How #Social CEOs Drive Business for their Company

July 28, 2014

What do Richard Branson, Marissa Mayer, and Arianna Huffington have in common? Sure, they lead successful companies, but they’re also leading social CEOs. Marketing strategist David Meerman Scott explains how socially engaged CEOs drive more business for their companies.

The Power of Social CEOs | OpenView Labs

When I speak with CEOs about generating attention for their business through real-time marketing and sales, most ask me how to staff for success in their companies.
Very few CEOs ask the right question:

How do I become a social CEO?


Richard Branson, Marissa Mayer, and Arianna Huffington all have something in common. Not only are they CEOs of large organizations, they are also top executives on social media with a combined 6 million Twitter followers.
I have had the social CEO discussion with leaders of smaller organizations and when done right, being social allows direct engagement with customers. And that connection helps drive business.
Some connected CEOs include Gerard Vroomen of Open Cycle who blogs and tweets and answers emails from interested people and he’s quickly built several businesses based on his open philosophy.
Greg Alexander, CEO of Sales Benchmark Index, a sales and marketing consultancy focused on helping B2B companies make the number, is very active on Twitter and also on his company’s blog. His real-time engagement strategies have helped his firm grow 50% through a switch from outbound to inbound marketing

The Power of #Social CEOs: An Example

I recently had a lengthy discussion with Brian Halligan, HubSpot CEO about how he uses social media. [Disclaimer: Brian is a friend (we wrote Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead together), and I am a HubSpot advisor.]
Brian says the Social CEO is a new breed of executive, and their businesses are benefiting because of it. Brian shared a fascinating correlation with me to prove his point.

HubSpot grew by 50% in 2013 and by the end of the year the company served 10,595 customers in 56 countries.

And get this: Twenty percent of the company’s new customers since 2011 have been influenced in the selling process by visiting Brian’s page on the HubSpot site. Twenty percent influenced – that’s an amazing statistic!
brianstat

What do people find when they go to your CEO’s bio page?

Are there ways to connect via social networks like Twitter? Are there links to content they created? Or is there a boring resume of the dusty old degrees they earned decades ago? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Image by Jason Howie

Marketing and Sales Speaker

<strong>David Meerman Scott</strong> is a marketing strategist, keynote speaker, seminar leader, and the author of seven books published in more than 30 languages, including <a href="http://www.davidmeermanscott.com/books/the-new-rules-of-marketing-and-pr/">The New Rules of Marketing & PR</a> and <a href="http://www.davidmeermanscott.com/books/real-time-marketing-pr/">Real-Time Marketing & PR</a>.