Social media isn’t all just cat videos and dance trends, in the right hands it can be used as a tool to propel individuals and businesses forward, allowing companies to improve engagement.
Social media, like most digital trends, seems to be in a state of near constant transformation, but one aspect that remains consistent is its usefulness as a brand promotion and engagement tool for businesses, connecting employers, employees and consumers.
When used correctly, social media can enable employees to become more involved in their organisations and take additional pride in their roles, through the sharing of important industry news, business updates and employee achievements. It is also a platform on which companies can engage with others in important conversations and potentially receive feedback.
It can be, however, a double-edged sword as the permanent nature of the internet means that companies have to enact strong and enforceable social media policies to ensure that posts are not in conflict with business values, or likely to damage reputation and credibility.
With this in mind, every company that engages with social media – and let’s face it, what company doesn’t – needs to ensure that employees have the necessary skills to not only create engaging, compelling content, but to stay social media savvy in an ever-changing digital landscape.
Be clear on the rules
Employees are entitled to operate personal social media accounts completely unaffiliated with their place of work and employers have no say over how they are run. However, if they are speaking on behalf of the company then they should do so from a separate work profile. Before you encourage employees to so much as like a post, it is important that everyone, from the top down, understands and signs a company social media policy.
Be clear on the rules regarding the kind of language and content that is appropriate to create and engage with. Additionally, posts should reflect company values and objectives. There should also be zero tolerance for any behaviour that amounts to cyberbullying or causing deliberate hurt or offence.
Evaluate the person not the team
Not everyone wants to engage with social media and they may choose to defer the opportunity, however, it is still important that everyone in a company has access to the same training and upskilling opportunities. To properly assess individual proficiency, employers should use surveys, tests, evaluations, even games to determine not only their level, but where their talents are best suited.
Social media is used for a number of reasons in a business, such as recruitment, attracting an audience or customers, building a brand and reputation, announcing news, and identifying trends, among others. All employees should be given a foundational knowledge in the different aspects of social media, however, they should also be encouraged to find their niche and apply their talents there.
Inspire creativity
Nowadays it seems like every TV show and movie is a prequel, sequel or remake and that the radio is full of song covers. Social media can sometimes feel like that too, as trends dictate the posts most likely to go viral, resulting in the replication of content.
By encouraging employees to build upon their analytical, research, brainstorming, presentation and critical thinking skills, employers can foster a working environment that thrives on collaboration and problem-solving, turning all of these skills towards unique content creation.
It is also important that DE&I measures are included in outreach, as content should include a wide range of diverse topics, points of view and individuals. Homogeneity in social media can limit creativity and engagement.
Be critical
Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation out in the world and the internet, via social media, allows us to bring those falsehoods right into our homes and places of work. Learning how to properly source, analyse and make a judgement call regarding online information for the purpose of using social media is a valuable skill.
Training on the sourcing of information is crucial and employees should also make use of fact-checking tools. Just remember, while they are useful, tools should be used as a back-up to your own critical thinking. Employees should ensure that they can stand over everything they say and always go in with the mindset that disinformation stops with you.
Social media is a dynamic, engaging and convenient way to interact with your place of work and its stakeholders. While it is a medium that should be taken seriously, if you follow the rules and use it wisely and ethically, there is no reason that you can’t have a whole load of fun too.
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