Discover Top Posts Tagged with #brandfog

If Winston Churchill Tweeted

Take a lesson from one of the most quotable leaders in history--it is possible to communicate and inspire in 140 characters or less.

By Ann Charles

Winston Churchill would fit in perfectly with today’s social media culture. His style was to communicate constantly, interpreting events as they unfolded, and explaining what he intended to do in real time. Churchill’s astute observations and keen wit helped to build his towering reputation as a great leader. Although public speaking was the primary medium of the day, Churchill was a prolific writer who came up with some of the best, less-than 140 character quotes in history. Consider this example at a mere 90 characters:

“You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."

A true leader has the ability to communicate a vision and set a new course of action during times of crisis. Today CEOs and senior executives have to work harder than ever to communicate their vision, because the entire structure of communications is irrevocably changed. Twitter takes the pulse of our culture, Facebook documents the minutia of our lives, and LinkedIn tracks our every career move.

We now expect heads of companies to talk to us directly online, to engage in brand discussions, and to respond to questions in real time. But many CEOs are notoriously reluctant to engage in social media. The confidence to share ideas and enter into public discussions does not come easily. The idea of opening up to customers, constituents, and colleagues can be unnerving for business leaders who are used to having complete control over messages.

Executives willing to engage in social media understand that interacting directly with constituents is empowering. Churchill’s gift was to use language to persuade and sway public opinion toward his way of thinking. Business leaders today have the potential to use words and ideas to build follower communities of loyal brand enthusiasts.

Twitter streams create a personal narrative, allowing executives to be seen as real people. This skill can be learned and integrated into a company’s communications strategy. Through social channels CEOs have the ability to directly influence public perception about themselves and their brands. As Churchill succinctly put it (in 73 characters):

“There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only published opinion.”

Today, we are all engaged in writing our own history, one tweet at a time. That history includes defining who we are as people, as corporate citizens, and as leaders. In a relationship economy, people are looking for a reason to work with you, to buy your products and to trust you. With social media, CEOs can shine a light on all the good they are doing for their company, community, employees, and customers. Developing a culture where executives are forthcoming and transparent and willing to communicate will change the leadership dynamic forever.

If Winston Churchill were on Twitter, this quote would have certainly gone viral:

“History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.”

#brandfog #leadership #Social media #Twitter

Brands need to find their mojo on social media

They can do well targeting niche communities as much as generic platforms

By James Andrews, Special to Gulf News

Published: 12:12 December 17, 2013

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In a young vibrant country like the UAE it is clear that today hundreds of thousands of people are members of the “Facebook and Twitter” generation. They are social media savvy, use it on the hour, every hour and are using their smartphones or tablets as their platform of choice.

And what that means is social media is now essential for brands, large or small, to communicate in real time with their customers. The UAE has one of the highest smartphone penetration rates in the world, which in turn provides brands with an exciting opportunity to create audiences who have opinions, spark and engage in conversation and influence others within their own network — something that is being referred to as ‘now’ media or bottom-up conversation.

Historically too many companies look at a social media checklist and as long as they can tick off a Facebook page, Twitter feed, LinkedIn profile and maybe Instagram, they think they have it covered.

But the way brands are now utilising their on-line presence to engage is changing, and today we are seeing consumers becoming more dependent on certain influencers present within their communities. It means companies have to be more nimble with their engagement strategies. 

Purchasing decisions

According to Technorati’s 2013 Digital Influence Report, influencers are becoming more successful in shaping opinions and purchasing decisions of consumers than social networks alone. In fact, according to Search Engine Journal, 72 per cent of consumers surveyed said that they trusted online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

According to CrowdTap, 66.4 per cent of shoppers update their Facebook status to tell friends about the best offers and finds on the market. Brands now have a bigger opportunity than ever before to communicate with audiences about their products and services by engaging with influencers who already have a loyal following and are respected by their online community.

Forbes reported that a recent survey of US consumers indicated that 81 per cent of the people surveyed were directly influenced by their friends’ social media posts regarding purchasing decisions. When I talk about online social communities I am referring to large and small communities, the places where consumers live and interact with each other.

I am not only talking about the most obvious suspect Facebook. In my opinion the riches are in the niches.

At the moment we are seeing a huge restructuring of the word community and growth in destinations such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Pintrest, Quora and of course Twitter. But, small and niche community platforms are the latest social trend with 54 per cent of consumers profiled admitting that smaller communities had a greater influence on a particular topic than a larger one.

Platforms such as MightyBell.com, created by former Ning founder Gina Bianchini, are putting the power of community and content organisation in the hands of the consumer.

It is not only the ‘New Famous’ influencers that have the ability to change the perceptions of their communities, but also internal influencers. It was reported by (2012 CEO SocialMedia Survey, BrandFog) that 82 per cent of buyers said they trust a company more when the CEO and senior leadership teams are active in this space.

In many cases your best voices are actually inside of the company. It becomes your opportunity to create an environment where they too can become brand evangelists in social media.

In the UAE there is a huge potential for savvy brands to understand this new phenomenon and to use their share of voice to serve their customers better and in some cases leverage HR to find passionate new employees.

— The writer is chief digital evangelist at Studigood and one of the speakers at the BPG bConnected Forum in Dubai.

#Influencers #BRANDfog #CEO #buying #selling #trust #social media

Will Pharma CEOs Warm to Social Media in 2014?

By Peter Houston | Published: December 6, 2013

I find December a fairly schizophrenic month. Half of your head is thinking back to what you’ve achieved, half of your head is focussing forward to what you will do in the New Year. Looking back on 2013, I re-read should CEOs use social media, a post I wrote back in February encouraging Pharma CEOs to show their faces on the social networks. Looking forward, I wonder if CEOs will actually do it in 2014?

Depending who you listen to, as many as seven out of 10 CEOs are still to be convinced of the usefulness of social media. August’s 2013 Social CEO report, from Domo and CEO.com, showed CEOs at Fortune 500 companies have been slow to embrace social technologies. A November study from influence marketing software specialists Augure shows that only 30% of NASDAQ 100 executive directors are present and active on social networks; 70% have no presence on online platforms.

There is some growth, but it’s slow. The CEO.com study found almost 28 percent of CEOs surveyed using LinkedIn – the CEO’s social platform of choice. Although still ahead of general usage (20 percent according to Pew Internet), the increase is just 2 percent since last year. CEO Twitter usage still lags way behind the general population (18% according to Pew) at 5.6 percent, and again that’s a paltry 2 percent increase over 2012. Facebook at 7.6 percent and Google Plus at 1 percent are pretty much flat.

This quote from Rupert Soames, UK-based CEO of FTSE 100 mobile power-plant company Aggreko, sums up CEO scepticism perfectly: “I think my first question as chairman, if I found the CEO regularly tweeting, would be what else could you be doing?”. So Twitter is a timewaster, Facebook is for goofing off.

But there are successful CEOs using social media. Maybe they don’t care what the board thinks, or maybe they have spotted an opportunity that less socialised bosses have missed.

T-mobile CEO John Legere certainly gets it.

AT&T customer Jay Rooney took to Twitter to wonder why he was still with AT&T when competitor T-Mobile could offer him free international roaming. Lisa A from T-Mobile’s comms team quickly responded with encouragement to switch. AT&T responded with questions on T-Mobile’s reliability, T-mobile countered with the cost saving gambit. Then T-Mobile’s secret weapon appeared – John Legere tweeted “… bet @ATT’s CEO isn’t going to join the convo. Come join the #WirelessRevolution!” Game, set and match; Jay Rooney is apparently now a T-Mobile customer.

Winning one customer away from a competitor is a big deal for a rep, but small potatoes for a company CEO. That’s not the point. The Next Web article that reported the spat between T-Mobile and AT&T has racked up almost 6,000 social shares. That’s a pretty decent ROI on 140 characters.

Customers are just one reason for CEOs to get social.

“Innovative C-Suite and senior executives are at the forefront of social engagement, utilizing social media to attract new talent, deepen brand loyalty, increase purchase intent, and establish brand transparency.” So says Ann Charles, Founder and CEO of BRANDfog, a NYC venture offering social media leadership branding for C-Suite executives.

BrandFog recently released its second annual CEO, Social Media and Leadership survey, trying to understand C-Suite social media strategy. The survey reports responses, not from CEOs, but from their employees, 800 across a range of US and UK businesses from start-ups to Fortune 1000 players.

It’s interesting to think that, if your employees are anything like those surveyed, 71 percent of the them will think social media engagement would make you a better communicator. Conversely, almost 60 percent of them will believe that if you don’t engage on social media you are missing an opportunity to be a more effective leader. Most worrying, more than 40 percent will be concerned that you risk becoming less relevant in the digital age if you don’t get yourself on social media.

Risk aversion is still up there as the biggest reason employees think their CEOs are avoiding social media. If you’re part of the 70 percent of CEOs invisible on the social networks, but don’t like the idea of being thought of as a scaredy cat, the anti-social CEO’s guide to social media from Forbes might help. It has links to beginners guide on platforms from LinkedIn to Instagram, Pinterest to Google Plus.

Or you could just have a look at what other CEOs are doing. This list of CEOs on Twitter created by World of CEOs will inspire you and make you cringe in equal measure. Just don’t spend too much time looking for your fellow Pharma leaders on the list. Maybe next year.

I find December a fairly schizophrenic month. Half of your head is thinking back to what you’ve achieved, half of your head is focussing forward to what you will do in the New Year. Looking back on 2013, I re-read Should CEOs use Social Media?, a post I wrote back in February encouraging pharma CEOs to show their faces on the social networks. Looking forward, I wonder if CEOs will actually do it in 2014?

Peter Hoston

There is some growth, but it’s slow. The CEO.com study found almost 28 percent of CEOs surveyed using LinkedIn — the CEO’s social platform of choice. Although still ahead of general usage (20 percent according to Pew Internet), the increase is just 2 percent since last year. CEO Twitter usage still lags way behind the general population (18% according to Pew) at 5.6 percent, and again that’s a paltry 2 percent increase over 2012. Facebook at 7.6 percent and Google Plus at 1 percent are pretty much flat.

But there are successful CEOs using social media. Maybe they don’t care what the board thinks, or maybe they have spotted an opportunity that less socialized bosses have missed.

T-mobile CEO John Legere certainly gets it.

Customers are just one reason for CEOs to get social.

#BRANDfog #CEO #Twitter #Social Media

PR and Marketing Strategies Every Business Owner Needs to Know

Are you trying to make a name for your company? A great way to do this is to market yourself as a thought leader. Knowing the latest business trends and the kind of strategies needed to make a splash in the industry are essential to PR success. There are so many options in the world of public relations and marketing today, especially for businesses, but what areas should you be focusing on?

As a business leader, you need to know where and how your demographic will be spending their time. Being in the ‘know’ of the latest technology and trends is vital to the success of any company. Let’s take a look at the best strategies in PR and Marketing that you should be following.

Social Media

Social media is a crucial aspect to many PR campaigns these days. Sure your customers are doing it, but are you? How can you know how your customers’ minds are working if you’re not sharing the same technology? Your company may already have Twitter and Facebook accounts, but it’s also important for the face of your company — that means you– to have an individual twitter account.

It’s becoming more and more popular for business leaders to be on the ‘ground floor’ interacting with customers; Twitter allows them to do so, even if it’s behind closed doors. This helps to promote your brand personality – which can be hard to achieve without social media. In fact, 80 percent of consumers surveyed by BRANDfog believe it’s vital for CEOs and business leaders to be on social media

Blog All About It!

Never underestimate the power of the blog. Media often turns to digital sources, making it very hard to reach the right audience in the traditional sense anymore. The blog is where your ideas as a business owner can come shining through for the world – or at least for your customers – to see.

Introduce a new service or product your company is offering via a blog post. Blogs can also be a place to respond to complaints. This is the opportunity for you to talk candidly to your audience.

While this may seem like a minute point, it’s also very important that not every post you write is about your company. Update your followers about the best practices of other companies, or how a competitor handled a crisis. Once in a while, give them a ‘human’ side – share a fun or personal topic close to your heart. People are always trying to find the human element of business leaders – give your customers a reason to read!

The most important thing to remember when creating any sort of content as a leader – or for your company in general – is the quality of the content must be extremely high. Make it meaningful, or it won’t be worth producing.

Interviews

Interviews – in a digital or traditional sense are a great way to cement your leadership role to the public. Whether it’s through YouTube or CNN –get visible! Of course, before any interview, make you’ve properly trained to handle the media by a PR professional. The last thing you want is your good, proactive campaigning to backfire!

In today’s competitive world, businesses need to stay current on the most popular PR and marketing strategies in order to stay in the game. Your ultimate goal should be making yourself and your business a household name. Is this something that’s accomplished overnight? Of course not – this will take a severely detailed and several years of effort. However, if followed through, the end result will be worth your time and effort.

http://www.financepenguin.com/seo-and-marketing/pr-marketing-strategies-every-business-owner-needs-know/

#Brandfog #social media

By Ann Charles:

As a woman CEO who writes about women in leadership, I’m frequently looking to make connections with other women on Twitter.

The main stumbling block to fully engaging professionally on Twitter is that it can be a challenge to find the most valuable thought leaders, who tweet about the most relevant topics for you. Search results for the top thinkers in any field are often skewed toward the usual suspects, which tend to include only well-known personalities with a large following. Yet the key to extracting the most value out of Twitter is to find the new voices in the crowd. It can be exhilarating to discover people and communities that share the same interests and passions as you.

Since my work includes curating a meaningful Twitter audience for C-Suite clients, I’m charged with selecting tweet streams that enrich discussions related to top business trends. Part of this process includes seeking out the most influential and profound leaders across a diverse set of industries and interests. As the Twitter ecosystem continues to grow, it’s an ongoing challenge to find new, unique, and interesting sources of information with fresh points of view.

With a sense of shared discovery in mind, we’ve decided to publish lists of some of the most captivating people we have found on Twitter. Starting with The 25 Smartest Women on Twitter list, we’ve included women who elevate the level of discourse among smart business leaders. They validate the conviction that a change in the culture of leadership is under way, with women playing a prominent role to drive positive change.

The 25 Smartest Women on Twitter list highlights some of the women who are maximizing the potential of Twitter. They bring a new vision and fresh perspective to an array of social, economic, business, philanthropic, and other leadership topics. They are drawn from a wide spectrum of industries, professions, and geographies. The list includes business, political, and nonprofit leaders, as well as advocates for change, economic reform, and sustainable capitalism.

We did not choose women based on number of followers or those listed as the “most powerful” by other business publications. We made our selections without regard to big brand affiliation or title. Instead, we looked for women who were thought leaders and pioneers, and who continually advance groundbreaking ideas and provide surprising insights that can change perspectives.

The 25 Smartest Women on Twitter list is obviously incomplete, since the list cannot possibly encompass all of the intriguing women we’ve discovered on Twitter. We will add to this list on an ongoing basis and will publish it twice a year. Our selections will continually strive to showcase new voices. Feel free to tweet additional recommendations for additions to the next Smartest Women on Twitter list to @annmcharles--I’d love to hear your ideas for the next “Smartest” list. Enjoy!

Christiane Amanpour | @camanpour As one of the most iconic TV journalists, Christiane Amanpour is a powerful Twitter user. She offers breaking news on global conflicts, and provides unique insights and perspectives to political and world events. Follow @camanpour.

Genevieve Bell | @feraldata Located in Australia, Genevieve Bell is the director of interaction and experience research at Intel Labs. She lives at the intersection of cultural practice and technology adoption. Her specialties include ethnography, anthropology, user experience, cultural patterns, socio-technical practice, and new technology development/innovation. Follow @feraldata.

Simone Brummelhuis | @thenextwomen Based in London, Simone Brummelhuis is founder and CEO of The Next Women business magazine and a leader empowering women in business. Through her company’s Twitter account @thenextwomen, Brummelhuis tweets tips, lessons, and trends to help women continue to succeed as entrepreneurs in the startup and corporate world. Follow @thenextwomen.

Chelsea Clinton | @ChelseaClinton Chelsea Clinton is a tireless advocate for a healthy, equitable, and safe world. She is also an NBC News special correspondent and very active with the Clinton Foundation. Follow @ChelseaClinton.

Amy Cosper | @EntMagazineAmy Amy Cosper is the editor in chief for Entrepreneur magazine. She has an in-depth understanding of how to drive a business idea forward with passion and creativity. With journalism roots in the tech world, she infuses cutting-edge ideas into Entrepreneur. Cosper keeps her audience alert to the network of tools fundamental to launching and growing businesses. Follow @EntMagazineAmy.

Laurie David | @Laurie_David Laurie David is an author, producer, and environmental advocate, bringing passion and dedication to a variety of environmental and food issues. She has produced numerous projects including the Academy Award-winning An Inconvenient Truth. David has partnered with Katie Couric to executive produce Fed Up, a documentary that examines the causes and impacts of childhood obesity. Her books include The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time, and The Family Cooks, to be published in May 2014. Laurie has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, and The Today Show, among others. Follow @Laurie_David.

Caterina Fake | @Caterina A vibrant innovator and entrepreneur, Caterina Fake is the founder of Flickr and Hunch and a board member at Etsy. She writes for Wired and Bloomberg Businessweek. Fake is also the founder of Findery, a site to help you discover the world around you. She tweets about the latest digital news, technology, and her own personal views, passions, and interests. Follow @Caterina.

Diana Farrell | @Farrell_Diana Diana Farrell is the global leader and cofounder of the McKinsey Center for Government and the McKinsey Global Institute. She is a frequent speaker at major U.S. and global conferences and held the position of deputy assistant on economic policy to President Obama. Farrell has authored and coauthored books, articles for academic journals, and op-eds for leading international publications. Her focus is on creating more efficient and effective government, integrating technology solutions, and innovation. For insights on the economy and leadership in government from an insider, follow @Farrell_Diana.

Marina Gorbis | @Mgorbis Marina Gorbis is executive director at the Institute for the Future. She also leads the Technology Horizons Program, focusing on the innovation at the intersection of new technologies and social organization. Gorbis has worked with hundreds of organizations in business, education, government, and philanthropy. Born and raised in Ukraine, she sees things from a global viewpoint. She is very interested in how new technologies are able to give people the power to connect with each other. Follow @Mgorbis.

Kelly Hoey | @jkhoey Kelly Hoey is the cofounder and managing director of Women Innovate Mobile, an angel investor, and a startup advisory board member. She is a serial connector who believes that “In the social business era, your network is a bottom-line business asset.” Hoey engages with her followers, posts inspiring content, and live-tweets many industry events and conferences. Follow @jkhoey.

Janet Hanson | @janethanson Janet Hanson is the CEO and founder of 85 Broads. Janet is recognized as a unique voice and champion for women globally. She has built a global network community of 30,000 women at 85 Broads. Prior to founding 85 Broads, JHanson worked for Goldman Sachs and was the first woman in the firm’s history to be promoted to sales management. She is also a member of the Forbes Executive Women’s Board. Follow @janethanson.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter | @RosabethKanter Rosabeth Moss Kanter is a Harvard Business School professor and the author or coauthor of 17 books. She chairs a Harvard University group on creating innovative initiatives on advanced leadership. Kanter's tweets consist of inspiring thoughts and articles on how to succeed in business and become a better leader. Follow @RosabethKanter.

Andrea Kerzner | @AndreaKerzner Andrea Kerzner has a deep commitment to arts education. She is the CEO of the Lalela Project. Kerzner has focused on arts and education to connect children at risk in Africa with students and donors in the United States, and she continues to do this important work through the Lalela Project today. She believes that the power of art and music can help individuals cope with conflict and overcome poverty. Follow @AndreaKerznerfor the latest trends and developments in art education.

Alice Korngold | @alicekorngold Alice Korngold is the CEO of Korngold Consulting. Known for her thoughts on leadership, she consults to--and places business executives on--NGO and nonprofit boards. Her book A Better World, Inc.: How Companies Profit by Solving Global Problems . . . Where Governments Cannotis being published by Palgrave Macmillan this fall. Korngold is an expert blogger for Fast Company and tweets the latest news on best business leadership and CRS practices. Follow @alicekorngold.

Lucy P. Marcus | @lucymarcus Lucy P. Marcus is the CEO of Marcus Venture Consulting, a professor at IE Business School, and a Reuters board member and leadership columnist. Marcus is known for challenging conventional wisdom inside and outside the boardroom. She is considered one of the highest-regarded thought leaders and was recently recognized with the Thinkers50 Future Thinkers award and ranked 19th on the Reuters & Klout list of Most Influential Execs on the Web. She is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Huffington Post, and many more. Follow @lucymarcus.

Rita Gunther McGrath | @rgmcgrath Rita Gunther McGrath is a Columbia Business School professor and a globally recognized expert, speaker, and author in business strategy and innovation. In 2011, she was recognized as one of the top 20 management thinkers by global management award Thinkers50. McGrath has also been recognized as one of the top business school professors to follow on Twitter. She tweets her opinions on business industry news, as well as disruptive tech. Follow @rgmcgrath.

Susan McPherson | @susanmcp1 Susan McPherson is SVP, director of global marketing at Fenton. Susan is a serial connector who leads Fenton’s CSR practice. She is a regular contributor for Harvard Business Review and Forbes, and often advises technology startups. McPherson serves on the board of Bpeace, an organization dedicated to assisting women in regions of conflict and post-conflict, startup businesses, and Earth 2 Hub, a London-based innovative media platform for science and technology. Follow @susanmcp1.

Nilofer Merchant | @nilofer Nilofer Merchant is an author, corporate director, and speaker. She writes for Harvard Business Review and is of the most respected thought leaders in business and entrepreneurship. Known as the “Jane Bond of Innovation” and a visionary by CNBC, Merchant tweets about tech and business leadership, as well as politics. Follow @nilofer.

Jacqueline Novogratz | @jnovogratz Jacqueline Novogratz is the founder and CEO of the Acumen Fund, an organization "changing the way the world tackles poverty." She is a well-respected advocate and humanitarian. Novogratz sits on the advisory board for many renowned groups and was also appointed by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the Department of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board. She is a speaker at the Clinton Global Initiative and was featured in The Daily Beast’s 25 Smartest People of the Decade. Novogratz posts the latest news from developing countries, focusing on overcoming extreme poverty through the means of sustainable energy, education, and innovation. Follow @jnovogratz.

Maria Popova | @brainpicker Originally from Bulgaria, Maria Popova is the editor of Brain Pickings, a blog that features and covers a wide array of cultural topics: history, current events, and images and texts from previous decades. In 2012, Fast Company named Popova one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business. She posts a fantastic digest of the most interesting news on politics, culture, and art, making hers one of the most well-rounded accounts on Twitter. Follow her @brainpicker.

Maria Poveromo | @mariapoveromo Maria Poveromo is the senior director of social media, analyst relations and public relations at Adobe. She is responsible for driving social media strategy and influencer relations programs across the company, and establishing the organizational framework for social media activities worldwide. Poveromo shares great insight on programs to engage influencers across traditional and new media channels, identifying the latest digital and social media trends for business. Follow @mariapoveromo.

Jennifer Preston | @JenniferPreston Jennifer Preston was the first social media editor at the New York Times. She reports on the intersection of social media, politics, government, business, and real life. Prior to joining the New York Times, Preston was the City Hall bureau chief at New York Newsday. She has won numerous awards for investigative reporting. The social pioneer tweets the latest news on social media, as well as the top stories from the New York Times. Follow @JenniferPreston.

Zainab Salbi | @ZainabSalbi Zainab Salbi is the founder and former CEO of Women for Women International. She is an activist and humanitarian for world peace and women’s rights. Salbi has been honored by President Clinton and was nominated as one of Harpers Bazaar's 21st-Century Heroines. The Guardian, Newsweek and the Daily Beast have all named Salbi as one of the Top 100 Women. Follow her for news, stats, and opinions on humanitarian crises and how you can contribute to making the world a better place. Follow @ZainabSalbi.

Katie Jacobs Stanton | @KatieS Katie Jacobs Stanton is vice president of international at Twitter; her team is responsible for growing Twitter's audience outside the United States. She is the special advisor to the Office of Innovation at the U.S. Department of State and was also President Obama’s appointee to a newly created position, director of citizen participation. Stanton is a veteran of Google and was a producer for Yahoo! Finance. Follow @KatieS.

Elizabeth Warren | @Elizabethforma U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren is an avid tweeter. She was previously a Harvard Law School professor and established the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She has written a number of academic works and has also served as assistant to the President and special advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury. Warren regularly posts about the latest in policy news and often interacts with her fellow political peers. Follow @Elizabethforma.

--Ann Charles is the founder and CEO of BRANDfog, providing social media branding for CEOs to create transparency, strengthen brand reputation, and establish thought leadership. Charles is also on the advisory board of the Lalela Project, which provides educational arts to children affected by extreme poverty in South Africa, sparking creative thinking and awakening the entrepreneurial spirit. Follow her on Twitter at @annmcharles .

Who would you add to this list? Tell us in the comments section below, please!

#brandfog #Social Media Branding #social media #ceo #women

How to Leverage the Social CEO

Have you read the latest survey making the rounds? The one from KRC Research and Weber Shandwick that proves what everyone but your CEO already knows? If you haven't seen it, it's worth a read, outlining why your CEO should be on social media and what you're missing if he or she isn't using it.

Read it. And then maybe forward it to your boss.

The study of 630 executives in 10 markets discovered the majority of executives want their CEO to be utilizing social channels. According to the results, 76 percent of executives believe it is a good idea for CEOs to be social and 69 percent of executives who have social CEOs would like to see them participate even more frequently!

With the number of CEOs participating in social projected to increase 50 percent over the next five years, it seems the days of the elusive CEO hiding in the boardroom are over. In today's social economy, visible storytelling sells, and who better to tell your story than the person responsible for leading the charge?

Social CEOs have been shown to:

Improve the company reputation.

Demonstrate the brand's innovation.

Humanize the company.

Increase business results.

Set a social example for employees.

But you, the savvy marketing manager, probably already knew all of that. How do you convince your CEO to drop the hate and get on the social media soapbox?

1. Educate Them

For your CEO to care about social media he or she needs to understand why they should care. That it isn't enough the business has made a social investment they, personally, need to make an investment as well. It may take some educating before your CEO is open to the idea of blogging, shooting video or even creating that Twitter account you keep mentioning during internal staff meetings, but they'll get there.

Help get them on the same page by providing information about the benefits of being a social CEO. Pull research data like the survey mentioned above from Weber Shandwick or BrandFrog to illustrate the power of having a sociable CEO and the long list of benefits it brings to the company.

Pull together case studies that look at how social CEOs have increased the company's bottom line and brand awareness by being involved. Putting a face to this social media CEO “thing” and tying it back to clear ROI is how you're going to persuade an otherwise antisocial CEO to start getting involved.

2. Introduce the Tools

You can help your CEO feel more empowered and in control of his or her social media presence by narrowing down the available platform choices. There's no need to overwhelm them by making them feel they need to be everywhere Knowem is.

Start small, start where your CEO will be most comfortable and focus on the sites that will give the company the most bang for its buck, whether it's a branded account on Twitter or a new channel on YouTube.

Find the medium your CEO will feel most comfortable using for expression and updates.

3. Address Fears

Ask 10 CEOs why they haven't gotten involved in social media and you may get exactly that many answers:

They're afraid of negative feedback.

They have nothing to say.

They may say the wrong thing.

They don't have time.

They don't know how to start or what sites to use.

They don't understand it.

They simply don't want to!

Instead of discounting these fears, address them! Identify the reasons and the fears associated for not getting involved and break them down.

For the CEO with nothing to say, work with them to create a strategy (yes, you do need a social media strategy for your brand) so they have talking points broken out and a calendar to clearly follow. Adding structure and a schedule to social media will make it more manageable. You wouldn't throw your child into the pool without teaching him to swim. Same concept.

For the CEO who doesn't have time, introduce him or her to social media management tools like Buffer or Raven Tools that they can use to help schedule and monitor updates. Let your CEO know he or she doesn't have to be on Twitter all day in order to establish a true presence. Take off some of the always-on pressure.

For the CEO afraid of saying the wrong thing, lean again on that social media strategy to help identify topics worth discussing, as well as how to handle touchy situations that may arise. By giving them guidelines to follow for how they should be engaging, you help take the guesswork out of it.

4. Provide a Game Plan & Check In

Once you've gotten buy in and your CEO is onboard, create a plan for the next three months, outlining their presence and their activity.

If they're going to be blogging, what are the topics they'll be covering? When do they need post drafts due? When will they be published?

If your CEO is about to get active on Twitter, help them get the account created – give them a fresh background and profile image – and show them who they should be following, how to find other people to follow, how to use Twitter search and other tools, and help them get their feet wet so they feel confident using the platform.

If your CEO is going to create video blogs, create your recording schedule and introduce him or her to the tools that will be used.

Once the plan has been set into motion, monitor it. Don't leave your CEO out to dry, all awkward and floppy. Check in on a regular basis. Offer feedback and make sure he or she is sticking to the plan you laid out. If they seem to be struggling, hop in and offer support and guidance. Lead the way.

5. Map Successes

Celebrate wins, no matter how small. Offer high-fives for great updates or blog posts that gain legs and earn traction. By highlighting and congratulating his or her successes, you'll make your CEO more invested in their social media use.

Summary

Encourage your CEO to become your chief storyteller by educating them about the important of social on your business, addressing fears and plotting a course of social media action. By doing so you'll not only advance the company vision, but you'll strengthen the company as a whole.

#CEO #Social media #brandfog

6 Benefits of Being A Social Business

It is a common debate as to whether social media should be managed in-house or out-sourced. I believe this is not the correct question. The question should be how can we become a social business? In practice, the actual management may be part in-house and part out-sourced, it is not black or white, but one of grey. The main point is that becoming a social business is more than just in-house marketing adoption of social media, it is an enterprise wide culture.

Here are six key aspects that becoming a social business that deliver value to your company.

Deeper Relationships

Close to 90% of consumers don’t trust communications from companies on social networking sites. This may be due to companies pushing messages and not actually being social, or simply that human nature trusts individuals more than it does companies. We commonly hear the phrase ‘people buy people’, and this is especially true in B2B channels with long buying cycles and multiple decision makers. In an increasing array of social media channels, the most effective ways to build relationships with people is at an individual personal level. The best way to manage and implement this is through a social business, where a social culture exists and individuals are empowered to be socially active. Out-sourced and agency managed services can commonly fail deliver the same personal level of relationships.

Greater Trust

No one can replicate the credibility a CEO brings by operating effectively on social media channels. It carries the perception of leadership, transparency and authenticity. The BRANDFog 2012 CEO Survey says more than 82% of respondents are likely or much more likely to trust a company whose CEO and team engage in social media. The study also reports that 77% of respondents are likely or much more willing to buy from a company whose mission and values are defined through their leaderships’ involvement in social media. Yes, some comments can ghost written, agencies and consultants can advice on strategy, yet the authenticity of C-level interaction cannot be replicated. Board level participation also acts to lead by example. If a framework, support and guidelines is in place it helps to enable uptake of social media throughout an organisation.

Thought leadership

In complex B2B channels, subject area expertise is vital in creating compelling, engaging content that drives online authority and thought leadership. Delivery across many social media channels is the same. In technical professional forums, discussions and debates, conversation is typically held at a technical level. A level that many communication agencies may not be able to offer value in. Responses and postings are also held at an individual level therefore communication from an agency lacks authenticity and screams marketing message. From a research and development perspective vital insight on market desires, challenges, issues and opportunities can also be crowd sourced and monitored across social channels.

Nurture to sale

With relationships being central to effective social media practice, sales professionals are key in driving prospect progression towards a sale. Effectively building and nurturing relationships is strongest at a personal level with relationships between people and teams, not just brands and companies. Social media channels provide a new avenue to identify sales opportunities, with both new prospects and existing customers. Additionally, it represents much more than just a channel for communication by helping sales keep up to date with customers experiences, challenges and successes, all of which provide opportunities to deepen relationships and reasons to pick up the phone with a positive conversation.

Improved Transparency

Dealing effectively with customer issues can go a long way to minimising potential risks, and demonstrate good levels of customer services and customer. If a customer is unhappy, they may take to social media regardless of your blessing or visibility. With an open channel of communication, social media allows responses to help manage the situation. Monitoring brand #hashtags and products is a good way to understand sentiment and identify any items for action promptly.

Efficient Recruitment

A key element of any business is recruitment. Attracting and retaining top talent is a long term must for any company wishing to succeed over their competitors. Social media provides an platform to research prospective employees, just as they would research and prepare for an interview with you. More proactively you can nurture individuals with demanded skill sets and desirable experience for when suitable opportunities arise. Word of mouth is also more visible, with peer endorsements and skills validation often publicly open helping to create a broader picture than traditional references may. Whilst many recruitment agencies can also utilise these benefits, the internet has provided companies the ability of reducing dependency on these suppliers thus lowering recruitment costs.

Agencies and suppliers can effectively help with integration and social media management at a corporate and brand level, but are challenged to replicate the scope of services and coverage a social business can. The role of agencies and suppliers has evolved. In addition to offering value in their knowledge of the channels, skills and experience in using them, and promoting best practices, the greatest value they offer is through helping to reform and evolve organisation culture – helping to transform them into a social business.

Read more at http://www.business2community.com/social-business/6-benefits-of-being-a-social-business-0467039#luwH76AmgXefBzTS.99

#CEO #BRANDfog #business #Social Business #Social Media #Branding

Social Media Considerations for Small Business Owners

Still on the fence about using social media to promote your small business? You may want to consider the findings of a new survey conducted by BRANDfog. Although much of its focus was on social media participation by C-suite executives, the 2012 CEO, Social Media and Leadership Survey’s findings are applicable to small businesses as well.

The consulting firm maintains that in today’s digital world, social media has become an increasingly important communications channel for building a connection between brands and their most vocal advocates. “While many companies understand the important role that social media plays in brand building, most have not yet realized its potential to raise the profile of corporate executives to establish industry thought leadership and strengthen the credibility of the brand,” says BRANDfog CEO Ann Charles.

The report notes that the ubiquity of social media has changed customer expectations about brand engagement, created expectations that they will have direct access to brands and brand leaders, and made a direct connection between social media participation, purchase intent and increased loyalty to a brand. It cites a recent report in which 50 percent of consumers stated they were more likely to purchase from a company and recommend a brand to others after following the company’s tweets.

The survey set out to better understand the connection between engagement at the highest levels of management on social media channels and attitudes of customer and employees toward that brand. Its aim was to determine the effect this has on brand image, customer loyalty, purchase intent and overall leadership.

Survey results demonstrate that executive engagement in social media raises the brand profile and instills confidence in a company’s leadership team, builds greater trust, brand loyalty and purchase intent.

Specifics include:

81 percent of respondents believe that CEOs who engage in social media are better equipped than their peers to lead companies in a web 2.0 world.

A large majority of the respondents believe that CEOs can use social media channels to improve engagement with multiple stakeholders across their organizations. Building better connections with customers topped the list at 89 percent, but engagement with employees (85 percent) and investors (66 percent) also came in very strong.

When asked what benefits C-Suite engagement in social media can lead to, 78 percent cited Better Communication and 71 percent stated Improved Brand Image as the biggest positive benefits.

86 percent of respondents rated CEO social media engagement as either somewhat important, very important or mission critical.

82 percent of respondents were more likely or much more likely to trust a company whose CEO and leadership team engage with social media.

77 percent of respondents were more likely or much more likely to buy from a company whose values and mission are defined through CEO and executive leadership participation on social media.

Several hundred employees participated in the survey. They represented all levels of diverse companies ranging in size from startups to Fortune 500 companies in a wide selection of industries, professions and regions.

#Social Media #SmallBiz #CEO #BRANDfog