Social Media Education Key in the Workplace

 Online Reputation, Social Media in the Workplace, Social Media Risks  No Responses »
Jul 082013
 

For the past five years social media has continued to grow significantly in the professional arena as it becomes more entrenched in the workplace.

For employers this presents a number of opportunities to not only connect externally with clients and customers but also internally with employees. With these opportunities, however, comes multi layered and complex issues which employers need to manage.

As the blurring of the lines between personal and professional continues the risk management of these issues is substantial for employers to take seriously. It is not only the reputational damage of an organisation that is at stake in terms of risk, it covers a myriad of other legal and operational issues.

One of the key issues for organisations moving forward is education around social media. Here are some main points:

Understand Social Media:

Employers need to educate themselves about social media, the technology and the consequences. They need to be proactive and find solutions.

Have a Social Media Policy:

All organisations whether large or small need a social media policy and guidelines in place around usage and expectations of social media.

Employers Need to Partner with Employees:

Working together with employees is much more effective that simply providing them with a list of what they can’t do on social media. This will not work. Instead provide training and education around expectations.

Social media is impacting the workplace in many ways. This will only continue to grow as social media usage increases. Risk management of these issues is crucial in making sure that organisations minimise their risks where social media is concerned.

How do you manage social media in the workplace? Share your thoughts…..

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 

 Posted by on 8 July, 2013 at 2:11 pm

The Pros and Cons of Social Media in the Workplace

 Online Reputation, Social Media in the Workplace, Social Media Policy, Social Media Risk  No Responses »
Jun 032013
 

Social media has bought a variety of benefits to the workplace, however with it also comes perhaps an unwelcome distraction for employees.

If used effectively social media can provide business with the opportunity to enhance its communications both external and internal as well assist with management of business brand and reputation.  However, by its very nature social media creates many difficulties in the workplace.  Its ‘one to many’ and ‘many to many’ structure combined with its immediacy and viral capacities, can create confusion as it blurs the lines between personal and public.

So what can an employer do?  Block complete access to social media or allow unlimited access to particular networks are the main reactions by employers.

The Case For Social Media in the Workplace:

  • It can facilitate greater trust between the employer and employee.
  • Consider this: Are employees who surf the net just a new version of employees who chat by the water cooler?
  • For Gen Y, social media is an essential part of their life. They see access as fundamentally a ‘right’ not a ‘privilege’.
  • Blocking these sites really does nothing as employees have smartphones which provides access in the workplace.

The Case Against Social Media in the Workplace:

  • It is a disruptive element in the workplace – employees are there to work not to connect with friends.
  • Employees can’t multi-task. According to some researchers, multi-tasking is a myth – you can’t surf the net, check emails and do your work at the same time.
  • Access will lead to decreased productivity and therefore is not favourable for employers.

In reality, each workplace will need to handle the issue differently depending on their culture, industry and expectations.  However, there is no doubt that a paradigm shift is needed by employers to stop seeing social media as a problem.  There have always been disruptions in the workplace and this will continue because at its core people are social beings.  Employers can be proactive and take the opportunity to see social media as an advantage and put policies in place to manage the negatives.

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 Posted by on 3 June, 2013 at 7:27 pm

The Minefield of Social Media Metrics

 Measuring Social Media, SMEs, Social Media, Social Media ROI, Social Media Tips  No Responses »
May 272013
 

Measuring social media can be a minefield.  For some businesses it seems to be an obstacle that is challenging to overcome.  Without tangible outcomes, it is difficult to justify increasing the social media budget so SMEs are overwhelmed on how to move forward.

Every day millions of people around the world are interacting and engaging on social media.  And as more people do so, not utilising social media is no longer an option for businesses.

So can social media ROI be measured?  The answer is yes and no and it depends on what you see as your return.  Here are a few things for business to remember:

There is no Silver Bullet

Just like everything in life there is no one key solution for anything.  For business they need to communicate their measures of success and formulate strategies and tactics to attain this success.  This requires strategic planning and comprehensive knowledge of your business agendas and audience.

What is the True Value of Social Media?

When it comes to social media ROI it really comes down to first impressions.  It is the opportunity to let people know about your brand and develop the possibility to create a new relationship where there wasn’t one before.  Engaging and having a conversation with the audience is where the true worth of social media is.

Social Media Metrics don’t Show the Full Picture

The benefit of social media is in the conversation so listen and engage in the exchange of dialogue.  Business tends to forget that social media is first a ‘social’ and ‘communication’ channel which has become a business marketing tool. It is not traditional media so stop using it as such.

What is important to note is that not every referral or relationship can be measured and not everything fits into a nice sales funnel but this doesn’t make social media any less effective!  So experiment and see what works for your business.

 

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 Posted by on 27 May, 2013 at 9:33 am

Does Your Workplace Have A Social Media Policy?

 Online Reputation, SMEs, Social Media Policy, Social Media Risks  No Responses »
May 172013
 

In an ever increasing online, mobile and connected world, social media is becoming an important tool for business. However, there are also risks that need to be managed. For many employers, they refuse to engage with social media. But not understanding this space is no longer a valid reason for ignoring it.

A key social media issue for workplaces is the boundary between personal and professional for employees.  These two aspects of people’s lives are now merging together making it challenging for employees to separate work from home.

Negative information online can affect an employer’s reputation and therefore employees need to be careful what they post.  There are numerous examples of employees behaving badly online while discussing their employer.  But employers can’t control employees using social media platforms outside work hours.

So what is an employer to do?

A solid Social Media Policy can be extremely valuable in managing risks and providing guidelines to both the employee and employer.  A policy that is tailored to the culture of the workplace supports business to navigate the world of social media.  As the popularity of social media continues to grow employers need to communicate to their employees what their expectations are in relation to social media.

Without a Social Media Policy business is leaving themselves open to reputational, legal and operational consequences.

Does your workplace have a social media policy? How does it operate?

 

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 Posted by on 17 May, 2013 at 6:05 pm

Social Media and Having the Right Mindset

 SMEs, Social Media, Social Media Tips, Social Network Sites, Technology shifts  No Responses »
May 062013
 

As technology rapidly evolves history shows people struggle with the transition.  Social media is a case in point.  Completely different to traditional media having the right approach and mindset is crucial to get the best from it.

Social media centres around the user, not the product, so the established method of pushing a message in a one-way direction is not very effective.  Engagement, connection and conversation are the key to social media in the long term.

Here are some central things to remember when engaging with social media:

Social media is About People: build relationships, gain trust and have a conversation.

Experiment and Innovate: social media is a switch from a monologue to a dialogue. Businesses that best understand this will listen to their audience and interact with them

Connect with your Audience: ask questions, share thoughts and encourage conversation.  Provide information but don’t push sell your products or services.

Social Media is Difficult to Measure:  business is preoccupied with measuring social media.  But it is hard to measure conversation. This doesn’t mean the value isn’t beneficial.

Investing in social media is important, requiring new skills and approaches.  Those that don’t think outside the box will have difficultly gaining traction and those who maintain control of the message won’t succeed in getting any message across.

Experiment, share and have fun!

What have you experimented with social media for your business?  What works for you?

 

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 Posted by on 6 May, 2013 at 12:13 pm

Is Technology Changing the Way we Conduct Business?

 Internet, Small Business, SMEs, Technology shifts  No Responses »
Apr 292013
 

It is argued that fundamental shifts in technology are activating massive changes in business particularly around how information is accessed, captured, managed and shared.

These changes have implications for everyone in all aspects of our lives.  We are now wired 24 hours a day with everything at our finger tips.  The Internet connects us like never before and hand held devices means we are constantly blurring the lines between personal and business.

Due to increased mobility, emails can be responded to from home or the local coffee shop.  Information travels faster and workers are expected to respond in an instant.  We are so far away yet so close as barriers of distance disappear.

More businesses are setting up online so their target audience becomes global instead of local meaning that their market share can grow.  However, competition becomes increasingly more intense with additional competitors.

What does this all mean now and for the future?  We will be learning and adapting for many years to come.

How do people think technology is changing business for them?

Thanks for reading!

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 Posted by on 29 April, 2013 at 10:50 am

Is there Such A Thing As Privacy in Social Media?

 Privacy, Privacy & Social Media, Social Media, Social Media Risk  No Responses »
Apr 222013
 

As social media usage continues to grow the privacy debate becomes more intense.  The more we interact on social media, the more information we relinquish and the more we diminish our privacy. It is a user driven collapse that shows no bounds exposing individuals to a number of issues including:

  • identify theft
  • hacking of personal information
  • data storage
  • harvesting of personal information
  • bullying/stalking and more

Social media sites actively encourage disclosure of information and in most cases information is given up easily.  Birthdays, employment information, friends, photos and slowly a picture of your life is accessible online.  This information stays permanently online and can be easily searched becoming accessible to any number of people not originally intended to see the information.  The default privacy settings on social media sites still remain weak regardless of what the organisations say.

When individuals keenly give up personal information it shifts the boundaries in terms of what is acceptable content to be considered private.  As privacy is being challenged in the context of social media are people concerned about this lack of transparency?  Or are our expectations of privacy changing?

The most proactive approach moving forward is encouraging a culture of self responsibility and education where users are aware that the more information they give up the less privacy they have.  This is especially so with teenagers who still lack maturity and don’t fully understand the consequences of disclosing information.

The line between what is considered personal information in the context of privacy is being blurred.  If people are concerned about their information, the only safe way to keep it private is to not put it online.

What to people think – are they concerned about this so called lack of privacy or is it just a perception?

 

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 Posted by on 22 April, 2013 at 10:46 am

What are Businesses Doing About Social Media Policy in the Workplace?

 Social Media, Social Media in the Workplace, Social Media Policy, Social Media Risk  No Responses »
Apr 172013
 

In an ever increasing online and mobile world, social media is an important tool for business.  With the many opportunities that come with it, there are, however, also risks that need to be managed.

A key social media issue is the one involving employees and their personal usage of social media platforms.  Some may argue that what an employee posts on their personal platforms is irrelevant to business.  However, I disagree with this because if an individual posts comments about their employer then this can impact the business so it is relevant.  Negative behaviour in particular can be damaging to a brand and reputation of a business.

Take a look at the Fair Work Commission website and you can see how social media is impacting the workplace.  Employers can’t control employees using social media platforms outside work hours.  This is fine if nothing is written about the employer; however, guidelines are needed in respect to what employees can post when making reference to their employer on social media.

Any employee who publishes content about their employer on their personal social media platforms needs to remember that this information is public information.  Once something is posted online it is there for all to see and if it goes ‘viral’ damage can be substantial.

A strong social media policy can be extremely valuable in managing these risks and providing parameters to employees. A policy needs to be tailored to the culture of the workplace, it needs to be flexible and it needs to have the employees on board.

As the prevalence of social media usage continues employers need to communicate to their employees what their expectations are in respect to social media.  Without a social media policy businesses are leaving their reputation in the hands of others.  As an employer what are you doing to implement a social media policy?

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 

 Posted by on 17 April, 2013 at 5:46 pm

How to Choose Social Media to ‘Fit’ Your Business

 Brand Awareness, Small Business, Social Media, Social Media Tips  No Responses »
Feb 252013
 

Social media can be challenging for SMEs in terms of understanding and implementing it.  They are constantly being encouraged to set up social media platforms for their business but where do they begin?

As a tool, social media has the potential to reach and connect with customers and to let everyone know about your business.  Investing time and money is crucial so make sure the ‘fit’ is the best for your business. Here are some tips:

Research

Spend some timing exploring which social media platform will be the best suited to your business. What does your target audience use, how do they use the platform and how do they interact? This can assist in directing you to what platform is most likely to support you.

Have a Positive Attitude

It may seem like a strange one but most SMEs that get involved in social media do so because everyone else is.  This means you are less likely to believe in social media and its potential.  Social media needs to be seen as another tool to use for business not the only one.

Start with One or Two Platforms

Anymore and it can become overwhelming in terms of what needs to be done.  Once the platform has been chosen, invest in a strategy.  Then be patient as you develop and engage with your audience.

Determine your Goals

Set goals so you know what you want to achieve.  If you are able to measure your success you can determine whether your strategy is working for your business.

If you what to give social media a try, then make sure you consider what is involved, then put a plan into place and commit to working with it long term.  This will more likely bring some success in terms of goal achievement and will keep you flexible enough in a very dynamic environment.

Give it a try and see what happens!

What has worked for others?

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 Posted by on 25 February, 2013 at 12:53 pm

Support Your Clients Through Social Media

 Online Media, Small Business, SMEs, Social Media, Social Media Content  No Responses »
Feb 182013
 

Social media has exploded for business use. More and more businesses are now using it to engage with their customers and connect with potential consumers.  Not all are using it effectively and some utilise it because everyone else is.

In order for businesses to have success on social media they need to have their clients at the forefront of their minds.  If they don’t, their followers or likes will go elsewhere.

So how can businesses support their clients through social media?  It is relatively simple and here are 3 key points that must be part of the strategy.

Listen

Such an easy word but not always followed.  This means paying attention and letting the conversation flow.  What are your audience saying, what are they thinking and how does this concern you?  If you don’t listen, you will not be able to gain the information that is useful to your business.

Learn

By listening, you will be able to discover and identify what your audience wants and needs. If you can’t determine their needs then it will be harder to keep your audience engaged and provide them what they want.

Develop

Once you have determined what it is that your audience wants and needs, then develop your content strategy with this in mind.  Do they want some particular type of content?  Are they after some type of information? New product or service?  Develop want it is they want and you will be able to engage them effectively.

Try it and see what happens!

 

Thanks for reading! Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 Posted by on 18 February, 2013 at 12:48 pm
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