When I started in administration, the new medium was msn messenger. Each man and his dog sat by their computer and chatted with others in real time around the world. Receptionists were doing it, telemarketers were doing it, and even some CEOs were doing it. In some respects, it was a useful tool for business purposes at work, but in others, a real waste of time for companies. Now there is a big debate in most workplaces and it is whether staff should be allowed to use social media like Twitter, Facebook and the like at work or should they be banned because staff could damage the reputation of the company.
Things have changed a lot when it comes to social media in recent years. A recent study found that 54% of companies have banned the use of these media in the workplace. They fear the potential damage to the reputations of companies and the reputations of the cartels themselves. A pitiful post can be a detrimental move to your career. In fact, some movie studios have now banned their stars from using Twitter and other social media for fear of ruining movie plots. Is everything going a little too far? Instead of just telling your staff what are not allowed to do, why not turn it into something positive and tell them what are allowed to do with social networks?
Amber Naslund, Community Director at Radian6, says exactly that. There is no denying that social media can be a great tool for businesses to use to promote themselves, as long as it is used responsibly. First of all, management must decide what they want to get out of using these social media tools. Once those goals have been met, a decision must be made about the policies and how they are to be implemented. Obviously, one of the biggest concerns of a company is wasting time on social media. And that’s fair enough. I’ve seen it a lot, especially in retail when things were a little slow, staff took their time chatting on msn, twitter, Facebook, and myspace. There are many social media tools available, but that doesn’t mean a business has to use all of them. Management has to determine what your goals are, whether it’s to drive traffic to your website, post information about a product, or simply provide better customer service. They then need to determine what social media will be of benefit and whether all staff can have access to it or just a few key people.
As part of the management team, you can have a great contribution on how social media can be used in your company. It pays to stay informed about modern tools that can be used to improve your brand and services. There is no doubt that social media is a very powerful tool to drive sales and if your company has clear and precise policies on which ones are used and by whom, it is just one more tool in the arsenal of your sales staff to gain the competence. sales pitch every time. With these additional tools, you can help make sure they reach their goals every day, week, month, and year.