This past spring, I attended the Forrester Marketing Forum out in LA and came away with some interesting insights, especially in the social media sphere.
George Colony, Forrester’s CEO, delivered a keynote called, “The Social CEO,” during which he discussed the involvement of senior corporate leaders in social media. Having worked at several small companies, this topic is quite near and dear to my heart. I have worked with CEOs who really believe in SM and others who do not. Frequently, even the “believers” who want to contribute don’t seem to know how, when, how often, and where. Try though we may to guide and educate these leaders down the right path, I really believe that each must find his/her own way, own style, own tools of choice.
During his keynote, George spoke of a “social media lite” profile for senior executives. And I really like this term. The reality is that many execs just cannot and probably should not devote time on a daily or even weekly basis to social media. So their SM presence should match their roles within the organization. And, let’s be clear; when George Colony spoke of a LITE profile, he was not referring to the concept of lightheartedness. He describes a CEO who contributes in a very thoughtful manner, at a high level and when there is something valuable he/she wants to share. A thought leader of thought leaders, if you will.
The natural progression of this concept, of course, is to figure out the how, when, why and where. But I think it’s a great way for those CEOs and corporate leaders who want to be involved in SM but have not necessarily felt comfortable with it to step in. This type of involvement will probably feel very appropriate and is really a great way to kick off a SM initiative.
Have any of you worked within your teams to implement this type of strategy? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Cheers,
Renay
