We all know by now that reaching out to clients, consumers and colleagues via social media can be one of the best ways to increase your brand awareness. There’s no doubt that your advertising campaign on social media activity can boost your identity. And sharing knowledge and tips about your product or service goes a long way in creating and keeping loyal customers.
As a company, you put a lot of time and money into making sure your social media plan is in place. But we all have an invaluable tool in growing your social media network that is quite often overlooked – your current employees.
According to Statistica.com, 78% of Americans use social media in 2016. Further, according to Pews.org, a whopping 77% of American workers admit to using social media throughout their workday – even if their employer has a policy against it.
So, what does this mean? It means companies know this, and are using it to their advantage. Think of it this way…
Jane works for ABC Company. Jane is scrolling thru Facebook on company time. Jane shares an interesting post about ABC Company- what a great place it is to work, something nice a co-worker did, a new product launch. Jane has 1,500 friends. ABC Company receives an increase in likes. Jane’s friends comment about how lucky Jane is to work for ABC Company. Applicants start rolling in. ABC’s new company product video is shared hundreds of times simply because Jane’s friends believe in her…and if Jane likes something, it must be great!
Now, as an employer, you have two choices. Jane can be disciplined for being on social media during work hours. Or Jane can be commended for growing the company social network. Following a few of these tips may help you ease in to giving your employees a little more free reign with social media that boosts positive engagement:
- Create an “Idea File”
Encourage employees to contribute articles, photos, or feedback to a shared Dropbox or Google Drive storage cloud. When employees come across something they know your clients will enjoy, they can upload the file. Your social media manager will love that their job is made a little easier because they now have a database filled with ideas.
- Craft a Social Media Policy That’s Fair
Employers may worry about employees overstepping boundaries or taking advantage of lenient social media boundaries. Do not allow any negative comments or behavior. Encourage employees to share photos of their workplace, special company events, and stories about their day. Suggest employees post or share on their personal social media. Ask them to tag your company. You can review these tags before they attach to your page via settings.
- Give Credit Where it’s Due
Be sure to give shout outs to employees who are contributing to your company is positive professional ways. Most employees will feel honored to be featured or talked about kindly in a company social media post. And, best of all, they’re likely to share it!