This is a pretty common question and one that CEO’s often ask me. It’s unfortunate that a lot of the public discussion around CEO involvement in social media and specific services like Twitter is so biased and lacking in real world consideration.
The fact is, there is no right or wrong answer to the question.
My perspective as a business owner, executive educator, and social media practitioner is that CEO’s should focus on being the leader of the business – understand the value that Twitter might provide, empower your team, but you don’t necessarily need to be using Twitter.
Whilst there’s no right or wrong answer let me give you some context for both sides of the argument.
Why Would You?
- You have an existing high media profile as the leader or public face of the organisation
- You work in a specific industry where Twitter has a high penetration
- You’re an acknowledged thought leader in your industry and Twitter gives you the channel to communicate and engage with specific communities
- The fun, real time communication part of Twitter appeals to you – you don’t mind being “out there”
Why Wouldn’t You?
- You’re not the brand
- You’re an inherently private person
- As a leader, you’ve delegated responsibility to a team or team member
- There’s no demonstrable value for your business because of your industry
- You get Twitter, but you’ve got more productive things to do with your time
If you find someone from marketing or your communications group is pushing you to be on Twitter – don’t be afraid to push back or to say no.
The world’s not going to end if you don’t participate.
One final point.
If you don’t personally want to use Twitter – that’s fine – just make sure you take the time to understand how and why Twitter “could” benefit your business – encourage your team to experiment, to look for innovative ways of engaging with your community.
Leaders aren’t road blocks
Join me on Monday 31 October for a webinar where I’ll be discussing this topic and inviting audience feedback. Details are here
