I have always
believed that the employees are the best ambassadors of the company, its brands
and products. The companies need employees to be represented in front of
customers, competitors, and even future employees. It is clear for all of us
that if employees are happy, they will share it with the people around- in
offline or online scenarios. Online, for example, they will share pictures of the
company events or they will tweet about the good time they have at work. Their
friends will get this info (and maybe they will get jealous, too) and they will
ask for more information and maybe for a job in that “so good” company. Other
case could be when your employee’ friends can be your customers, and they will
be buying your products, inspired by the company guy’s comments.
With the reach
of the social media, the messages that you employees are delivering are part of
the company communication, in an easier, informal and yet more powerful way.
The power social media has given to employees can be intimidating for many managers,
especially if they are not familiar with the new channels. If as a manager you
are getting anxious and even stressed because this is something that you cannot
control, it is moment to take it easy -to take it forward. You cannot avoid
social media anymore. You cannot control
the employees’ communication but, you can help them to understand the
importance of their communication and the role they play in increasing your
company online presence.
The debate
about prohibiting to use or to check the channels at work or not has been on
the table for a while. Prohibiting employees to take part of the conversation can
be more a problem than a solution. Ignoring the role that your employees can
play in this social media game just because they don’t master the channels is a
fail, too. Instead, arranging some basic workshop on how to use the media, what
kind of tonality is appropriate, etc. might help you to canalize the message in
the right direction and especially, to avoid negative surprises in the future.
The most important thing to remember is to use this workshop to encourage your
employees and to improve their confidence in using social media.
The social
media channels are inexpensive and give you access to the entire world. See
social media as a networking channel which will help you spreading your message
and get fans and followers. Employees can see what is happening around your
product and in your business. They can also perceive the direction that the
industry is taking, and therefore, react on time and innovate.
If you are in
one of those industries in which social media is not yet a common practice, enjoy, you are very lucky. Don’t wait for the other companies to go ahead, you
have the chance to show how to do it first. Social media is happening, you
cannot avoid this anymore.
This is such an interesting post. I am very happy to read through this post. I am also finding the outdoor corporate events NYC venue for our grand business promotional event. We need spacious venue which can accommodate 150 people. Hopefully will find a good spot.
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