70% Of All Fortune 500 CEOs Have No Presence On Social Networks

By July 12, 2012

In only a few years, social media has transformed the digital landscape and changed  the way millions of people communicate, connect and form relationships.  Beyond its impact on individual life, social networks are changing the way we interact with businesses.  Social media  impacts purchase patterns, can shift public opinion, and has the potential to level the marketing playing field for small businesses. With an increasing number of companies embracing the social world, CEO.com asked the question, “What about the chief executive officers?”

Surprisingly, they found that with the exception of LinkedIn — Fortune 500-CEOs lagged far behind the general population in terms of social media participation. In fact, 70% of all Fortune 500 CEOs have no presence on social networks at all. While the majority of CEOs clearly don’t understand the importance of socially connecting with their customers, their employees do. According to a recent survey of employees by Brandfog:

• 77% believe a social CEO will increase business purchases
• 78% want to work for a social CEO
• 81% believe social CEOs are better leaders
• 82% believe social CEOs are more trustworthy
• 93% believe social CEOs are better equipped for crisis management
• 94% believe social CEOs will enhance the company’s brand

The above video and the below infographic from CEO.com explore the curious trend they discovered in their study further.

fortune 500 ceos social media