Post Performance Report: Masterful examples of executive brand advocacy

It’s time for another edition of the Post Performance Report (PPR), a series where we showcase social media posts and campaigns inspiring us, and explore what makes them so genius. We unpack how your brand can use these examples to spark your own scroll-stopping ideas—while maximizing your budget and doing more with less.

If a C-suite executive says the wrong thing on social, it could snowball into a brand crisis and cost them their job. That’s why many leaders stay away from building a personal brand, whether by choice or corporate mandate. Despite the risk, many grow their followings by regularly sharing brand content, thought leadership and even a peek into their personal lives.

Because when executives approach social in an intentional way, it makes their brand seem more approachable, honest and trustworthy. With a focused executive social strategy, leaders amplify visibility and deepen connections with customers, employees, investors, media and partners.

Let’s dive into our lineup of executives (and the teams who support them) who are the most effective on social, and tips for developing your own successful executive communications program.

Salesforce: There’s a first time for everything

As the company behind a leading CRM software, Salesforce is a B2B marketing icon. With massive events like Dreamforce and millions of followers across platforms, the SaaS company sets the standard. Yet, up until recently, they weren’t able to do something pivotal: Leverage their CEO on social media.

When CEO, Marc Benioff, published his first LinkedIn post on October 30, 2024, it rocked the network’s algorithm. At time of publishing the post has over 18,000 likes, 800 comments and 1,900 reposts. Benioff’s post focused on an AI system update to their platform—a move that comes amid fierce competition in the AI landscape.

The post dramatically boosted the reach of the announcement through organic engagement and paid investment.

The PR lift from Benioff’s post and related commentary contributed to media pickups related to the launch, and reassured customers and investors of the company’s direction.

The play: For social and communications professionals who have struggled to get their executives (especially their CEO) on board with social brand advocacy, you’re not alone. Even some of the world’s biggest brands are figuring out how to overcome this challenge. Let Salesforce give you hope.

Make a case for creating an executive communications strategy by using Benioff’s post as a proof point. Tell a compelling story of what can happen for your brand when you tie a pivotal brand launch to a leader’s debut on social.

Symphonic Capital: Creating a sense of belonging

Symphonic Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in the next generation of institutions through serving overlooked and underserved communities. On LinkedIn, their founding general partner Sydney Paige Thomas has amassed a following by reflecting on what she’s learned investing in infrastructure technology and highlighting the firm’s events.

Thomas is consistent on social, which matters. But more importantly, she’s herself. She talks about her experiences as the daughter of the first Black Chief of Staff of San Diego Mercy Hospital. She shares personal anecdotes from her school years. She even mentions astrology in her posts.

Thomas demonstrates why executives can (and should) bring their full selves to their online personal brand. Humanizing your leaders creates confidence in your mission by allowing your community to see your leaders’ values first-hand. What motivates them, what their purpose is, why they think their work matters.

Thomas’ efforts helped her land on the AFROTECH™ Future 50 list. This accolade is one of a growing list of accomplishments she’s achieved as a trusted voice in the investment space. As she continues ascending in the field, so too does her firm’s profile.

The play: Take a cue from Thomas and Symphonic Capital by giving your leaders space to embody their full identities on social. Give them permission to talk about their upbringings, hobbies and families as well as their passion for their work. People trust people, and want to hear from them.

Raising Cane’s: From CEO to celebrity

In both B2C and B2B, it’s rare to see a CEO as involved in company marketing as Todd Graves. Graves is the founder of Raising Cane’s—the rapidly growing American chain known for their chicken fingers. He has shared the stage with Snoop Dogg, appeared as a guest shark on Shark Tank and gave Travis Kelce free chicken for a year.

The Raising Cane’s team uses Graves’ outgoing personality, likeability and popularity to their advantage, frequently featuring him in the brand’s social media content. Graves also has his own public Instagram channel (another CEO anomaly) where he is tagged as a collaborator on most of Raising Cane’s posts—amplifying their reach to his more than 500,000 followers. He appears in influencer posts, like this one where he shared a meal at Raising Cane’s with an influencer who had never eaten at one of his restaurants.

It’s difficult to articulate just how effective this strategy has been for raising Graves’ profile. His unlikely origin story became the bedrock of the brand’s image, forever intertwining Graves and Canes. Awareness of one inevitability creates success for the other. The company is on track to amass $5 billion this year and Graves was subsequently named to the Fortune 400 list.

The play: The “throw your CEO in the spotlight” strategy will not work at every company. Probably not even most companies. This playbook is only meant for founders who stick around for their entire career, until the next generation inherits their business. Even when brands fit into that bucket, they should only pursue this approach if they have a leader who has clearly defined values, flourishes in the limelight and is discerning about what to share publicly.

For brands with all pieces of that puzzle, your CEO might be the golden ticket to massive growth and outpacing the competition. For others, adapt what makes sense for your company. Maybe it’s encouraging your CEO to create an Instagram account managed by the social team. Or doing more media outreach for your C-suite.

Google: Sharing the spotlight across the C-suite

For a multinational, publicly traded corporation like Google, having executive thought leaders on social can be a significant risk (even more so than for startups or small companies). For this reason, some members of the C-suite might not be present on social at all, while others take a restrained approach.

Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, chooses the latter, and shares well-curated content like highlights from earnings calls, clips from conversations with leaders at other companies and reflections about the future of global emerging technology on LinkedIn.

Similarly, Google’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandt shares how Google technology enables sustainable practices, like finding the perfect location for a solar farm, from her account. She also shares new pathways the company is creating for clean energy and AI-powered sustainability.

Melonie Parker, Chief Diversity Officer at Google, uses her voice on LinkedIn to draw attention to corporate initiatives tied to employee resource groups, partnerships with HBCUs and collaborations with nonprofit organizations.

It’s clear Google executives are in lock-step with their internal communications and content teams, and play an essential role in shaping their public narrative and steering attention toward their company roadmap.

The play: Though building an executive communications program on social can be a risk, the greater risk is zero executive presence on social at all. Even if leaders only repost existing brand content with a thoughtful message, that still helps companies stay ahead of and shape news stories, while multiplying reach and increasing employee engagement.

Take a cue from Google and create a posting calendar for your executives where they reshare existing content tied to their function. Suggest articles they should share and tie their posts to internal milestones.

Hilton: Pulling back the curtain on culture

For a well-established brand in the hospitality industry like Hilton, the need for a strong executive presence on LinkedIn might not be obvious at first. The brand is already widely recognized globally (they even have a celebrity spokesperson in the family). But as recruiting employees in the hospitality sector becomes a larger priority, so too does the need to strengthen their employer brand.

Hilton’s Chief Marketing Officer Mark Weinstein frequently posts content using the brand hashtag #EveryJobMakesTheStay, an ode to the Hilton ethos that every employee plays an important role in providing best-in-class guest experiences.

Weinstein also showcases Hilton’s awards, philanthropic efforts, and accessibility programs on LinkedIn, as well as leadership programs offered at the company.

Having leaders like Weinstein rally around recruitment and retention efforts—even indirectly—reinforces Hilton’s positive culture. His posts build upon stories in the media about Hilton’s partnerships with organizations like the U.S. Committee of Refugees and Immigrants, and underscores the brand’s commitment to investing in people.

The play: Building an indelible employer legacy is one of the most pressing reasons to kickstart or expand your executive communications program. No matter your sector, showing prospective employees what daily life at your company is like is key to hiring and keeping world-class talent.

Global spotlight: Telstra’s CEO is on the frontlines

Telstra is Australia’s largest mobile network, building, operating and fortifying telecommunications connections around the country. The brand’s CEO, Vicki Brady, shares scenes onsite while crews build network infrastructure. Like in this post, where she talks about the sacrifices those on the frontlines make and how their hard work translates to strengthening intercity fiber networks.

Through posts like this, Brady demonstrates her empathy for both the brand’s customers and employees. She proves Telstra’s commitment to providing reliable service as weather patterns become more extreme, and the appreciation she feels for the crew members who spend weeks away from their loved ones on the job.

She also shares reflections from sitting down with customers to learn more about their needs—especially those in remote places.

Telstra’s commitment to providing top-tier service and connectivity reflects in their earnings projections, even as they navigate tricky economic headwinds.

The play: Executives don’t just play a role humanizing your brand, they also humanize your customers and employees. As Brady illustrates, making people feel seen can go a long way. Consumers and team members are more than a number, and executives who reflect that on social earn their trust.

From the board room to the feed

That concludes this month’s installment of the PPR. Stay tuned for next month’s edition, where we’re rounding up brands we haven’t been able to scroll away from in 2024. In the meantime, remember these key takeaways:

Post Performance Report Takeaways

• Executive advocacy humanizes your brand. Your company seems more trustworthy and relatable when leaders share their authentic selves.
• Amplifying existing brand messages is a great starting point. It can be difficult to get executives on board with posting regularly. Giving them a low-lift way to do so still extends reach and generates attention for major updates.
• Social allows leaders to shape public narratives and reinforce company culture. Executives can use social content to align public perception with their corporate goals—a move that helps them win over consumers and potential employees alike.

Looking for step-by-step guidance on building an executive brand? Download our executive social media strategy cheat sheet.

And if you see a social post or campaign that deserves to be highlighted, tag us @sproutsocial and use #PostPerformanceReport to have your idea included in a future article.