10 top CEOs with the best social media presence, ranked

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10 top CEOs with the best social media presence, ranked

Doug McMillon Walmart CEO

Gareth Patterson / AP Images

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon.

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  • British business advising firm Brunswick conducted a study on the top 100 connected CEOs, based on their social media presence and other factors.
  • Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, earned the top spot on the list for his use of videos and photos, which show both his professional and private life.
  • The Connected Leadership Survey also found that only 48% of CEOs use social media, but employees would prefer to work for a connected CEO by a ratio of two to one.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

It pays to be connected via social media, especially if you're running a multi-billion dollar company.

British business advising firm Brunswick Group conducted a study to determine the top 100 connected CEOs, based on their digital presence and factors like activity, whether or not they're verified, and their use of four main social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

The Connected Leadership Survey, which tracked the social media presence of 790 business leaders, shows that only 48% of CEOs in the S&P 500 and FTSE 350 have social media accounts. Despite this, employees say they would prefer to work for CEOs who have a social media presence, by a ratio of two to one. LinkedIn is the most popular platform for CEOs, with 44% of them maintaining a presence on the site.

"Leadership has been fundamentally redefined," said Craig Mullaney, a partner at Brunswick Group, in a Brunswick press release. "A modern leader needs to influence, inspire, and inform people with direct, engaging, and authentic digital communications."

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Walmart CEO Doug McMillon earned the top spot for his frequent photo and video content, which show both his professional and private life. He's also verified across all four social media platforms.

Despite being titans of social media, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg scored 670 on the index, ranking him 51st in the top 100, while Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is ranked 69th.

Here are the top 10 connected CEOs.

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10. Ed Bastian is the CEO of Delta Airlines

10. Ed Bastian is the CEO of Delta Airlines

Market cap: $52 billion

Platforms: LinkedIn

Score: 780.1

9. Lynn Good is the CEO of Duke Energy

9. Lynn Good is the CEO of Duke Energy

Market cap: $35 billion

Platforms: LinkedIn

Score: 780.2

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8. Mary Barra is the CEO of General Motors

8. Mary Barra is the CEO of General Motors

Market cap: $65 billion

Platforms: Twitter, LinkedIn

Score: 780.3

7. Ben van Beurden is the CEO of Royal Dutch Shell

7. Ben van Beurden is the CEO of Royal Dutch Shell

Market cap: $261 billion

Platforms: Twitter, LinkedIn

Score: 788

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6. Hans Vestberg is the CEO of Verizon Communications

6. Hans Vestberg is the CEO of Verizon Communications

Market cap: $244 billion

Platforms: Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram

Score: 788.7

5. Dan Schulman is the CEO of PayPal

5. Dan Schulman is the CEO of PayPal

Market cap: $121 billion

Platforms: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

Score: 795.3

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4. Adena Friedman is the CEO of Nasdaq

4. Adena Friedman is the CEO of Nasdaq

Market cap: $14 billion

Platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn

Score: 799

3. Ramon Laguarta is the CEO of PepsiCo

3. Ramon Laguarta is the CEO of PepsiCo

Market cap: $172 billion

Platforms: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

Score: 802

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2. Brent Saunders is the CEO of Allergan

2. Brent Saunders is the CEO of Allergan

Market cap: $48 billion

Platforms: Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram

Score: 815.3

1. Doug McMillon is the CEO of Walmart

1. Doug McMillon is the CEO of Walmart

Market cap: $279 billion

Platforms: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram

Score: 828.7

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