Who Should Be Tweeting for Your Company?

My social media marketing business partner Yael K. Miller and I strongly believe that the ideal for company social media engagement is that the CEO of a company should be active on Twitter.

This doesn't mean there aren't other company accounts with others handling those accounts. But it does mean that the CEO should have an account and be engaged on a daily basis with what is going on in his/her competitive environment.

Unfortunately, I often come across CEOs or senior people who do not want to participate in social media. One such person told me the interns can do this.

But let me ask this question: If the interns mess up, whose company have they messed up?

A few days later speaking to the person who wanted the interns to do this, I was gratified to read Geoffrey A. Fowler's article "Are You Talking to Me?" in the April 25th Wall Street Journal Report "Leadership: Information Technology."

The article subsection "The Boss Should Tweet" begins:

Many companies now have official Twitter handles and Facebook pages for their brands. But it helps set the tone and personality of a brand if the boss weighs in on the conversation personally, says Mark Silva, senior vice president of emerging platforms at marketing agency Anthem Worldwide.

Fowler describes how Sherry Chris, CEO of Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate LLC, began tweeting in 2007. "I thought it would be much more authentic—although time consuming—to become engaged myself," she is quoted in the article.

And true to most people's initial social media experiences, at first she wasn't sure it was worth the effort. Then she experienced the aha! moment that those people who do "get" the power of Twitter usually experience.

If only I could bottle that aha! moment and sell it as a downloadable product to help people instantly realize the power of Twitter. But as with most worthwhile things, this aha! moment is usually not an overnight experience.

It takes an open mind, persistence and perseverance to get over the initial hurdles to understanding how to effectively use Twitter to connect with prospective customers and clients for your business. This effectiveness requires having conversations rather than pushing sales messages.

If you DO commit to participating on Twitter for the long haul – and to learning best practices from those people you follow – you can look forward to reaping the benefits that this amazing social media platform offers you.

And if you want help with setting up an effective Twitter profile, see our FREE report at www.MillerMosaicPowerof3.com with step-by-step explanations.



© 2011 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller on Twitter) is the co-founder of the social media marketing company Miller Mosaic LLC.

Get the free information "8 Social Media Marketing Mistakes" and "Social Media Marketing Does Not Magically Work; You Have to Work It" at www.facebook.com/millermosaicsocialmedia