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We looked through Walmart CEO Doug McMillon's social media, and we can see why he earned the title 'most connected CEO'
We looked through Walmart CEO Doug McMillon's social media, and we can see why he earned the title 'most connected CEO'
Ivan De LuceJun 13, 2019, 18:36 IST
Ivan De Luce/Business Insider
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Social media is the fastest way to connect with potential customers.
According to the Connected Leaders Survey by global business advising firm Brunswick Group, Walmart's Doug McMillon is the most connected CEO.
We looked through his three main social media accounts to see why he earned the top spot, and what other chief executives can learn from his techniques.
Being a CEO isn't just about leading a company - it's about being the face of that company.
According to a recent study by global business advising firm Brunswick Group, the most connected CEO in the S&P 500 and FTSE 350 is Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart.
The study, known as the Connected Leadership Survey, aimed to find which CEOs were the most connected on social media, specifically on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Other factors in the study were verification, activity on those sites, and whether they had an updated Wikipedia page.
As Walmart's CEO for the last five years, McMillon has embraced social media, using it as a place to represent the company and to show the world what the daily life of a chief executive looks like. A spokesperson for the retail giant told Business Insider that McMillon handles all of his own digital platforms, and only gets help from Walmart's social media team if his schedule is especially busy.
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Here's why McMillon earned the highest score on the Connected Leadership Index:
They developed a plan on how to meaningfully engage with audiences on one social media site
They became active users of one social media platform
They connected with their audience
The study also stated that "a majority of American employees believe that communication on social media from a CEO can make either a very or somewhat positive impact on the company's overall effectiveness (66%)."
McMillon has a detailed Wikipedia page.
While most CEOs are hard to track down online, McMillon has an informative Wikipedia page.
The page features a high-quality photo, a detailed description of his early life, work history (most of it at Walmart), education, and personal life.
The Brunswick study mentions that verification was one of the factors they used to determine which CEOs had a stronger social media presence.
The CEO spends most of his social media time posting photos and videos on Instagram.
According to the study, "People are 3 times more engaged with Connected Leaders on Instagram than Facebook and Twitter."
McMillon has chosen both Instagram and Facebook as his main social media accounts, and posts there more regularly than on LinkedIn (the latter was the preferred platform of other CEOs on the list).
For his 30,800 Instagram followers, McMillon chooses to tell personal stories that show what he's really like. In this post, for example, he shared an old photo and a new one — the classic "then and now."
In fact, almost every post shows McMillon visiting a Walmart branch and chatting with employees.
McMillon pays close attention to his employees — especially the ones on the ground.
His Instagram posts feature Walmart employees from around the globe. The employee in the green shirt standing with McMillon is a store manager in Shenzhen, China.
McMillon takes the time to post stories about his employees.
In addition to traveling around the world on store visits, McMillon talks to his employees to get a sense of their personal stories. He's shared dozens of their anecdotes online over the years.
Facebook is where McMillon reaches his widest audience.
McMillon's 103,140 Facebook followers usually get the same posts his Instagram followers do, but sometimes he adds in a few extras. In this video, McMillon takes KITT, the robo-car from the TV show "Knight Rider," out for a spin.
He gets a similar number of likes on Facebook and Instagram (around 1,000 on average), but he typically gets double the comments from his Facebook followers.
LinkedIn is where McMillon's career-centric posts go.
McMillon frequently mentions that he began his working life as a summer associate at Walmart in 1985, when he was still in high school. And, indeed, his LinkedIn work history shows it.
According to the study, 44% of CEOs have a LinkedIn presence, but only 45% of those CEOs actually post on it. It seems that part of McMillon's success is that he uses social media on a daily basis, which gives him the opportunity to promote his business more than any other CEO.
He's written 5 articles on LinkedIn as of June 2019.
McMillon reshares posts and articles on LinkedIn once or twice a week, but he also writes his own articles.
As an avid Hot Wheels enthusiast, McMillon challenged each store to sell as many toy cars as possible. Whoever sold the most would have their actual car washed by McMillon himself. And, in the end, a store manager in Carolina, Puerto Rico, got his car personally washed by the CEO.
“Our associates are the heroes of our company’s story," McMillon told Business Insider. "They work hard to make a difference in the lives of millions of customers."
The CEO added: "Social media gives me a way to see that impact live, recognize their great work and simply say 'thank you.' That's one of the best things about my job: I get to tell the world about the innovative and meaningful things our people are doing every day."
