Social media’s influence in our lives continues to grow, and despite studies showing the positive power of social media for business leaders, I regularly encounter leaders who prefer to leave online activity to the marketing department.
Unlocking the positive power of social media requires leaders to be authentic, vulnerable and willing to share aspects of their personal lives with their professional audiences. The reality is that social media is what we make of it. It can be a cesspool of misinformation, propaganda and brain rot or it can be a beneficial tool that can help us grow, learn and help others. The choice is ours.
When I train, speak and work with leaders, I draw on my experience as an investigative journalist and use reporting fundamentals to address common questions, specifically, the “5 W’s” (Who, What, When, Where, Why).
Who should be active on social media?
Everyone! Own your story or someone else will tell it for you.
Google your name. If you have a common name, put your name in quotation marks and add your industry, state or an identifier that someone may use who would be searching for you.
Did any of the results surprise you? Are you proud of the search results? Do the results tell the story you want to tell? If you answered “no” to any of those questions, it’s time for you to work on your positive online presence.
What should I post about?
There are three valuable categories for posts: Educate, inspire and equip. What do you do well and what do you want to be known for?
Share posts with industry insights or helpful tips. Share posts about your passion areas. Share posts with resources for someone just starting in your industry.
When should I post and how much?
One of the most common complaints I hear from the executives I speak to about the power of social media is that they don’t have time. I get it, and my best advice is to start small by setting aside 15 minutes each week and sticking to productive, manageable metrics.
Once your bio information and headshot are accurate, challenge yourself to write one post, make three comments, and like five posts each week. In the business world, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are typically the most valuable days to be active.
Where should I be active?
LinkedIn consistently ranks highly as a trusted social media platform and it’s the platform we utilize for most of our executive clients. However, it is important to understand who your ideal audience is and then focus your activity on the social media platform where they are most active.
Why is social media for business leaders important?
Your community is valuable and you are a valuable community member. You never know when you’ll be able to help someone else or when you will need help yourself.
Studies show that when leaders are active on social media, their businesses benefit from increased revenue, improved employee engagement and they are more likely to be viewed as trustworthy. In addition to increased brand awareness, social media activity can improve the quality of job candidates and can be an asset in times of crisis.
When unexpected or tragic events happen, your social media community can help. Consider losing a job, needing a resource, vetting an opportunity or seeking input. In each of these situations, having an engaged online community is beneficial.
Personally, I’ve experienced this in powerful ways when my youngest son received a devastating medical diagnosis. Despite my fear, I followed my own advice and shared on social media to raise awareness, connect with resources and help others.
Kristi Piehl is the author of Flip Your Script, Own your story & unlock the positive power in social media.
Kristi’s article was originally posted in Inc. on September 10, 2025.