5 Reasons Why Your Startup's CEO Should be Active on Social Media

You may not be aware of this, but day after day, there’s something you’ve done for years. Perhaps you’re most effective at it when you arrive at the office. Maybe you were even one of the lucky ones who consciously mastered it when you were in high school or college. 

Whatever the case, you’ve done it just about every day of your life.

Yep, whether you’ve intended on doing it or not, the thing you’ve done every day you've been around others, is that you've influenced the way they perceive you. In other words, you branded yourself. 

Honestly, it doesn’t matter how we may feel about it; we are constantly branding ourselves. From the way we speak. To the clothes we wear. Even to the way we smell—we’re all non-stop personal branders. 

As sexy as the job title may sound, being a CEO is a really tough job. Which is why it is easy to understand why many CEOs seem to frown on the idea of engaging with others on social media. 

Nonetheless, the CEOs who are actively on social media, aren’t just strengthening their personal brands, they’re also helping their companies—big time! Particularly in the following five ways.

1. You’ll see an increase in sales

As we inch closer and closer towards the age of complete AI dominance, one thing we human beings will always have over any artificially intelligent alternatives is that human beings will always have a deeper connection with other human beings. 

Think about it, who would you rather make an important purchase from—an innominate bot? Or an actual human being that you're familiar with from their social media posts and you could hold accountable after you’ve made a purchase? It would be the human being, of course. 

You’re not the only one that feels this way. Studies have shown that a staggering 77% of consumers are more likely to buy from a company whose CEO is active on social media. 

2. It’ll differentiate your brand

Aside from the direct benefits that being active on social media could yield for your company, the intangible benefits that it could have on your startup’s brand are incredibly invaluable as well. 

By you, your startup’s CEO, being active on social media platforms that are frequented by your company’s target customers, you’ll be able to differentiate your brand by sharing your unique viewpoints with your audience. 

They say that no two people on the planet have identical personalities (not even identical twins); therefore, neither do any two CEOs. So why not hop on social media and set your brand apart by sharing your unique personality?

3. You’ll inspire your audience

Humans are emotional beings. Yes, every single human, even the most hypermasculine guys you know, are inherently emotional beings. Which is a good thing! I mean, who wants to be a robot? I certainly don’t. 

Being that we’re all emotional creatures, why not use that to your advantage? Social media affords CEOs the opportunity to do just that by allowing you to share your accomplishments, struggles, and aspirations with your audience in a way that touches the hearts of those watching.

Things like sharing:

• Behind the scenes footage of your day.

• Inspirational posts.

• Personal stories. 

Could all tug at the heartstrings of your audience and inspire them to champion your startup moving forward. 

4. It builds a bridge of trust 

As CEO, you are the face of your startup. Which also makes you its official representative in the eyes of the public. As long as you’re aware of the fact that everything you say and do could be held against you in the court of public opinion, you could utilize social media to build a bridge of trust between your startup and its ideal audience. 

This bears repeating, people trust people more so than they do faceless and voiceless brand logos. The more that people feel as though they know you and could trust what you say as the face of your business—the more they’ll trust your startup as well. 

5. Your competitors could have an advantage if you aren’t

Gary Vaynerkchuk said it best, “More content, more brand. That’s how you grow.” The fact that you already know who Gary Vee is—is evidence enough that he’s a very influential figure; especially in the startup space. 

If you’re still hesitant about becoming active on social media, just think of all your competitors who may be already likely following Vaynerchuk’s advice and are consistently posting social media content and building their personal brand and their startup as a result. 

I knew that one would motivate you to get active on social media!

Closing thoughts

Social media is a valuable marketing tool that founders and CEOs could use to help ingratiate themselves with their startup’s target audience. This cannot be emphasized enough, people connect with people more so than they do companies.

Becoming active on social media only requires two things (besides internet access, of course): consistency and vulnerability. As long as you’re willing to dedicate yourself towards engaging your audience, social media could contribute immensely towards the success of your startup. 

Need help selecting the perfect social media platforms to build your personal brand? If so, contact us today and let’s discuss which audience would be perfect for you and your startup moving forward.