Harnessing the power of social media through employees
Recently I was interviewed by the lovely Mireille Ryan, CEO of the Social Media Marketing Institute about social media in the workplace. It was great to chat to Mireille for a number of reasons but for me two aspects of our conversation stood out.
First it was amazing that Mireille interviewed me through Facebook Live while we were both in different offices. Technology is remarkable in how it connects us and I am always left in amazement of what it allows us to do when it comes to communication. If we take a step back and consider that the patent for a device (which later became the telephone) was issued in 1876; it is actually not that long ago. Now consider the telephone of today which is mobile and comes with you, allows you to check your email as well as engage with Facebook Live among other things, we can actually see how far technology has come in a short space of time.
What does this have to do with social media in the workplace? It is all about the opportunities which is the second aspect which stood out to me. Even though Mireille and I spent time discussing the risks of social media, we actually focused more on the opportunities of social media. And one of those was around how to set up an employee social media advocacy program and harness the power of employees. Utilising employees to promote your company ethos is one of my favourite conversations to have with clients. It can be a powerful discussion as it allows the power of social media to come through the possibilities.
In my book, The business of being social: how to harness the untapped power of social media, I write in depth about businesses working in partnership with their employees when it comes to social media. Employees are an organisation’s greatest asset so developing employees to become brand ambassadors as part of the advocacy program is fundamental. Not all employees are suited to this role. And to assist organisations with the process, employees who possess depth, understanding and demonstrate leadership qualities are more likely to be suited to the role of ambassador.
Consider employees who possess the following 5 qualities in that they:
- Understand the bigger picture of the organisation in the business context
- Are up to date with developments within their industry and the impacts
- Believe and trust in the values, culture and belief of the organisation and live these in the workplace
- Are social media savvy and appeal to the target audience
- Have a strong presence and excellent communication skills.
A successful advocacy program will elevate your business to another level when it comes to relationship building and communication with your clients, customers and stakeholders. It is all about connecting on a deeper level and establishing greater understanding about what your company believes in so that it may foster trust.
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