New Expectations for Leadership Use of Social Media Defined, According to FTI Consulting’s Leading from the Front Research

The Number of CEOs Engaging on Social Media Has Doubled over the Past Two Years, with More Than 55% of FTSE 100 CEOs Now Actively Posting on LinkedIn

Companies with the Widest Range of Active Leaders Have a 38% Higher Digital Impact

Leadership Content Generates Three Times as Many Comments than Company LinkedIn Pages

27 September 2023, LONDON — Having at least four active leaders across a company’s executive committee (“ExCo”) on LinkedIn drives the greatest impact for organisations, according to FTI Consulting’s (NYSE: FCN) third annual Leading from the Front report, published today. The report, entitled Beyond the CEO: The Power of Leadership Voices, reveals that far from “crowding out” the rest of the leadership team, an active chief executive officer (“CEO”) backed by an active ExCo team achieved the greatest impact, generating a 41% higher digital impact than their CEO peers.

Using the FTI Consulting Digital Impact Score, a proprietary score created to quantify and measure digital impact, the research uncovered that companies that activated a wide range of ExCo leaders were making the greatest impact on LinkedIn. Within the FTSE 100, the research showed that those with at least four active ExCo leaders on social media were making a 38% higher digital impact. This included generating five times as much engagement on their social content than companies with less than four ExCo members actively using social media.

The report highlights the critical role leadership communications plays in building and protecting the overall reputation and profile of a business. According to the research, stakeholder audiences today expect business leaders to use social media to build meaningful relationships, with 92% of those surveyed saying they are more likely to trust a company whose senior executives are on social media. The research also revealed that engagement rates for content from business leaders are more than two times higher than posts on company channels. Notably, leadership-focused content generates three times as many comments when compared to posts on LinkedIn company pages.

“Long gone are the days where social media impact could be achieved by company channels alone,” said Andrew Williams, a Senior Managing Director in the Digital and Insights team within the Strategic Communications segment at FTI Consulting. “Our research shows that while these channels remain a critical corporate communications and stakeholder engagement tool, it’s clear that business leader engagement online can further broaden and deepen reach and impact”.

The report also provides insights into the most prominent social media figures across the FTSE 100, with seven of the 10 most impactful ExCo members being CEOs. This year, there was a notable 85% increase in CEOs’ follower numbers, with each having on average 30,000 or more followers, further underlining their pivotal role in using social media for corporate communications. Beyond the CEO, while senior business leaders are taking to social media in increasing numbers, the research highlights a clear opportunity for chief operating officers and chief financial officers, who achieved the lowest impact on LinkedIn.

Leaders within the energy, telecommunications and healthcare sectors were shown to have the most impactful leadership teams, whilst the sectors with the lowest impact scores were industrials and real estate. Former BP CEO Bernard Looney, a prominent figure in the energy sector, topped the rankings due to his prolific LinkedIn engagement since assuming the top role in 2020. However, his unexpected departure in September 2023 underscores the report’s findings regarding the importance of enhancing the profiles of the entire leadership team and their potential successors.

“For companies to unlock the greatest impact on social media, they need to look beyond the CEO and also activate the broader senior leadership team,” said Claire Twohill, a Managing Director in the Digital and Insights team within the Strategic Communications segment at FTI Consulting. “Developing bespoke and cohesive social media strategies for each member of the leadership team is now a critical component of corporate communications.”

To learn more and download the report, please visit here. To find out more about FTI Consulting’s Digital & Insights practice click here.

About the FTI Consulting Digital Impact Score

To help organisations understand the power of executives’ digital leadership voices, FTI Consulting used its proprietary Digital Impact Score model to analyse how impactful FSTE 100 executive committee members are online. With LinkedIn being the channel used more frequently during the study period by executives, this was the primary channel of focus. Each FTSE 100 executive was given a score out of 100, with individual points given to assess the impact of the executives’ presence and the reach and resonance of their content. Within the model, increased weight was given to executives who are building an engaged and powerful follower base by creating regular content grounded in knowledge and advice that effectively sparks conversations.

The research into the social media activities of FTSE 100 ExCo was conducted from 1 September 2022 until 28 February 2023. Of the 901 individuals identified, the majority had a LinkedIn channel (n=784) and just over half of the sample were actively posting (n=429). Within the research, 3,208 posts published by the identified active ExCo members (n=429) were analysed, and  the publicly available data of any ExCo member who had a LinkedIn channel was  assessed to gather insights on the impact of their presence. The research used the FTSE 100 Industry Classification Benchmark list to rank the companies into sectors.

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 7,800 employees located in 31 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 $3.03 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2022. In certain jurisdictions, FTI Consulting’s services are provided through distinct legal entities that are separately capitalised and independently managed. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com and connect with us on Twitter (@FTIConsulting), Facebook and LinkedIn.

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