Originally posted on Linkedin Pulse

Remember Tim Cook’s photo fiasco at the Super Bowl? He took a blurry pic on his phone, shared it with the world on Twitter, and the next thing you know he’s the star of a snarky “Shot on iPhone 6” meme.

It’s the potential for exactly this type of innocent blunder—and over-reaction—that freaks out executives when it comes to using social media. In our digital era, even the most affable leaders can open themselves up to scrutiny—with the push of a button.

Then there’s the time issue. The lack thereof is often cited by execs as a big reason they don’t delve into Twitter or Facebook. And this is all compounded by the ROI question: perceptions linger that social networks are places where people share vacation photos, not where serious business takes place.

However, what’s rarely heard is the other, crucial side of the argument: the benefits that can accrue to CEOs and executives who use social media well, even if they aren't posting all the time.

Globally, more than two billion people are now on social media. The average user spends nearly two hours a day on social platforms. Studies have shown that millennialswatch more YouTube than TV, and three out of four consumers say social mediaimpacts their buying decisions. There's little question that these trends will continue as more and newer social patterns emerge. So for executives, this begs the question: Social media is where your customers are—shouldn’t you be there, too?  

Social media, used correctly, can be an executive productivity tool, a global broadcast channel, a source of consumer and competitor intel and a PR vehicle. To break it down, here are five compelling reasons why executives need to be on social media … now more than ever:

Social media gives you access to the raw, unfiltered voices of your customers. Each morning, I start my day by looking through a Twitter feed that I set up to monitor any mentions of my company, Hootsuite. I see plenty of raw, unfiltered commentary from users on what we’re doing right and, of course, what we’re doing wrong: requests for new features, complaints about the odd bug, product support questions, even the occasional high-five for a job well done.

While this may not sound earth-shattering, getting insight like this used to require professional focus groups and careful analysis. Social media now gives CEOs and execs a direct pipeline into what their customers are thinking and doing—in real time, with no spin from publicists or middle managers. Better still, it takes minimal time and effort. A minute of flipping through a Twitter stream, and I have my finger on the pulse of our customers.

It lets you break down walls and connect with people. The era of CEOs and executives remaining aloof and in the shadows, never mixing with mere mortals, is over. Today, building trust with customers and rapport with employees requires offering up a real, human face for the brand. Social media represents one of the most powerful ways for leaders to do this, efficiently and at scale.

T-Mobile’s CEO John Legere has mastered this. He knows exactly how to leverage a little social effort to leave a big impression. When a random Twitter user shared praise about T-Mobile’s data plan (and regret about being locked into AT&T’s service), Legere deftly chimed in:

In fewer than 140 characters, he showed customers that someone real was at the helm of the company and looking out for their interests. This Twitter exchange was in turnpicked up by dozens of news outlets as evidence of T-Mobile’s progressive leadership.

Social media can invigorate your company culture. When CEOs post on social media, nearly 70 percent of senior professionals report that it makes the company a more attractive place to work, according to Weber Shandwick and KRC Research. Social media is a powerful way to keep the lines of communication open with staff and compress the kind of corporate hierarchies that normally inhibit exchanges between leadership and frontline employees.

Again, the reward-to-effort ratio here is huge. Without ever calling a meeting or hosting a presentation, it’s possible for executives to make an immediate connection with their teams.

Tap into an instant PR channel. Yes, social media is an intimate tool for real one-to-one dialogue. But it’s also an endlessly scalable platform for broadcasting messages to mass audiences. Want to share excitement over a new product with the world? A quick Facebook post makes a standard press release look old-fashioned by comparison. And when these updates come from the CEO’s account, they carry an added layer of authority, which helps the message spread even further.

Case in point: When my own company was in a period hyper growth, adding hundreds of employees a year, we faced enormous hiring challenges. So we turned to social media. Using the hashtag #HootHire, we seeded news of an upcoming hiring fair on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, using my personal accounts as well as company accounts. The updates went viral, and we ended up with thousands of candidates lined up at our door—incidentally, exactly the kind of tech- and social-savvy applicants we were looking for.  

Your competitors, employees and customers are already on social media.Ultimately, though, the greatest motivator for executives to get on social media may be simple necessity. Social media represents a cultural shift, not just a technological one, and it’s already made the leap into the workplace. The years ahead promise a full-blown digital transformation at work powered by social media. McKinsey researchers estimate that $1.3 trillion in value stands to be unlocked by companies who figure out how to apply social technologies —not just as marketing tools, but in sales, customer service and internal communications.

These are just a few of the benefits for leaders of using social media. Surprisingly, however, new analysis from CEO.com shows that a full 61% of company heads have no social media presence at all. It’s very difficult for business leaders to guide this transformation without "getting" social media on some level—ideally a personal one.

As for lingering concerns about time commitment and social media security, I can confidently say technology has caught up. Plenty of tools out there, including ours, are built expressly for businesses. Advanced filters separate signal from noise and pinpoint the social media conversations that matter while they're still unfolding. Team functions allow messages to be assigned to staff for follow-up or put into queues for approval. Analytics can show reach and influence of sent messages, while compliance tools automatically filter out problem posts.

It’s worth noting that last year President Barack Obama launched the first presidential Twitter account. If the commander in chief, with all the security risks and time constraints of that role, has decided to make social media a priority and found a way to make it work, it may be time for CEOs to take a second look, too.

Over the years, I've had the chance to meet and speak to hundreds of executives and CEOs. When it comes to social media, most of them already understand the value to their organizations. However, they simply don't have the time to build their own social presence. With that in mind, Hootsuite is now offering a fast-track program for business leaders. It’s a 60-minute session to get busy executives quickly up to speed on social. Learn more about it here.