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Using Social Media to Connect with Your Employees
From Coca-Cola to Obama's presidential campaign to small business startups, innovative businesses leaders and marketing professionals have quickly recognized the utility of social media as a powerful marketing tool to attract consumers and build a positive brand image. However, more and more organizations are embracing social media for internal communications as well.
What is social media?
Social media technologies include weblogs, social networking sites (e.g., Facebook and MySpace), multimedia sites (e.g., YouTube and Flickr), and online product reviews. By encouraging collaboration among users, social media has revolutionized communication. It has transformed traditional media communication from one-way communication (one message to many) into an interactive dialogue between message creators and message recipients.
Odds are good that whether or not your organization has embraced social media, your employees have. A recently published IBM study revealed that no social media network sites ranked among the top 20 English-language Web sites in 2005; however, just three years later in 2008, social networking sites made up half of the same list. Approximately 75 percent of Internet users participate in social media, which is up from 56 percent in 2007. Additionally, Facebook reports its fastest growing demographic is users 35 years and older.
Why should my company use social media?
People are participating in social media because it provides a fast and easy way to stay connected to people and exchange information on virtually any topic. For organizations, social media can open lines of communication between employers and employees, increasing employee engagement and positively impacting the company's ROI. Additionally, it helps the organization position itself as a cutting-edge, caring, and fair enterprise. These traits are especially important to increasingly engaged consumers and young professionals, who are accustomed to and comfortable using social media.
Beeline Labs, a marketing strategy firm, recommends the following guidelines for successful implementation of social media applications into an organization's communication strategies:
- Start with the end goal in mind: What is the purpose of developing this community?
- Communicate the value of the community: How will this community strategically impact the organization?
- Don't start with technology: What technology is needed to accomplish the end goal and demonstrate value?
- Plan engaging content and activities: What content will peak members interests?
- Have dynamic community leaders: Who in the organization can welcome new members, participate in discussions, and help others connect without controlling the community?
- Organize a passionate core of participants before launching the community: Who in the organization is knowledgeable and can help develop a culture in the community?
- Create governance and guidelines: How can the organization protect its business interests and members from potential abuse of the technology?
- Learn from other industries and business leaders: How are successful organizations using social media technologies to improve their business?
Real-world applications
Oracle, General Motors, and Motorola have experienced success incorporating Web 2.0 applications into their internal communications strategy. Using blogs, wikis, tagging, personal employee profiles, and chat functionality, these organizations have improved communication among executives, employees, partners, and suppliers.
Michelle Newell, senior director of applications marketing for Oracle Corporation, acknowledged that online chatting, blogging, viewing Facebook pages, or accessing information in wikis can appear counter-productive; however, she encouraged business leaders to look at these activities as opportunities as for gaining information about competitors or sharing best practices among colleagues.
In her article, "Is Twitter a Viable Tool for Employee Benefits Communication," Jennifer Benz asserts that the technology, if used effectively, could streamline benefits communication. According to Benz, Twitter would allow human resource professionals to deliver precise (140 character limit) responses to specific questions quickly. Twitter would also provide transparency for benefits communication, which would make it simple for employees, new hires, and their family members to receive consistent answers to their questions.
Projections Inc., a provider of custom employee communications, notes that companies should encourage open conversation among employees and management about the effects of labor organizing on the company and their job. Projections suggests that organizations use an array of resources, including Web applications, to educate managers and employees on labor relations issues. Social media is a powerful tool for not only disseminating information, but also for empowering employees and reducing the risk of employees feeling alienated and ignored by upper management.
Social media is based on the desire of people to connect with one another and build communities. This is not counter-productive to business objectives—instead, it offers organizations an innovative method for building strong relationships with employees and building a reputation as a caring and innovative organization in a consumer-driven market.
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