HOW TO: Get your Employees On Board with your Social Media

how-to-get-employees-to-do-social-media

In Business you have to rely on your staff for many things, in some cases your whole business depends on them. Social Media is another part of the job descriptions that might not necessarily be in theirs.

For example if you owned a restaurant, I am sure the Dish Washer knows he is not expected to also work on your Facebook Page. You might also not want your staff to be on Social Media Representing your Business because you are afraid they will misrepresent the company or talk bad about it. But I feel that is a mistake, why you ask?

  1. Friends like to do business with their friends; if you are looking for a product or service and you see your friend works there it might entice you to visit.
  2. Leverage their network. You not only might get some customers out of it, but when it comes time to hire, you might get some referrals as well.
  3. Friends think alike, if your employee loves your business, chances are their friends will too
  4. Employee participation in Social Media will enhance your brand with your Customers, suppliers, talent pool and other employees
  5. Can increase Moral with employees and Brand recognition, which leads to company growth.

Sold? Great! Here are some key things that you need before you get started

Have a Social Media Policy in Place. Make sure you have clear expectations, what are the Do’s and Don’ts? What is the tone of the page? Here are some samples, but a great example is here from Adidas.

Training. Just like anything else you need to train your staff on how to effectively use Social Media. Start off by the benefits of it, if you have a sales force; getting leads would be a great one.  How to use the different platforms will be important as well, some may know how to use Facebook but have no clue how to use Linkedin.

Generate Buzz. Start a Social Media Newsletter, have Social Media Meetings or even have a contest to see who can get the most likes on your Facebook Page. Get everyone excited about it and you will be successful.

Last but not least, DO NOT force it on everyone. Unless they are on the Marketing Team or Management, forcing people to post things on their personal accounts should NEVER be mandatory. With the right encouragement your staff would be happy to do it.

Do you have any tips on how to get your staff on Social Media? Feel free to comment below or on Facebook. You can also visit us on Twitter or comment with the Hashtag #StiganBlog.

Have a great week everyone!