While C-level leaders acknowledge the significant brand building benefits of social media, few are using the power of social media to strengthen their own brands. And yet, the number of 40, 50 and 60 old year executives who “retire” from their first career to venture out into consulting, book-writing, speaking, etc. is high. Many C-level executives end up in B2B firms, where individual brand-building is considered a benefit. In fact, in some B2B companies, there is a requirement that you have a network that can benefit the firm. What is your Klout score? How many followers do you have?

Unfortunately, you can’t just turn on a personal brand. It takes years to develop. As the second part of a series (see part 1 here), I turned to social media guru Phil Glutting (@PhilGlutting), who is the owner of Go Strategic Marketing, and has over 127,000 twitter followers, to identify how executives can use twitter safely to begin building their own personal brands.

Kimberly Whitler: Given the risk and concern over engaging in social media, what are some smart tips you have for C-level leaders to use twitter to strengthen their personal brands while reducing the risk associated with social media?

Phil Glutting:

1. Put a disclaimer in your Twitter bio. Many individuals will indicate that their “views are their own and no way reflect on the company”. This provides a degree of safety.

2. Just say “no”. Say no to religion, politics, and hot-button issues (e.g., Chick-Fil-A, Ferguson, etc.).

3. Be strategic about how you engage. As in business, have a strategic plan about what you want your brand to stand for. If you want to focus on leadership issues, follow individuals who tweet on the topic, and retweet on leadership topics.

4. Be disciplined. Consistently tweeting on a couple of key topics will establish a stronger brand faster. Bouncing from topic to topic can water down your brand.

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