I want to share something we’ve been working on – something I feel is critically important for all leaders – established and emerging – today. It’s about your own digital brand, why it just might be the most valuable asset you have, and what you must do to protect it in a COVID world.

Regardless as to what your views are on social media, whether you’re a fan or active user or not, you’ll know something fundamentally and permanently changed last year.

Let’s jump back there quickly.

Around March or April last year we saw this – an enormous wave of people gripped by fear, anxiety and sometimes just pure anger overwhelming social media and other online channels. People seeking help and answers to questions they couldn’t get elsewhere – or people simply looking to vent – as the physical world suddenly closed around them.

Given the work I do, I watched with real interest. For organisations and leaders, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stand up and meet a need that was both universal and critical.

So – what happened?

To be honest, in many ways it was an opportunity lost. We often hear about businesses saying they’re there in the moments that matter or how they put customers first. COVID and social media handed executives a unique context to put those statements to the test. Most were caught unprepared or – even worse – opted out of online engagement.

Leaders are standing up and making an impact.

However, really encouragingly – and this is why I’m so passionate about sharing this side of the story – there were leaders who took this opportunity and ran with it; leaders, albeit the minority, who did stand up on social media.

The leaders and organisations who had the greatest impact were those who understood the importance of social media – not to solely run marketing campaigns – but to communicate strategy, provide strong leadership and stability and offer responsive service when the stakes were high. The leaders who had built relationships and rapport knowing a time like this would come.

These leaders were magnets for hope and built even greater connection, credibility and trust over the following 12 months – reputation equity that is hard to earn and hard to undo.

Since the early 2000s, there has been very little appetite for most leaders and organisations to change their approach to social media. To break convention from broadcast communication and ads, and look further. COVID threw that rule book out and reminded us all that the word ‘social’ in social media means something, and that when it comes to humanity, connection is more important than conversion.

If 2020 was a social media opportunity lost, 2021 is an opportunity calling

So this is where we find ourselves today. If 2020 was a social media opportunity lost, 2021 is an opportunity calling – now. Particularly for leaders. And I do stress leaders here. Not the marketing, comms or digital teams, but the leadership team. Because their digital brand and reputation – their future career prospects and market value – are now tied to the reputational battles being fought online.

I’ve been encouraged by the increasing number of conversations we’ve been having with leaders since the start of the year about how they can build, harness and protect their digital brands – not just for themselves but for the benefit of their staff, shareholders and broader stakeholder groups.

These leaders are taking action. And, most importantly, taking personal ownership. Because the stakes are too high for them to get it wrong.

Because the truth is: leaders have the most to gain, but also the most to lose when it comes to social media. An organisation that misses the mark on social media risks customer, media and shareholder backlash. And we know where the buck stops.

Executives + social media: three next steps.

I want to suggest three next steps, and the first is very simple.

1. Google your name.

When someone hears about you, that’s the first thing they’ll do to learn more. What actually comes up? Have you done this before? What is the outside world actually seeing about ‘brand you’? Whether you have worked hard at building and finessing your digital brand or not – you have one. The key question for leaders, boards and reputation advisers is: who’s currently safeguarding it?

2. Learn from other leaders.

The second thing I’d encourage you to do – learn from those leaders around you. We have plenty of examples of individuals leading from the front across all sectors, ages and levels of seniority that I’d love to share with you – across the corporate sector but equally across government and NGOs.

Reputation matters no matter where you work, and watching from the side lines is – sadly – no longer an option. Find a way to build that confidence needed and build your skillset, because we need to start bridging the current digital literacy gap across Australian boardrooms. The tide has turned and we’re doing our bit to ensure no leader is left behind.

The leaders who are getting their digital brands right – and succeeding as a result – continue to fuel my fire to see others do the same. Far more than being visible, I firmly believe authentic online engagement fosters good leadership – you become a better listener, more empathetic, more aware of stakeholder needs. It’s time to read, be inspired, and take action.

3. Five reasons executives need to be on social media.

This brings us to my last recommendation: Whether you’re an established or emerging leader, public or private, or even a trusted adviser to someone at that level, I’d encourage you to take a look at a piece I’ve pulled together outlining the five reasons executives need to be on social media. Here I’ve captured the key benefits and opportunities – what leaders stand to gain – by getting this right.

Please do reach out with any questions, ideas of if you need examples to get the conversation going – I’d love to hear from you.