posted by

reading time: 3 minutes

CEOs range in their involvement with their brand’s personality – some occupy a space in the public’s mind (for example, Virgin’s Richard Branson), while others have authority in the board room but rarely enter the public space. That needs to change. The reality is that your CEO needs to sign up AND be active on Twitter.

With a large and active user base, Twitter represents an excellent opportunity for your company to reach out to its target audience. It’s essential to have an active and engaging Twitter presence for your business, but it’s also just as important for your fearless leader to jump in on Twitter and get active.

According to a study from Go-Gulf, customers are 82 percent more likely to trust a company whose CEO and other key leaders are active on social media. If that wasn’t enough reason to get active…here are a few more:

Twitter can help your CEO establish expertise and thought leadership.

By becoming active on Twitter, your CEO has the opportunity to establish your company’s expertise as well as their own as a thought leadership. By tweeting about your industry, company news and their own thoughts, your CEO can develop a reputation for subject matter expertise and thought leadership in your field. Twitter gives anyone an opportunity to get active in the community as well as establish their leadership and influence – and it’s essential that your fearless leader takes this role over in the social space. It will improve their reputation as a leader and – as a result – your company’s reputation will improve as well.

Twitter can connect your CEO meet key members of the press.

If your CEO is on Twitter, it becomes a lot easier for them to network and get the company name in front of the right press outlets. Journalists frequently use to Twitter to find and reach out to companies for news stories and insight from key business leaders. By maintaining an active Twitter account, your CEO (and your company) has the potential to get in front of more people in the media. Your brand can become the go to resource – with a public face – for important issues that affect your target audience.

Twitter can empower your CEO to improve your brand’s connection with your audience.

“Brand affinity” is your audience’s perception of your company’s brand. Everyone likes to feel close to those they do business with – especially the influencers. There’s a reason why people follow celebrities on Twitter. While your CEO may not be Ariana Grande, their activity on Twitter can send a message to your audience that your brand “celebrities” value connecting with their audience, engaging in a social way and benefitting from human connection. Over time, it builds affinity for your brand which can translate into loyalty, advocacy and long term growth.

The benefits of an actively tweeting CEO are many – so why isn’t yours on Twitter? Use this list of benefits to convince your fearless leader that it’s time to get tweeting.