthen their employer model.
Hilton’s Chief Advertising and marketing Officer Mark Weinstein steadily posts content material utilizing the model hashtag #EveryJobMakesTheStay, an ode to the Hilton ethos that each worker performs an essential function in offering best-in-class visitor experiences.
Weinstein additionally showcases Hilton’s awards, philanthropic efforts, and accessibility packages on LinkedIn, in addition to management packages provided on the firm.
Having leaders like Weinstein rally round recruitment and retention efforts—even not directly—reinforces Hilton’s optimistic tradition. His posts construct upon tales within the media about Hilton’s partnerships with organizations just like the U.S. Committee of Refugees and Immigrants, and underscores the model’s dedication to investing in individuals.
The play: Constructing an indelible employer legacy is among the most urgent causes to kickstart or increase your government communications program. Regardless of your sector, displaying potential staff what each day life at your organization is like is essential to hiring and preserving world-class expertise.
World highlight: Telstra’s CEO is on the frontlines
Telstra is Australia’s largest cellular community, constructing, working and fortifying telecommunications connections across the nation. The model’s CEO, Vicki Brady, shares scenes onsite whereas crews construct community infrastructure. Like on this submit, the place she talks concerning the sacrifices these on the frontlines make and the way their onerous work interprets to strengthening intercity fiber networks.
By posts like this, Brady demonstrates her empathy for each the model’s clients and staff. She proves Telstra’s dedication to offering dependable service as climate patterns turn into extra excessive, and the appreciation she feels for the crew members who spend weeks away from their family members on the job.
She additionally shares reflections from sitting down with clients to study extra about their wants—particularly these in distant locations.
Telstra’s dedication to offering top-tier service and connectivity displays of their earnings projections, at the same time as they navigate difficult financial headwinds.
The play: Executives don’t simply play a task humanizing your model, additionally they humanize your clients and staff. As Brady illustrates, making individuals really feel seen can go a good distance. Customers and crew members are greater than a quantity, and executives who replicate that on social earn their belief.
From the board room to the feed
That concludes this month’s installment of the PPR. Keep tuned for subsequent month’s version, the place we’re rounding up manufacturers we haven’t been in a position to scroll away from in 2024. Within the meantime, keep in mind these key takeaways:
In search of step-by-step steerage on constructing an government model? Obtain our government social media technique cheat sheet.
And in case you see a social submit or marketing campaign that deserves to be highlighted, tag us @sproutsocial and use #PostPerformanceReport to have your concept included in a future article.
