Social media can play a very important role in the success of a company if used properly. The article,
The Building Blocks of Social Media for Business, discusses the issue of where companies should start with social media use. I would also suggest skimming through the eBook,
Building a Social Media Team, to understand the connection between social media teams and Human Resources. The most recent social media phenomenon is Twitter. Believe it or not, this is a very controversial form of social media. While Twitter has jumped from 5 million to 20+ million users this summer, it still generates absolutely no revenue. Please watch this simple video:
Twitter in Plain English to learn more about Twitter use.
After reviewing the
article,
eBook, and
video, please discuss what impact you feel social media has on the success of a business. What does it take to properly implement a social media strategy? Have you ever worked for an organization who utilized social media, specifically Twitter, to promote their company? Can Twitter can be used effectively in an organization to promote products, raise brand awareness, or increase knowledge?
To properly implement a social media strategy, there needs to be an understanding first of what it is. In this age, not everyone is hip to the "Facebook", "MySpace", or "Twitter" theme and can often be misguided into a negative direction of business, for example gossip. While social media has it's advantages, most people who work in business are much older and just might need a class on social media and how it works. The only way it can work even effectively is if everyone feels that it is useful and efficient for information. I have never worked for a company who used social media for business, but more for pleasure (getting to know the interns, employees, etc.). Twitter can be used very effectively, only if there are limits to what can be said or done and what is promoted. You definitley would not want things to get out of hand!
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm not a big fan of Twitter, I do recognize the value of using the site (and other social networking sites) as a means to implement a social media strategy. However, I do believe that companies should realize that they shouldn't use all the social media tools just because it's readily available or because "it just seems cool." In addition, I believe that HR and corporate communication practitioners should develop a detailed plan along with a set of guidelines when using these social networking tools. More importantly, they need to determine whether using these tools will ultimately align with the corporate strategy, and thus contribute to the bottom line.
ReplyDeleteI've never worked with a company that used Twitter to promote itself; however, I have heard of companies that used it to broadcast product updates and for PR tactics. Moreover, I know of recruiters who would post articles on their Twitter page and how job candidates would "use it to their advantage" during their interview process.
Overall, I can see how Twitter, and other social networking sites, can contribute a company's image; however, these sites should be used purposefully.
With the popularity of websites such as Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter, I think that companies are going to have to ultimately turn to social media to promote their companies. Such websites are only going to get more popular the further into the future we go.
ReplyDeleteI don't use Twitter and I've never worked for a company that has used Twitter, but I used to work for a tourism company that had a Facebook page, as a way to promote their company, and they had a great response to their page. Tourists even went out of their way to tell employees of the company while they were visiting, that had it not been for the Facebook page, they probably would not have even visited the company while they were in the area.
So, I do think using social media is inevitable. There does, however, need to be training implemented though, for when a company does plan to use social media for those employees who may not know how to use Twitter or Facebook.
Also, I think Instant Messaging at work should be addressed. We used Instant Messaging where I currently work, and I love it! It is just as easy to send someone an IM as it is to call them, email them, or get up and walk to their office to talk to them, and usually I get a quicker response through IM. I think more and more companies will use IM as well, as technology progresses.
I do not have much experience with Twitter in respect to a company. However, last year the director of education from central office for my school system suggested we all create a Twitter account and have names of people to follow. I found this to be kind of a waste for me as I was unable to figure out the real meaning behind knowing what others are doing throughout the day. Then I went to a SmartBoard conference and was able to gain a better understanding of how Twitter is used to better education. There are some big name SmartBoard users and creators who are on Twitter. They are the people I chose to follow and have as my followers. The great thing about doing this is, I can post a simple question like, “Does anyone have any SmartBoard resources for teaching shapes to kindergarteners?” Depending on who you have as your followers, someone will answer with a great resource. Not very many people from my school district joined Twitter as it was not gone about in the right way. We could use Twitter in the school setting and be friends or follow one another and rely on the resources of others. A teacher could pose a question and colleagues could offer insight. The way Twitter was brought about was not in an insightful fashion.
ReplyDeleteI think there are ways to promote a company through using Twitter. Using the question I posed above on a Twitter post, a company member may respond, “Yes, I have a great resource, you can find it… and name your company.” This would be a way to give your company a name and helps someone who could use your product.
I think our culture is turning towards social media and there is no way of stopping it. It is important that it is practiced in a safe manner and does not reflect badly on a company. If your company turns to facebook it should be because that is the population you would like to reach. If your company would like to promote using Twitter, they should know the target population and reasons behind using Twitter to reach them.
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ReplyDeleteAs many have noted, I believe it is inevitable that a switch to social media take place within companies. I have never used Twitter in the context you've mentioned. However, I do find it to be a useful networking tool. Where it concerns updating people with company information, I would guess that it is among the quickest and most efficient tools to use. I would also assume that it's better than filling quotas with hourly update emails.
ReplyDeleteWhile I consider Twitter to be a useful program, I think there may be simpler means of social communication within the company. For example, I am currently becoming acquainted with "Ning" a system that allows you to create your own social network or "facebook" if you will. Under this network you have access tools such as blogs, groups, chats, etc. that allow what I consider to be an easier flow of communication between users.
When deciding on a social network to utilize, I think that companies need to decide whether the ends justify the means. Personally, I find Twitter to be a little too complex. For me, following all of the @whoevers and #whatevers makes for a difficult task that does not quite seem worth the effort. Therefore, it is necessary that everyone feel comfortable with the network chosen. In the event that a more complex network is chosen, proper training needs to be given to users. In order for corporations to enter into some type of social media communication it is necessary to look at all possible channels. Also, the degree of necessity for quick acclimation should be considered. If the company needs to make a quicker change into social media, Instant Messaging, for example, seems quicker and easier to implement.
At some point someone needs to say "enough is enough". I have not tried to be very active in the social media revolution but, from what little experience I do have, I notice that it takes a lot of time to keep up with every update, status change, new post, away message and the development of follow-up responses. This leads me to ask the question; at what point will the amount resources (mostly time and mental energy) spent on the management of all that input have a negative impact on the output of our careers and personal lives? Again, I am only speaking from my own experience, which admittedly is rather limited, so it is very possible that I could be missing a crucial detail that renders sites like Twitter highly practical as business applications. If so, I hope someone will enlighten me.
ReplyDeleteAfter having this topic on my mind for while, I feel that I should add some substance to my previous comment.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have never worked for a company that had a social media strategy, I have known several avid social networkers, and I cannot fathom how they follow their blogs and FaceMyTwitter accounts and Instant Messengers and still have time to do anything worth contributing to the online communities they are a part of. I know it can be done, but the fact is that the more one becomes connected to others on these social media platforms, the more time it takes to maintain relationships. The only way I can see an organization using any of these accounts for promoting its business is if it were to hire employees for the sole purpose of managing the company’s social networking endeavors. I know of some companies that make social networking one of their employees primary responsibilities.
Believe it or not, I used to be so engrossed in AIM that I could not do anything without checking for messages. I would sit in my residence hall room for hours chatting with friends, checking profiles, thinking up my own witty profile updates, and formulating incredibly detailed away messages that seemed to map out my journey through life. At some point I couldn't take it anymore. I had to sign off for good. AIM was consuming me, and as a result, I could not pay enough attention to my life and all of my responsibilities. I can't imagine how some people must feel now with even more portals to be constantly watching.
For example, if your company has a Facebook account (good) and you have 5,000 friends (good) and 1% of those friends happen to ask a question or write a comment worth responding to in one day (good), that is fifty responses that some employee has to generate, which could take hours. If the employee in charge of the account had any other tasks to accomplish in addition to social networking, the previous example could throw a wrench in their day since there really is no way to plan ahead for such a situation (not so good). Keep in mind, part of the point of all this is to become even more connected and reach more people, which will inevitably require more resources, if successful.
There are a few considerations that I had to accept, so I will pass them along and maybe they will be of some use to others, whether as individuals or businesses. It would be great for networking purposes to be everyone's acquaintance, but that is impossible. It would be wonderful for planning purposes to know what everyone is doing every moment of the day, but that is impossible. It would be fantastic for collaboration purposes to be an active member of every relevant community through which you could share the mutual benefits of membership, being helped with all of your problems and helping others with all of theirs, but that is regrettably impossible. It would be amazing if we were all able to take advantage of every form of communication technology available and to learn and utilize them all to their full potential, but sadly there is not enough time for most people to accomplish this. However, we all do have obligations aside from our social networking and, for most of us, it is possible to fulfill those other responsibilities if we give them the time they require.
To be fair, social media has its place and in some circumstances can be a powerful tool, but I think it is advantageous to be very selective when deciding how, what, where, when, why, and with who we communicate via social media, so that we maximize the effect of the time that we do have to spend on such methods. Often it is important, though, to just step away and focus on more efficient and transparent forms of interaction, let alone all of the tasks that cannot be accomplished on a social networking site.
Aaron, although I can definitely understand your sentiments towards social media in the business world, I would still have to disagree with a few points.
ReplyDeleteI would like to start with the topic of the manpower it takes to manage these accounts. Due to technology and other economic forces, many jobs that were once reserved for people are not being automated and taken over by technology. Also, due to the economic state that our country is in right now, I foresee social media usage by organizations as a powerful tool for job creation. Unemployment is reaching record highs and a creation of jobs for social media updates would not be a negative consequence for our economy and country as a whole.
Second, I think that people commonly mistake social media as a tool for "updating everyone on what they're doing at every minute of the day". For organizations, this is not that case. I took an Internet Marketing class during my undergraduate career. It was in this class that I learned that individuals are twice as likely to purchase a product when they feel that they are a "part of a community". Social networking sites enable companies to develop this sense of community among users. Although, it is entirely possible for a community to be established without the use of social media. Amazon is a great example of a website that establishes community by suggesting products for you, allowing customer reviews, and enabling communication with the buyer and seller. Doesn't this, in fact, resemble much of what social media entails?
An article in eMarketer also shows that 75% of marketers plan to increase use of social media marketing in 2010. Here is the related article: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007284. I would highly suggest reading through some of the material on the eMarketer website. There are a variety of very insightful articles about the rising importance of social media in organizations.
I have to say that I find the Twitter phenomenon a little disturbing with respect to how readily masses of people seem to be willing to share the most mundane, trivial and inane details of their lives. Now that I've got that off of my chest, I do believe that it is a symptom of a much larger issue, the loss of community and the need to find or create community, no matter how artificial or unconventional it may seem. Does social media fill this need in the same way that gathering at the campfire, meeting house or barn raising used to do? For our times it may be the closest that many of us will get and the marketplace understands that it has to meet consumers at least half way on this issue. Like it or not, understand it or not, this is the world we live in and successful companies will have little choice but to reach their target markets in venues where they are most likely to find them. For instance, doesn't everyone have a web site now? I still remember how resistant much of the business world was to this "fad" and how poorly it was done by so many and for so long until they realized how much of the market share they were losing to those who understood the potential of the web. Twitter is simply the latest chapter in this story with many more sure to follow.
ReplyDeleteThe company where I was marketing manager for approximately four years uses myspace and facebook, but facebook primarily. I am new to tweeting and I just began to tweet for business purposes. I was unsure at first, but now I have full faith that it will take off. Myspace and especially facebook have done well for business purposes.
ReplyDeleteAnother Twitterlike application that has become available is Yammer, only Yammer is restricted to those within a corporate network.
ReplyDeleteYammer is a simple way for employees to connect and share by posting messages. As employee participation grows, Yammer becomes a corporate social network, discussion board, and knowledge base all rolled into one easy-to-use interface.
The thought process behind its creation is to give employees a just in time way for asking questions, posting discussions, tracking project process without the influence of outside chatter. For large companies it is a good way to collaborate without having to schedule meetings to discuss ideas.
The company has a security system that appears to cover all aspects and concerns a potential client might be concerned about.
At first reading this sounds like a good concept, but what is the potential for it to become a workplace Twitter, and the users not adhering to the “work place chatter only” idea? I suppose keeping the thought that corporate higher ups can also “see” what is being discussed that is unlikely.
Of course, as with any group form of communication, it only works if everyone is on board with the idea.
https://www.yammer.com/about/product
Allison and everyone that commented on this thread: I wanted to give you an update on the businesses in Winchester (MJ Interiors and Pewter Pan) that are using twitter as a means to get the word out about the company. The owner tweeted and posted on Facebook about their Black Friday Specials, which included a free PartyLite candle with no purchase necessary. It was a huge hit! Not only did people already following the companies respond, but they also suggested that their friends be fans and follow, too. Both businesses increased their following by at least 20% with one tweet!!! There is the proof that social networking can work as well, if not better than traditional networking.
ReplyDeleteTo me, social media is one avenue for marketing. It can’t be the only avenue if you’re going to be successful. Just like some people like to get their news from a daily paper, others from the internet, and still others from television. We all take in and process the wealth of information differently. Social media is one avenue for marketing whatever you’re trying to “sell”.
ReplyDeleteWorking with college-aged students, social media is important to consider when we discuss marketing. When you talk to students, they definitely have their preferences, like Facebook. They’ll say “Twitter is for old people,” and “MySpace is out.” So, it’s important to keep up with the trends of whatever population you’re trying to reach and make sure it’s not your only avenue for reaching them!