忙碌的社会媒体似乎忽略了重要的一点：公司的高管，特别是总裁级别的人往往需要亲自加入社会媒体的游戏当中。
最近BRANDfog 公司的一项调查结果显示，一旦某公司的总裁站在了社会媒体的风口浪尖，那么这家公司的品牌支持率和忠诚度以及购买潜力便会相应提升。实际上，82%的调查结果都反映了这个事实：如果一个公司的CEO和领导团队经常出现在社会媒体上，那么消费者对这家公司就更容易产生信任。而担当企业与消费者之间最重要纽带的不就是信任吗？
做好公司的媒体公关的确非常耗时、耗力，但把时间花在媒体上，用一种透明、联系和充满时效性的方式建立公司与消费者、员工以及股东的联结，对树立公司的品牌形象有非常大的积极作用。并且，BRANDfog公司的调查研究还列举了许多媒体投资的益处，包括增强沟通、提升品牌形象、改善公司的透明度以及鼓舞员工士气等。除此之外，被调查者还认为一个公司的领导层如果经常活跃在媒体，会对广阔的外部环境有更好的了解，从而可以更好地领导自己的公司。
公司高管从媒体中得到的好处
保持对社会渠道的关注给公司领导层提供了直接参与市场的机会，尤其当他们不得不处理各种抱怨、挑战以及消费者和媒体试图施加给公司的负面评论时。社会媒体是企业非常重要的一个工具，它能在公司形象遭到破坏之前找出、甚至扭转这些可能引发企业危机的潜在因素。
没有与媒体合作的管理团队通常在危机来临时就立刻瘫痪了。因为他们缺少中介的缓冲作用，他们对通过媒体渠道能够澄清事实持怀疑态度，往往白白丢失一些能重新树立公司品牌形象的重要机会。BRANDfog 公司的研究调查中，有93%的被调查者相信，在公司的危机时期，如果CEO在社会媒体中现身，将对于澄清公司的价值观、重塑公司名誉和强化公司领导力起到帮助作用。在这种时候，继续往前走的领导层往往能化解危机。他们可以事先设定什么问题是可以直接讨论和不必忌讳的，然后指导公司的其他员工应该如何回应消费者，并事先想好应该怎么说。在公司内部提高防范标准，开通新的沟通渠道，增加企业间的广泛联系。
也许公司高层进入媒体最重要的一个好处是，能够听到媒体关于本公司最原始的声音。保持对公司外部和内部声音最直接的倾听——同时也是控制两种声音任意传播的一个好方法——这样，公司的最高管理者就能在最艰难的决定面前镇定自若，把握事情的轻重缓急，开始重新树立公司的企业文化。
没错，公司领导层涉足媒体的风险会很高，公司的法律部门可能随时会紧张起来。但如果因此不亲近媒体，那样风险会更大，有关你的形象、你的公司和上市计划的舆论会一直存在。
社会媒体是一个有关高层管理者的话题。那些更能轻松面对媒体的高管们，通常也更擅长于树立公司的未来形象。
For all the buzz around social media, one aspect has been largely ignored: the need for top business executives, especially CEOs, to personally get into the social media game. A recent survey byBRANDfog (PDF – 4.2MB) points out that when C-Suite executives become active on social media, it can increase brand trust, loyalty and purchase intent. In fact, 82 percent of survey respondents stated that they were more likely to trust a company whose CEO and leadership team engage on social media. And isn’t trust the most critical component of building relationships with customers?
Successfully managing a social presence does take time and a concerted effort. But investing that time to connect with customers, employees, and other stakeholders in a transparent, relevant, and timely way can shape perceptions of your brand and company in powerful ways. What’s more, the BRANDfog survey research cites a multitude of benefits for making the effort, including improved communication, brand image, transparency, and increasing company morale. Beyond that, respondents perceive that business leaders engaging with social media better understand what’s going on in the broader communications environment, and therefore are better equipped to lead their company.
The benefit of the “Social C”
Visibility on social channels has provided business leaders with the opportunity to directly engage with the market when they have to address the inevitable complaints, challenges and negative comments that mass market users of social media tend to throw at a company. Social media is an invaluable tool to address and even reverse potential liabilities before they can have a detrimental effect on the brand.
Executive teams that have not taken the plunge into social are often paralyzed when challenges arise. Since they lack comfort with the medium, they tend to be skeptical about taking to social channels to address issues, and often miss a significant opportunity to shape and direct the conversations relating to their brand. An overwhelming 93 percent of BRANDfog survey respondents believe that CEO engagement in social media helps communicate company values, shape a company’s reputation, and grow and evolve corporate leadership in times of crisis. Leaders who do step forward can get ahead of the issues. They can set a tone for direct frankness about what is acceptable to discuss. They can guide the rest of the company in how the brand should respond to customers and build new kinds of conversations. Internally, they can raise the standards for breaking down those much maligned silos in a company, opening up new communication channels and encouraging broader cross-enterprise connections.
Perhaps, though, the most important benefit of senior executives stepping into the social media mix is to hear the unvarnished voices that want to connect with them. With a fresh finger on the pulse of the external and internal buzz – and a good process for managing the flow – a senior executive can be better equipped to stand behind tough decisions, set new priorities, and begin reshaping a company’s culture.
Yes, the risks of social media for company leaders can be high, and the legal team may get nervous. But the risks of not engaging are likely to be even higher. Conversations are happening about your brand, company, and offerings all the time.
Social media is an executive suite issue. Those executives who are more comfortable with it can better shape their brand’s future.
