This isn’t a political rant. But as a businessman, entrepreneur, and social media professional, I’m deeply concerned by the US President’s use of Twitter, especially after this week’s comments on MSNBC presenters Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough.
Let’s be clear. If you are running or launching a new business your reputation is the only thing you own. You may not have an office, other business capital, employees. You may only have the germ of a business model.
The only thing you have for sure, that remains central to your journey start to finish, is your reputation.
Your business reputation
Somebody once said, unfairly, that Stephen Fry was a stupid person’s idea of what a clever person looks like. But I fear that some people think that the President is what a successful businessman looks like – reckless, thin-skinned, occupying a space where the rules do not apply.
The opinion, shared more eloquently by others, that if the President were the CEO of an international business he would have been fired months ago for the abuse voiced on his Twitter account. This behaviour damages the reputation of businesses and business-people worldwide. People who work hard, take risks, experience great stress and yes, sometimes transgress.
But, people who are good at business have at heart a clear sense of what constitutes acceptable behaviour – when the dust clears. They also know that when you’re in a hole of your own making there’s only one thing to do. Stop digging.
What this means for your social media strategy
I’m also considering about what this means for the reputation of social media, Twitter especially.
When Trump’s Twitter account dominates the mainstream media to such an extent, it impacts the Bluebird’s brand and the wider integrity of social. Other accounts have been suspended for less. And although Twitter said today that it plans to introduce a feature that enables users to report fake news, how it acts on the feedback is another matter.
In spite of this, I’m optimistic. I know that social media (and social selling) remains the most powerful channel in your sales toolbox. Which brings me back to that point about reputation. As before, this has nothing to do with politics, with blues or reds, with Republicans or Democrats. But it does have everything to do with your business and social.
CEO, entrepreneur, marketing professional – knowing how to use social to boost your profile, reinforce reputation and generate sales is fundamental to your success. Whether you’re a CEO with 20,000 followers, or just starting out with 200, any senior exec or CEO needs to know how to use social effectively. Failing do so is simply bad for your business (as well as the Bluebird).
