Social media is an integral part of any successful company’s marketing strategy, and employees play a large role in its success. Unfortunately, many of your employees may not find the virtual world an inviting place, and getting comfortable may require a little assistance. Your company has unlimited potential to extend your social reach through employee advocacy. Getting all of your employees on board and acclimated on social media can help you achieve your goals.
Use these four tips to help your employees get comfortable on social media.
- Unblock Social Media at Work! Your goal should be to have all of your employees active, engaging, and promoting your business on social media...so why do you have it blocked at work? Many owners and managers fear that productivity will be threatened as employees communicate and interact on social media on the clock, but the opposite has been found to be true. Forbes reports that even social ‘grazing’ (accessing social media rarely while at work) can help cleanse the mental palate and boost productivity! Support social media interaction. In fact, consider inspiring your employees and giving them ideas so that they have a clear goal in mind while using social media at work.
- Train New Hires From The Beginning. We’ve all heard the phrase, ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,’ and while this colloquial may not be entirely true, it certainly is easier to teach a puppy from the get-go. Right from the start, you’re having to train new employees on a variety of aspects of the business. From HR to workplace skills, these employees will be introduced to every facet of the business. Make social media training part of your onboarding program. Review policies to protect the employee and business, train staff on how to post and interact on a variety of platforms, and get every trainee comfortable on social media.
- Show Current Employees The Value. While you may have success in training the new employees, you simply can’t ignore veteran staff members. Crucial to the success of your social media program is getting everyone on board, and showing current employees the value of social media in the marketplace can help to boost their sales and, thus, boost the sales of your business. Social media can help current employees further expand their contacts into networks previously unreachable.
- Offer Continued Support. Sure, employees may feel empowered and excited after their initial training, but adrenaline tapers, and social media is a constantly changing environment. Update employees on network changes and consider having refresher courses on a regular, quarterly basis. This is also a great time to bust out the analytics on the previous quarter and emphasize those who have succeeded. Review what lead to their success, and reignite the social media flame!
If you haven’t tapped into your employees as a source to promote your social media marketing strategy, now is the time! Help them get comfortable on the web and on all social media platforms to promote themselves and your business.
