18 Statistics to Help Convince Your CEO to Engage on Social Media

Social media platforms are no longer for high school and college students.

Companies, customers and employees are using a variety of social media platforms on a daily basis.

Social media has and will continue to change the way companies do business, as well as the way companies collaborate with their customers.

It's seen as one of the best ways for CEO’s to stay connected and relevant in today’s high-powered business world.

So why are only 30% of Fortune 500 CEOs using social media to engage and interact with their audience?

See why your CEO should be actively engaging on social media platforms. It's not only relevant for attracting consumers but also for improving your brand image.

Why Your CEO Should be Engaging on Social Media

1. 81% of employees believe that CEO's who engage on social media are better equipped to lead companies in the web 2.0 world. (Source: Go-Gulf)

2. Major benefits of CEO participation in social media (Source: Go-Gulf):

• 78% say better communication

• 78% say improved brand image

• 64% say more transparency

• 45% say improved company morale

• 45% say better leadership

3. 82% of consumers are more likely to trust a company whose CEO and leadership team engage on social media. (Source: Go-Gulf)

4. 77% of consumers are more likely to buy from a company whose CEO and leadership team engage on social media. (Source: Go-Gulf)

5. 78% of professionals would prefer to work for a company whose leadership team is active on social media. (Source: Go-Gulf)

6. Only 1 in 5 CEOs have a social media account. (Source: Magnet Media Labs)

7. 49% of corporate reputation is attributed to how people view the CEO. A little social media can go a long way.(Source: Magnet Media Labs)

8. Half of consumers believe that CEOs who don't use social media will get out of touch with customers.(Source: Magnet Media Labs)

9. 8 in 10 consumers say they're more likely to trust a company whose CEO and team engage in social media. (Source: Magnet Media Labs)

10. 81% of employees consider social CEOs better leaders. (Source: Magnet Media Labs)

11. 93% of consumers believe that CEO engagement on social media helps communicate company values, shape a company's reputation, and grow and evolve corporate leadership in times of crisis. (Source: Magnet Media Labs)

12. 43 percent of executives with socially active CEOs labeled their company’s leader as inspiring compared to only 26 percent of the executives with CEOs not using social media. (Source: Weber Shandwick)

13. Benefits of a socially active CEO (Source: Weber Shandwick):

• 76%  say it shows the company is innovative.

• 75%  say it gives the company a human face or personality.

• 75% say it's a good way for the CEO to communicate with employees.

• 75% say it helps the CEO build good relationships with news media.

• 73% say it gives more employees a chance to communicate directly with the CEO.

• 70% say it has a positive impact on business results.

• 64% say it helps find and attract new customers.

• 64% say it gives the company a competitive edge.

14. 61% of executives with socially active CEOs believed that their CEO’s social media activity enabled their company’s leader to be more effective in managing a crisis. (Source: Weber Shandwick)

15. 70% of Fortune 500 CEOs don't have a profile on any social network. (Source: CEO.com)

16. Out of the 30% that do have social profiles (Source: Reuters):

5 of the 19 CEOs on Twitter have never tweeted, and other accounts are “underutilized”

25 of the 38 CEOs on Facebook have less than 100 friends

Only 4 CEOs are on Google+

Not a single Fortune 500 CEO is on Pinterest

17. CEO’s who use social media are viewed as better communicators, more open and accessible, and more inspirational than CEO’s who don’t. (Source:  Weber Shandwick)

18. 76% of all executives believe it is a good idea for CEO’s to be social. (Source: Weber Shandwick)