82% of people say brand trust requires the use of executive voice on social media.

We know a brand is its people and its culture, which includes firm executives. Executive participation online has shot up in line with this but studies show brands continue to miss the mark.

Just last year Entrepreneur reported that 82% of people are more likely to trust a company when its senior executives are active on social media.

Being active requires more than pushing out pre-approved company messages. It's a fine line between communicating in a way that endorses a company's value and mission but that also reveals the person behind the posts. Not their corporate personality. Their real one. A good example is Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Satya is a Top Voice on LinkedIn. He lets his personality shine by sharing informative company and industry information as well insights into what his interests are. He keeps a consistent tone and content focus. Note though, that he's not afraid to shake things up every now and then. This serves as a reminder that just like all of us, he is human too.

Check out: This post (which is an AI-led roast) is one of my personal favourites.

Maintaining consistency 90% of the time generates assurance and the benefit this can bring to the company behind a person is enermous. In comes positive sentiment, brand association and mindshare. Take Satya. Online users can rely on him to deliver insights on technology and business. This means the next time one of Satya's followers are thinking about buying a brand new laptop or tech product, because of Satya's consistent presence on social, he and Microsoft may be top of mind.

Developing your executive voice

Corporate dinners offer an environment to relax into one's self more comfortably around office peers. You discuss the menu, the vibe at the restaurant, with still being able to talk shop if needed. That's what we're going for when we think executive voice.

Here are some actionable tips on how to design your executive voice:

• Make a list of topics you feel comfortable speaking about

• Identify which topics you consider yourself a specialist in and which topics are interests

• Choose three topics on that list and start to break each of them down further. Think about, what underneath each umbrella can you talk about in the form of social media posts?

After this is where the hard work starts.

The hard work is not developing the idea, it's communicating it.

It's how you choose to communicate that will tell people if you are participating on social media for your company, for you, or for them.

To demonstrate you're here for them, think about how you most enjoying taking in new information. Are there any writers or social media experts that you follow because you like the way they break down information? If so, think about why.

Once a few general themes come to mind, evaluate the ideas you've come up with and see how you can frame them in a way that you believe others may enjoy them.

While there are other external factors that will play a role in post engagement and viewership, following these steps can help get you started.