It’s time for one more version of the Publish 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 personal scroll-stopping concepts—whereas maximizing your finances and doing extra with much less.
If a C-suite govt says the fallacious factor on social, it may snowball right into a model disaster and value them their job. That’s why many leaders steer clear of constructing a private model, whether or not by alternative or company mandate. Regardless of the danger, many develop their followings by commonly sharing model content material, thought management and even a peek into their private lives.
As a result of when executives method social in an intentional manner, it makes their model appear extra approachable, sincere and reliable. With a targeted govt social technique, leaders amplify visibility and deepen connections with clients, staff, buyers, media and companions.
Let’s dive into our lineup of executives (and the groups who help them) who’re the best on social, and ideas for growing your personal profitable govt communications program.
Salesforce: There’s a primary time for every part
As the corporate behind a number one CRM software program, Salesforce is a B2B advertising icon. With large occasions like Dreamforce and thousands and thousands 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 put up on October 30, 2024, it rocked the community’s algorithm. At time of publishing the put up has over 18,000 likes, 800 feedback and 1,900 reposts. Benioff’s put up targeted on an AI system replace to their platform—a transfer that comes amid fierce competitors within the AI panorama.
The put up dramatically boosted the attain of the announcement by way of natural engagement and paid funding.
The PR raise from Benioff’s put up and associated commentary contributed to media pickups associated to the launch, and reassured clients and buyers 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 the right way to overcome this problem. Let Salesforce offer you hope.
Make a case for creating an govt communications technique by utilizing Benioff’s put up as a proof level. Inform a compelling story of what can occur in your model if you tie a pivotal model launch to a pacesetter’s debut on social.
Symphonic Capital: Creating a way of belonging
Symphonic Capital is a enterprise capital agency that invests within the subsequent technology of establishments by way of serving neglected and underserved communities. On LinkedIn, their founding basic associate Sydney Paige Thomas has amassed a following by reflecting on what she’s discovered 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 may) deliver their full selves to their on-line private model. Humanizing your leaders creates confidence in your mission by permitting your neighborhood to see your leaders’ values first-hand. What motivates them, what their objective is, why they suppose their work issues.
Thomas’ efforts helped her land on the AFROTECH™ Future 50 listing. This accolade is one in every of a rising listing 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 wish to hear from them.
Elevating Cane’s: From CEO to superstar
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 identified for his or her hen fingers. He has shared the stage with Snoop Dogg, appeared as a visitor shark on Shark Tank and gave Travis Kelce free hen for a 12 months.
The Elevating Cane’s group 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 one in every of his eating places.
It’s troublesome to articulate simply how efficient this technique has been for elevating Graves’ profile. His unlikely origin story turned the bedrock of the model’s picture, perpetually 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 listing.
The play: The “throw your CEO within the highlight” technique is not going to work at each firm. Most likely not even most corporations. This playbook is barely meant for founders who stick round for his or her complete profession, till the subsequent technology inherits their enterprise. Even when manufacturers match into that bucket, they need to solely pursue this method if they’ve a pacesetter who has clearly outlined values, prospers within the limelight and is discerning about what to share publicly.
For manufacturers with all items of that puzzle, your CEO is perhaps the golden ticket to large development and outpacing the competitors. For others, adapt what is smart in your firm. Perhaps it’s encouraging your CEO to create an Instagram account managed by the social group. Or doing extra media outreach in your C-suite.
Google: Sharing the highlight throughout the C-suite
For a multinational, publicly traded company like Google, having govt thought leaders on social could be a vital danger (much more so than for startups or small corporations). For that reason, some members of the C-suite won’t be current on social in any respect, whereas others take a restrained method.
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 corporations and reflections about the way forward for international rising know-how on LinkedIn.
Equally, Google’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandt shares how Google know-how allows 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 Variety 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 govt communications program on social could be a danger, the higher danger is zero govt presence on social in any respect. Even when leaders solely repost current model content material with a considerate message, that also helps corporations keep forward of and form information tales, whereas multiplying attain and growing worker engagement.
Take a cue from Google and create a posting calendar in your executives the place they reshare current content material tied to their perform. 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 govt presence on LinkedIn won’t be apparent at first. The model is already well known globally (they also have a superstar 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 Officer Mark Weinstein steadily posts content material utilizing the model hashtag #EveryJobMakesTheStay, an ode to the Hilton ethos that each worker performs an vital 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 supplied 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 govt communications program. Irrespective of your sector, exhibiting potential staff what day by day life at your organization is like is vital to hiring and holding world-class expertise.
International 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 put up, the place she talks in regards to the sacrifices these on the frontlines make and the way their arduous work interprets to strengthening intercity fiber networks.
By way of 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 change 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 be taught 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 tough 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 great distance. Customers and group 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, bear in mind these key takeaways:
In search of step-by-step steering on constructing an govt model? Obtain our govt social media technique cheat sheet.
And in case you see a social put up or marketing campaign that deserves to be highlighted, tag us @sproutsocial and use #PostPerformanceReport to have your thought included in a future article.
