From the outset social media platforms were always going to be seen as time-waster, destroyer of productivity, a play thing. In many instances, that’s what they are.
Only when an organisation has a strategy for how these tools are going to be used to run a more efficient business, speak to and have a conversation with customers, access market information and feedback, will the fear or should we call it paranoia, subside.
Like all other tools social media can either increase productivity, initiate innovation or conversely be counter-productive and defocus people from their tasks or goals. Like all other tools, there use is a “horses for courses” argument. In some instances an organisation can easily justify their use and in other cases the mere availability may be cause for concern.
Everything works better with a check list so here goes:
Have you asked the questions relating to social media? Have you discussed it among the managers of the business? Examined your target market and decided whether it is a tool that you can use to get closer to your customers? Do you have a social media engagement strategy – do you know what you want to get out of it and how you are going to do that?
Your reputation über alles. Your stock-in-trade is your reputation. Without it, you have nothing to sell and nothing to differentiate yourself from everyone else doing the same thing that you are. Always keep this in mind when engaging with customers, on any level, in any location.
They may tell me what they don’t like! Are you ready to hear what your customers want from you and what you’re not doing for them? No one really is. But you need to at least be at the point in your business where you want to hear the feedback and then do something to move closer to your customer.
Internet and social media usage policy. Do you have one? If not, why not?
What’s the risk? There is risk involved in allowing your staff to access social media platforms at the workplace. There is even greater risk allowing them to access these services on behalf of the organisation. Do you know what the risk is? If so then a measured risk-management approach will probably pay dividends for your business.
In the world that we live in it almost seems churlish to deny people access to things like Facebook. It almost smacks of an “I don’t trust you” approach to employees. I believe that we should be moving away from that and viewing the vast benefits that can be derived from approaching social media access as a way to improve the business and its employees.
How can it do this? These platforms have been used as a means of increasing productivity, getting staff closer to customers, creating feedback loops, driving innovation, creating first-hand product and service differentiation, crowd-sourcing for the future, learning and lead generation.
If you feel that all of this does not convince you, try a service like www.yammer.com on a couple of your thought leaders in the business and see what you can do with it.
Like everything else in business, quality and consideration going in results in excellence and innovation coming out the other end.
