The Social CEO Goes Mainstream – New FTI Consulting analysis highlights success factors for impactful executive social media communication for stakeholder engagement
London, June 27, 2022 – In its latest “Social CEO” report, FTI Consulting Inc. (NYSE: FCN) highlights that using social media has become the new norm in CEO communications in Europe. For the first time, over half of all top CEOs (52%) across the UK, France and Germany are engaging with corporate stakeholders on social channels. The report is based on a detailed evaluation of the social media posts of all CEOs of FTSE 100, CAC 40 and DAX 40 companies active on at least one platform.
FTI Consulting’s findings demonstrate the value of proactive social media communication by CEOs whose posts receive considerably higher engagement than content on corporate or brand channels and generate attention from broader audiences. The impact of professional CEO social media use is corroborated by an FTI Consulting survey which also revealed that a vast majority of business leaders believe that stakeholder relationships have improved as a result of CEOs actively using social media.
In their quest to harness the power of social media to strengthen corporate stakeholder relationships and amplify company communications, the performance of CEOs varies widely. The report provides data-based insights on how and why CEOs who post on a broad range of topics are most impactful on social media and how quality counts more than quantity.
FTI’s analysis also reveals that the social media strategies of many European CEOs are focused on society’s most pressing topics. This is particularly true for climate change where over 16% of posts by active CEOs were related to global warming, and over half (52%) of all active CEOs posted on this topic at least once. Those CEOs who add a distinct human touch to posts and directly link content with people significantly increase their impact with audiences.
“Our latest Social CEO report shows that business leaders understand the value they can create for their companies and the planet by personally interacting with corporate stakeholders on social media. The role and importance of CEOs in corporate social media strategies is bound to increase further. As more leaders rely on professional support for maximizing the impact of their social media presence, inhouse teams and their external advisors need to understand the key success factors”, said Mark McCall, Global Leader of FTI Consulting’s Strategic Communications Segment.
“European CEOs’ social media engagement is already based on dedicated and sophisticated strategies. At the same time, we also see that their content often misses stakeholders’ expectations of what and how leaders should be vocal about. This makes a robust, tailored and data-based strategic planning and evaluation even more important”, comments Andrew Williams, Senior Managing Director, Digital & Insights.
About FTI Consulting
FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organisations manage change, mitigate risk and resolve disputes: financial, legal, operational, political & regulatory, reputational and transactional. With more than 6,300 employees located in 28 countries, FTI Consulting professionals work closely with clients to anticipate, illuminate and overcome complex business challenges and make the most of opportunities. The Company generated $2.46 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2020. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com and connect with us on Twitter (@FTIConsulting), Facebook and LinkedIn.
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