Being true to yourself and your values is more important than ever in today’s world. Authenticity was a resounding theme in 2023, and for businesses and executives, homing in on your mission, vision and values will help you create a lasting and authentic digital legacy.
Consumers are smart and will call out inauthentic content on social media. While not everyone’s reputation will take a major hit, a crisis can happen if you’re not posting what is true to who you are and what you stand for.
Brands vs. Executives
The goal of a company’s social media should be to build and engage with your audiences and grow your reach. Nearly 95% of leaders believe social media has a positive impact on a brand’s loyalty. Consumers want to understand what you stand for and why they should buy from you.
It’s just as important for executives to have an online presence. People connect with people, and it’s much easier for a customer or potential customer to relate to another human who’s reading the same book or participating in the same community event. Executives can humanize the business and extend the brand’s message and objectives.
Creating Social Media Content
What are the values of your business? It’s something most companies home in on from the start. The same should hold true for leaders. Take the time to write your values down if you haven’t. While they may not be exactly the same as the brand’s values, they should be similar and reflect each other. From there, find ways to share stories within those value pillars. Share stories from customers and employees and find ways to incorporate your company culture. Telling stories about people will engage people.
It may feel foreign to get too personal as the leader of a company. Being on social media doesn’t mean you need to share every family birthday, but share the things that matter to you. If you are on the board of a non-profit, posting about it once in a while allows you to be transparent and vulnerable while still being professional. While it can be a tricky balance, find what is authentic for you.
In a world of evolving technology and innovation, AI can be helpful but don’t rely on it to understand your voice and the messaging of your company.
Interacting Online
Don’t post and walk away. Once you start posting online, it’s just as important to engage with your audience. Social media builds another communication channel with customers to gather feedback and build relationships. When you’re posting about clients or employees, they’re more likely to share that post, which in turn can increase your brand’s reach by more than 500%.
By leading with content that’s true to who you are, you’ll build relationships with current customers and create them with new customers who will want to be a part of what you’re building. As Warren Buffet said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” Being authentic online will build your armor and protect you and your business when something goes wrong.
Download our free worksheet to start creating an authentic strategy for your executive social media presence.