Social media OKRs for executives begin with a simple reality: social is already delivering results. The numbers prove it—81% of marketers say social increases exposure, 71% report it drives more traffic, and 62% credit it with generating leads. Yet many executives still find it difficult to leverage and measure social in ways that clearly impact the business. That’s where social media OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) come in. OKRs provide leaders with a structure that connects everyday social activity to meaningful growth and outcomes. What are social media OKRs for executives? They’re a method for planning and tracking social media efforts to improve overall business performance. Think of OKRs as the link between big-picture ambition and concrete accountability. You define an objective, such as elevating brand awareness, and then support it with quantifiable key results, like increasing social share of voice by 10% in Q4. Executive OKRs should be bold enough that you only fully hit them about 60–70% of the time. These “stretch goals” are intentionally challenging.
Distinguishing executive-level OKRs from team-level metrics Executives rely on OKRs to drive strategic outcomes, while teams typically focus on tactical performance metrics. Leaders aim to connect social media results directly to business priorities—whether that’s growth, brand equity, or reputation management. When executives themselves are active on social, those OKRs can evolve. “When leaders are active on social, teams typically build OKRs around things like growing their visibility, strengthening thought-leadership, or increasing engagement on exec-led content,” says Paige Schmidt, Hootsuite’s Social Engagement Coordinator. “This can (sometimes) trickle into the brand page, which can…