If your executive tells you they have no time for social media, tell them to wake up to reality.

I’ll let you into a secret. Every executive has time for social media. Successful social media can be achieved in as little as five minutes. I often hear “I am far too busy for social media” or “I don’t have the time for all that back patting”. The reality is social can be achieved in as little as five minutes.

Here is how you take the effort out of social media: Start small.

Don’t try to be everywhere at once. Begin with Twitter and blogging.

For Twitter you only have to write 140 characters and some of those will be used up by hash tags (#).

Twitter is a great business tool and a convenient way to build relationships with people you would not normally come into contact with.

You can see which conversations are happening, which topics are trending and get a realistic view of the state of the nation. By watching what your peers are saying, you can start conversations with a not yet but soon to be customer.

Blogging is a perfect platform to get your message out there.  When you suggest your boss should write their own blog this usually makes them shift uncomfortably in their seat.

I’ll let you into another secret – this can also be done effortlessly.

There are more mobile devices than toothbrushes on the planet so I assume your executive has one. These devices have a voice record function.

Simply ask your executive a question and allow them to answer by speaking into the voice recorder for one minute (maximum two).

The recording can then be uploaded as an audio blog or it can be typed up and posted. Either way you see that your executive needs less than three minutes to supply content for the blog.

During my time as Oliver Bussmann’s communication lead we found it effective to block 30 minutes per month for blogging on his calendar. We would record a number of blogs (internal and external) in one sitting and upload them on a weekly basis. However, you do not actually need to be present. Your executive can also complete this task on the fly whilst sitting in a traffic jam, waiting at the airport or in between meetings.

It is important to stay authentic. It doesn’t matter if your executive stutters or messes up their lines; it just makes them more authentic. If you upload as an
audio blog employees/customers hear that these words are coming from their executive instead of from the communications department. 

If your executive doesn’t want to do podcasts, interview them instead. Upload the interview in your name. Always say no to ghostwriting.

Once your executive has blogged it can be shared via Twitter. And this is where the magic starts. If your message is well received this could lead to media interviews and great coverage for your brand.

If you blog don’t forget to monitor comments. One of the most important but often forgotten areas of social media is the comments box. Experience has shown that the comments box can sometimes be more powerful than the blog itself.

Make sure your executive answers the comments. It is fine to inform your executive that
action is required but do not allow yourself to fall into the “let me write that for you trap”. 

Here are the key points:

• Don’t try to be everywhere at once.
• Start with Twitter (140 characters)
• Say no to ghostwriting
• Record your boss via voice recorder and upload as a podcast
• Instead of ghostwriting, interview your boss. Upload the interview in your name.
• Keep it authentic

Let me know how you get on.