by Fronetics | Apr 12, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Leadership, Marketing, Social Media, Supply Chain
Make the most of your supply chain leaders’ social media accounts by following these steps.
I’ve written many times before about the importance of supply chain leaders being on social media as the face of their brands. Social media presents a huge opportunity for executives to use their relative industry celebrity to be an extension of their organizations.
So you are ready to commit to a more active social media presence (or you’re going to be ghost-posting for your executive). Where do you begin?
We’ve come up with 4 tips for supply chain leaders to making the most of their presence on social media.
4 tips for supply chain leaders on social media
1) Find the right platform (or platforms) for you.
The first thing to consider is your target audience. If you’re looking to reach a young demographic, for example, Snapchat is probably the way to go, as 45% of its users are under the age of 24. Likewise, if your brand would be well-served by live video (hint: it probably will!), Facebook Live and Instagram Stories offer great possibilities.
Next, think about your personal voice, and what type of content you are likely to be posting. Thought leadership can often best be established on LinkedIn. But that doesn’t mean that Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube aren’t also good avenues to present your voice to the world. Pick the platforms that you feel speak most to your audience and best serve your brand.
2) Use your creative side.
Supply chain and logistics leadership requires a tremendous amount of creativity and innovation. Let these qualities shine through in your social media presence! You have the tools to spark more engagement, increase follower count, and make your posts go viral.
This means using your unique voice to be a storyteller, engage your audience, and create a face for your brand. If you need some inspiration, check out these 7 Twitter accounts.
3) Create space for conversation.
Too many would-be social media mavens fall into the trap of posting the kind of content that doesn’t invite interaction. Instead, be a conversation-starter.
First, take a look at your audience and what kind of interactions they have online. You can scan the pages of other leaders in your niche as a reference point.
You can generate interaction and engagement by showing gratitude, listening to your audience, handling queries, posting thought-provoking content, and posing questions in your posts.
4) Avoid controversy.
This might seem obvious, but there’s a fine line to walk between posting or re-posting thought-provoking content and becoming an inadvertently controversial figure.
Keep in mind that, in the public platforms that are social media, all your moves will be under constant scrutiny from your fans, followers, and people in their networks. This means that while cultivating a personal voice, it’s important to maintain a level of professionalism. And stay away from posting anything that can make you a lightning rod for controversy!
Where do you go to follow supply chain leaders on social media?
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by Fronetics | May 6, 2015 | Blog, Leadership, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
There’s a great deal of buzz about social media in the business world – and for good reason. Marketing and communications professionals have made it de rigueur to tap into the popularity of social media networks to extend their brands into the digital world. But when it comes to executive use of social media, the field seems much more divided. Domo and CEO.com estimated that of the 500 leaders of the biggest companies in the US, 68% have no social media presence whatsoever. By leaving the social media management to marketers, these leaders are missing opportunities to connect with followers and expand their influence.
Here’s why social media should be part of the game plan when it comes to matters of leadership.
Social media expands perspective.
Social media isn’t simply a mechanism for broadcasting company news or personal opinion. Many individual perspectives coalesce to create a social network. Asking questions of followers and participating in online discussions helps leaders gain new perspectives. Executives who do utilize social media tend to stick to LinkedIn at a rate greater than the general public, but increasing social participation beyond one network brings more heterogeneous insight and connects leaders to diverse groups.
Social media allows you to keep a finger on the pulse of industry trends and new research.
Participating digitally with like-minded professionals ties a leader into a broad network of resource-sharing. Having consistent access to relevant, curated articles about market and industry trends keeps leaders far ahead of peers who rely on just a few media outlets.
Social media connects your team.
Online social business tool Basecamp promises to help “wrangle people with different roles, responsibilities, and objectives toward to common goal.” Hosted in the cloud, Basecamp is a project management tool that helps managers and employees see exactly what’s happening with a given project. Its dashboard provides a snapshot of tasks and gives users – managers and employees – an opportunity to interact directly on the site. In addition to the real-time accountability it builds in, it also allows for real-time communication about projects, a concept that all but eliminates the need for private emails.
Social media inspires and motivates.
Hadyn Shaughnessy writes about top social media influencers in his contributing posts on Forbes.com. He believes stellar leadership is built firmly on relationships and that day-to-day operations of a business rely on a leader’s ability to connect, inspire, and mobilize employees. Leveraging social media is one way leaders are achieving that. But, he contends, passive consumers of social media – regardless of the number of followers – cannot be considered top influencers. Leaders who inspire are those who actively participate.
Social media builds relationships.
Among executives active on social media, the top benefit of maintaining “socialbility” is the direct access it provides to employees, media outlets, and the public. “Relationship building is one of the strongest skills sets related to leadership effectiveness,” says Jean Leslie, a researcher at the Center for Creative Leadership. Tying into social media networks allows leaders to establish connections with employees, building individual and collaborative relationships.
Leaders who embrace social media technologies are more agile and innovative; their companies are more likely to attract and retain top talent; and they tap more deeply into the ideas of their employees. It’s clear that there is value in social media, and for leaders looking to build the strongest brand for their company, it might not be just an option anymore.
by Fronetics | May 6, 2015 | Blog, Leadership, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
There’s a great deal of buzz about social media in the business world – and for good reason. Marketing and communications professionals have made it de rigueur to tap into the popularity of social media networks to extend their brands into the digital world. But when it comes to executive use of social media, the field seems much more divided. Domo and CEO.com estimated that of the 500 leaders of the biggest companies in the US, 68% have no social media presence whatsoever. By leaving the social media management to marketers, these leaders are missing opportunities to connect with followers and expand their influence.
Here’s why social media should be part of the game plan when it comes to matters of leadership.
Social media expands perspective.
Social media isn’t simply a mechanism for broadcasting company news or personal opinion. Many individual perspectives coalesce to create a social network. Asking questions of followers and participating in online discussions helps leaders gain new perspectives. Executives who do utilize social media tend to stick to LinkedIn at a rate greater than the general public, but increasing social participation beyond one network brings more heterogeneous insight and connects leaders to diverse groups.
Social media allows you to keep a finger on the pulse of industry trends and new research.
Participating digitally with like-minded professionals ties a leader into a broad network of resource-sharing. Having consistent access to relevant, curated articles about market and industry trends keeps leaders far ahead of peers who rely on just a few media outlets.
Social media connects your team.
Online social business tool Basecamp promises to help “wrangle people with different roles, responsibilities, and objectives toward to common goal.” Hosted in the cloud, Basecamp is a project management tool that helps managers and employees see exactly what’s happening with a given project. Its dashboard provides a snapshot of tasks and gives users – managers and employees – an opportunity to interact directly on the site. In addition to the real-time accountability it builds in, it also allows for real-time communication about projects, a concept that all but eliminates the need for private emails.
Social media inspires and motivates.
Hadyn Shaughnessy writes about top social media influencers in his contributing posts on Forbes.com. He believes stellar leadership is built firmly on relationships and that day-to-day operations of a business rely on a leader’s ability to connect, inspire, and mobilize employees. Leveraging social media is one way leaders are achieving that. But, he contends, passive consumers of social media – regardless of the number of followers – cannot be considered top influencers. Leaders who inspire are those who actively participate.
Social media builds relationships.
Among executives active on social media, the top benefit of maintaining “socialbility” is the direct access it provides to employees, media outlets, and the public. “Relationship building is one of the strongest skills sets related to leadership effectiveness,” says Jean Leslie, a researcher at the Center for Creative Leadership. Tying into social media networks allows leaders to establish connections with employees, building individual and collaborative relationships.
Leaders who embrace social media technologies are more agile and innovative; their companies are more likely to attract and retain top talent; and they tap more deeply into the ideas of their employees. It’s clear that there is value in social media, and for leaders looking to build the strongest brand for their company, it might not be just an option anymore.
