4 steps to turning your CEO into a social media powerhouse

Editor’s note: This story is taken from Ragan Communications’ distance-learning portal Ragan Training. The site contains hundreds of hours of case studies, video presentations and interactive courses.

Should your executives be on Twitter, perhaps on Instagram?

Should your CEO post photos of himself barbecuing a Thanksgiving turkey or clad in a turban and a skirt for an Indian festival?

In her Ragan Training presentation, “Bridging the digital gap between executives and the public,” Jacqueline Simard Ireton, digital strategy manager at Eli Lilly and Co., offers ways to strategize executives’ social media presences.

For Lilly CEO Dave Ricks, the answer to question of turkeys and turbans was yes, even in a highly regulated pharmaceutical research and manufacturing company. Much can be gained through executives’ social media engagement, Ireton says, as long as you define your strategy, message and messenger.