Five Reasons to Consider Social Media for Business and HR Communications
By Priscilla Kohl | HRTools.com Business Writer
President Barack Obama’s growing list of Twitter followers is well over one-and one-half-million people according to http://twitter.com/BARACKOBAMA. In case you haven’t heard, as stated on www.twitter.com, “Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?”
Social networking is not just for kids.
No doubt about it: This President of the United States is a social-media trend setter. He has been very successful at it, because he expertly uses social media to get his message across.
NASA Astronaut, Michael Massimino, also known as ‘Astro-Mike,’ is even tweeting. In fact, Massimino, a NASA mission specialist, is the first astronaut to Twitter from space, as reported on May 20, 2009, at www.usatoday.com.
Businesses also can tweet and greet people online. Indeed, practically any business can use social media tools to get out their message—as business always has been, and always will be, about being social. Or put another way: If a business does not connect with and engage society and its communities, then what is the point?
And, as this enterprising U.S. President and NASA astronaut exemplify; practically any enterprising business representative can join similarly public conversations by connecting to online social-networking communities.
Social media can also serve as a simple, yet powerful, business marketing platform; however, some things never change.
Whether a business chooses to blog, tweet, share, post comments or link-in, it is important to remember these two long-standing, tried-and-true marketing imperatives: (1) know why you’re engaging in these activities; and (2) get your message across consistently and authentically.
Here is a sample tweet, which, by the way, meets Twitter’s 140 character limit:
Make your business everybody’s business. Savvy business owners leverage social networking tools and sites for their HR communication needs.
So, it’s all intertwined. The digital era is here and businesses still need to tell their stories.
As they say, ‘there is no turning back.’ Today’s businesses still compete to get out their messages, and they also must adapt to the 21st century. A majority of the American public is now gathering at the social networking sites to get information, and so throughout the world you are seeing increasing numbers of businesses evaluating social media tools.
These social media platforms provide businesses with an unprecedented value for not only communicating with customers and consumers, but also with employees and potential employees.
Here’s why:
1. Marketing reach and consumer expectations—increasing numbers of surveys and research findings point to this social-media networking, business-marketing inevitability.
Here is one example. Cone LLC, a strategy and communications agency, and Opinion Research Corporation found that, “…93 percent of social media users believe a company should have a presence on social media Web sites.” According to Cone’s online news release, this finding is based on its 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Study. And this study’s Fact Sheet (as published online by Cone) further reports that most Americans use social media sites and tools. Perhaps, more importantly, a majority of these social media users report that they feel better about companies and their brands when they can interact with them through social media.
2. Recruiting and brand recognition—over half of the adult Internet population is between the ages of 18 and 44 years old. In addition, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, and reported in its Generations Online in 2009 report, we are seeing even greater numbers of older generations now connecting online than in the past.
And here is a reality and opportunity that should not be overlooked: When a business sets out to attract potentially hundreds, if not thousands, of online job seekers to its organization, it can also capture the attention of those same numbers as potential consumers or clients. So, as more Americans flock to these social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, companies are also joining these social networking sites, in order to attract both potential applicants and business.
3. Passing the word around with an almost limitless increase-potential: Because any number of people can share and forward Internet information and messages—by using social media tools—a business can significantly increase its mileage for gaining brand awareness. The potential for spreading and sharing online messages by and through others is almost limitless.
A word of caution, however: Remember that bad news can travel as fast as good news— especially, when news is traveling over the Internet. Make sure business messages are consistent, clear and authentic—and, preferably, messages should be those that cannot be misunderstood or misapplied, particularly if taken out of context.
4. It’s inexpensive. Many social media tools are free or available at a relatively low-cost. Granted, all the social networking tools that are available can be overwhelming. In addition to e-mail, you will find podcasts, videos, blogging (Twitter is considered a mini-blogging platform) and social networking sites, such as Facebook. Most likely, your greatest investment in using social media technology will involve how much you’re willing to invest in terms of your own human resources. Even when business resources are limited, however, most businesses can connect to existing social media sites, which can ultimately drive Web traffic to the business Web site.
5. It’s fun and energizing, yet reinforcing of long-standing, traditional values. People and businesses have always communicated with one another; social media is simply another way that people stay in touch with each other.
As noted on www.socialcustomer.com, and taken from a presentation slide belonging to Jeanette Gibson, Director of New Media, Cisco Corporate Communications, “The slide reads: Be Respectful, Be Mindful, You Are Responsible, Abide By The Rules, Add Value, Be Honest, Be Yourself.”
Christopher Carfi, the Chairman and CEO of Cerado, Inc., a social networking software company, is also the editor of the Social Customer Manifesto Weblog found at www.socialcustomer.com and, in his comments post, he references the final point of Gibson’s Cisco presentation key takeaways, which is “Be yourself and have fun.”
While a business is having fun and exploring social media opportunities, it is important to remember two points about online dialogues:
- Companies cannot engage in a dialogue; only people can. Therefore, keep it real, relevant and simple.
- Online dialogues can provide a business with limitless opportunities for learning more from a greater majority of its present and potential customers and clients.
As a closing thought—while social networking tools are relatively new to the business scene, many of a business’s present and potential customers and employees grew up with them. Although there is not a one-size-fits-all social networking model, most social networking sites provide online assistance and support, such as what can be found at Twitter Support.
<p>Social networking is not just for kids. The digital era is here and businesses still need to tell their stories. </p>
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