Social Leaders

              

              I know I have talked a lot about social media in my last few blog posts. However, I only do so because of its immense relevance to not only the world of strategic communication but the business world as a whole. Today's post is about how social media is influencing, changing, and developing, the leaders of today and beyond. As always, there is a new terminology that is gaining popularity in regards to social media and those who utilize its ability to reach vast amounts of people. That word is “social leaders.” This term is not to be confused with that of a social media influencer. While they may share some of the same goals, social media influencers and social leaders are two different types of people. Social leaders are defined as having the ability to amass a following due to “their ability to bring people together, facilitate agreements, and drive efforts in the same direction.”

          So, how can social media help develop leaders? If utilized properly, social media can allow for leaders to better hone in their “communication, collaboration, motivation agility, and community building skills,” just to name a few. (Source:) It is becoming increasingly important and popular for CEOs and other high profile people throughout the different divisions of the business world to have a strong social media presence, and I’m not meaning their secretary posting on their behalf. No. In today’s social media society, people want to hear directly from the big names that lead the companies that supply the people their product. According to Chief Executive, about 10 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are starting to get more personally engaged on social media platforms. By doing this, the consumers of the Fortune 500 companies are able to feel as though they can better relate to the CEO and their vision for their company.

"Embracing social media isn't just a bit of fun; it's a vital way to communicate, keep your ear to the ground, and improve your business." – Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group

               Another thing that CEOs, and high-profile people within the organization, can do to boost the organization's brand on social media further is to share their expertise with their followers. When a CEO or other “successful” person is interviewed, one of the main questions that are asked is, “what is your secret to success?” or, “How did you become so successful?” By taking to social media to share your expertise, you are allowing your followers to understand better you and, potentially, the road you had to take to become “successful.”

              Leaders can can also utilize social media to further build up their brands image by, just simply, being human. Be yourself. When leaders take time to show their followers that they are, in fact, human, it helps their followers feel as if they can better relate to them. How much you choose to share your personal life is completely up to you. You can choose anything you are comfortable sharing with your followers. If you are open to having a transparent relationship with your followers, you can share big life moments, such as getting married, buying a house, etc. On the other hand, it could be as simple as an inspirational quote alongside a picture of you on your morning commute. The key here is to make sure that it is authentic. 

     

            “In times of deep social and technological change, social media enables leaders to take advantage of the radical cognitive and relational transformations that are taking place everywhere.” (Source:) Social media can play a huge part in transforming a brand due to the fact that the multiple and diverse channels allow for there to be new types of interaction with your company. Knowing how to connect with those people is vital to being a social leader. Social media is a broad term that encompasses countless outlets or channels. From Facebook and Twitter to Instagram and LinkedIn, each platform attracts a different audience. There is also a high likelihood that people are using multiple social media apps every day. By finding which social media platform works best for you, as well as your followers, you will have a higher connection with them. Twitter is a leading social media platform for high profiled CEOs and celebrities alike due to its enormous audience and its user-friendly interface. Even the most technologically challenged person can pick up how to use Twitter in order to interact with their followers.

             Being able to stay relevant among your followers is another thing that that social media can help with. As I have previously stated, the attention span of the younger generations is getting shorter. Albeit social media is partly to blame for that, it is also a solution. While social media is a great tool to utilize to keep in touch with your followers, you want to make sure that your employees are also engaged with you on social media. CEOs, and most leaders, always have hectic and fast-paced schedules. Therefore, it is increasingly difficult to meet with followers or employees face-to-face. One of the ways that a social leader can stay relevant is to have a consistent presence on their social media platforms. By staying consistent with your posting, no matter what the content is, you will be able to continuously pop up in your followers' and employee’s social media feed.

            Social leaders can use social media for its ability to, simply enough, communicate better with their followers. “Social media provides an unbelievable medium to communicate with people across geographies, time zones, and demographics.” While social media is ever-changing and it can feel a bit overwhelming, trust me when I say, it's not as hard as it seems. There are always new and exciting forms of social media coming out. However, the basic channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest, are all fairly user-friendly and have been around long enough to have worked most of the kinks out. With that being said, older generations can no longer use the excuse, “I am too old,” or “I don’t get anything out of it for me.” If that is your excuse, then might I offer you one more tad bit of advice? Always remember to stay a student of the world around you. Learn about the changes and be flexible enough to try it at least. Furthermore, embrace the change.