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Operations

Why a fleet owner should be a social CEO

May 11, 2015

As you can tell from my photo, I’m not a millennial. However, like my younger colleagues, I do use social media because its utility and reach provide a powerful forum to share information and perspectives that I believe offer value. While it is true that the average age of truckers and fleet owners in the U.S continues to rise and that this demographic tends not to “like”, “tweet”, “retweet” or “friend” online, it is also true that many are still connected to

John Sloan

Here are a few interesting social media statistics from Pew Internet Project’s Social Media Update 2014

52% of adults online use multiple social media sites
80% of social media users are more likely to try new things based upon a suggestion by a friend on social media
71% of adults online are now on Facebook contributing to the network’s 1.39 billion total users
- 70% of Facebook users check their Facebook daily
- 6.75 hours is the average time users spend per month on Facebook
24,610,000 adults have a LinkedIn profile and 40% check their accounts daily

There are five reasons you should be a socially networked CEO:

Connect with employees – Many of your employees use social media. It is fast, easy, convenient and accessible. Even from the road, truckers check their social media to quickly keep track of what is going on at homebase. Reinforcing company announcements, sharing industry relevant posts, and connecting with employees in a new way can all be done with a few keystrokes.

Connect with existing customers – As a good number of your customers are probably on social media, adopting a few new habits can afford you an opportunity to communicate with customers like never before. Not only can you provide information about new services, equipment, employees, etc. in a way that is not intrusive, you can also create new conversations that can shed more light as to who your customers are and how you can better meet their wants and needs.

Connect with potential customers – Social media is a proven way to reach potential customers. By visiting your company’s social media profiles, consuming your content (video or posts), potential customers learn about your services and what makes you unique. Exercise a little creativity in your social media strategy to show people the culture and personality that sets your company apart from the competition.

It’s Sticky – Social media is digital instant gratification, designed to provide engaging or “sticky” content and immediate access to new information. In addition to holding people’s attention longer than many other communication venues, by nature, it is also less formal and un-intrusive.

It adds value – Anytime you can improve communications with employees, update your existing customers and potentially reach new customers, it adds value to your company.

Social media is a powerful communications tool that has the power to boost productivity, sales and company value. The number of users is growing exponentially every year and today, it is almost mandatory if you want to be in touch with employees internally and consumers externally on a daily basis.

There is no denying social media’s capacity to enhance a company’s reach and influence. Like they say ─ if you can’t beat them, join them. Signing on to this digital trend can give your fleet the competitive edge it needs. Using social media to build a strong online presence and network is the first step to becoming a social CEO. How do you begin using social media? We’ll answer that next week.

About the Author

John Sloan | Vice Chairman

John Sloan is the Vice Chairman of Allegiance Capital, a middle-market investment bank that works with business owners to help them sell or raise capital.

John has more than three decades of C-level experience in investment banking and private equity. He has personally executed transactions with fleet owners and understands the unique needs of the trucking industry.

During his career, John has raised more than $1 billion in debt and equity. He is an expert in all aspects of investment banking and has evaluated and negotiated the acquisition of more than 30 companies in: energy, construction, retail, telecom, environmental, logistics and manufacturing, with an aggregate value in excess of $7 billion.