Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

Social media is more than just a key to driving sales, it can also be a helpful source for founders to project confidence and grace, or to stay cool during times of crisis. 

That's according to a new study called "C-Suite, Social Media, and Brand Reputation" from BRANDfog, a social media consulting startup that helps Fortune 1000 executives improve their web profiles. It revealed that three-quarters of those surveyed (500 U.S. employees from different companies spanning various industries) believe that social media engagement in the C-suite makes a brand seem more honest and trustworthy.

Since 2013, there's been a 15 percent increase in the number of respondents who believe that social media engagement makes CEOs more effective leaders, it found.

"Most companies are good at utilizing social media on the brand level, but social media at the C-suite is much more strategic," said Ann Charles, founder and CEO at BRANDfog. Prior to launching the company in 2009, Charles held chief marketing positions at several tech startups, and later ghost wrote quarterly earnings scripts for executives.

Colleague Andrew Nemiccolo has just published his new e-book on business storytelling and I really like it.

I know -- you are thinking, "What?! ANOTHER ebook on business storytelling??" Yep, and it's good. Here's what I like about it:

1. The focus on 'back-channel' communication and listening
2. Tackling being vulnerable and getting comfortable sharing your personal stories
3. Advice to NOT find stories, but find experiences instead
4. Steps for figuring out who your audience is first before you share a story
5. All the great story prompts for figuring out and organizing the experiences you want to share
6. Tips for creating a story bank of your experiences

I am not crazy about the definition of 'story' that Andrew uses -- basically for him, anything is a story. Well, that's not helpful and actually leads to a lot of confusion for people. A Tweet is not a story, but it can be part of a larger business narrative. Knowing the difference will help you better target your storytelling efforts.

The book is primarily focused on marketing and branding. Even so, the information and advice can be use in a whole host of other biz story applications.

Go grab the easy-to-read-and-digest book and get smarter about working with stories in business.

I have no affiliation with Andrew or his company other than a promise to chat over coffee sometime. Enjoy the book!

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it