Top 5 Social Media Tips for C-Suite Execs

Alltop CEO and former Apple evangelist, Guy Kawasaki is the poster child for the active social media executive. Kawasaki’s perspective comes from years of blogging and using Twitter to further his business initiatives. He sees social media as a means for executives, “To establish yourself as a fascinating subject-matter expert.”

For the executive looking to become a subject matter expert in the eyes of the public, and not just inside the organization, Kawasaki says that, “It’s all about finding good stories, videos, and blog posts about your subject and providing links to these sources.”

“For example, if you own a restaurant, then you could post a link to The Second Annual New York Foodie Photo Scavenger Hunt, Cilantro Haters, It’s Not Your Fault, and Check It Out: Get Your Groceries At The Library. Do this for a few months, and people will recognize you as a food expert. And guess what? They’ll come eat at your restaurant.”

He uses StumbleUpon (), SmartBrief, Alltop (a network he founded), and even outsources part of the story-discovery process to staff members. It’s not a strategy that everyone agrees with, but at the end of the day Kawasaki is able to curate the best stories of interest for his audience, and in so doing, become an important — read: must-follow — source of information.