When developing a PR strategy for our clients, one of the first questions we ask is, “Does the company and the CEO have a social media presence?” If the answer is yes, then we determine how we can amplify our results through those channels and assist in growing followers for the company and executive. If the answer is no, then we determine what type of voice and personality the company or spokesperson should have, what kind of material should be posted, and how frequently the content should be shared. Our goal often is to provide followers with meaningful and valuable content.
But in November 2015, I began wondering if there was value in being less active on social media. The reason being, Jeff Bezos has just posted his first tweet. Of course, Bezos is a household name and runs a major global corporation, so it would be expected that he would have an active presence on social media. Oddly enough, he didn’t. Since joining Twitter as a user in July of 2008, Bezos hadn’t tweeted until November of 2015, when his aerospace company Blue Origin had a successful launch and landing of a reusable rocket.
This got me thinking and I began comparing him to another prominent CEO and figure in the space and auto industry, Elon Musk. Unlike Bezos, Musk is very active on Twitter with over 1,700 tweets and 3.7 million followers. So the question was: Which approach is better? To better understand this let’s consider both CEOs.
Musk actively shares his vision for alternate forms of energy and getting to Mars. He heads two of the world’s most innovative and interesting brands—Tesla Motors and SpaceX—that consistently share their progress and developments. It makes sense that he would tweet frequently. Because he freely shares his opinions and has access to content people are intrigued by, this is the perfect combination for a successful Twitter handle.
Bezos, on the other, hand reflects Amazon’s approach to publicity. The company is notorious for being more secretive, so it makes sense that Bezos would do the same on his personal handle. Also, while Amazon is innovative and largely used, the company doesn’t have the same appeal as rockets and sports cars—maybe when they introduce the use of drones for delivery there will be more public interest. Regardless, it makes sense that Bezos saved his first tweet for an event that wasn’t just newsworthy, it was part of history.
So, the answer to which approach is better? Neither. While Twitter is an effective medium to share information and freely promote your business, opinions and interests, it still needs to remain authentic to the user. In this case, both CEOs have done this. While we wouldn’t recommend staying dormant for seven years on Twitter, take a page out of either Musk’s or (now active tweeter) Bezos’ playbooks: Approach social media in a way that feels natural and matches your personality.