Social networking sites are often perceived as the nemesis of workplace productivity and in some cases, they can be exactly that. Used positively however, they can be highly beneficial to the your business and increase customer engagement, workplace morale and results in general. Here are three reasons why.
Professional Networking
Social media services such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook are excellent tools for professional networking and you can utilise them to build beneficial relationships with others in your industry. Whether to exchange ideas and advice or discuss industry news, relevant contacts can be invaluable. Networking sites are also fantastic ways to recruit new employees and your next rising star could make first contact with a reply to a tweet.
Happiness and Teamwork
Social networking sites keep employees in touch with each other’s lives and, as a result, friendships can be easily cultivated. In terms of effect on the workplace, this can boost morale and promote teamwork. It doesn’t have to be on Facebook or Twitter either and enclosed social networking tools for your business only, such as Yammer, can be an excellent way to give people their social media fix while interacting with other employees and keeping it relevant to work.
Keep in Touch With Your Customers
Social media sites are an excellent way to build a relationship with your customers and can be used to keep a simple dialogue open with consumers. A Facebook page, for example, can act as a notice board and allow them to post their questions and comments, which you can address quickly and easily in a transparent environment for everyone to see. In addition to answering support questions, you can also inform your customers of new products and services and let them know of any significant events that may be occurring.
These three simple reasons are just the tip of the iceberg and while employees playing FarmTown is clearly not helpful to your business, there are countless aspects of the social networking spectrum that can be utilised to positive effect.
About the Author
David Gerrard works for Boards Direct, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of whiteboards, notice boards and display boards.
Social networking is a popular tool that many Internet users to connect with friends, family members, and peers. An explosion in overall usage in recent years has led many companies to begin marketing their products and services on these networks, in the hopes of reaching a wider audience.
While there is certainly nothing wrong with reaching out to potential buyers and existing customers in this manner, it is important that you learn how to effectively target individuals, without invading their privacy or spamming them with unwanted information. Avoid the following pitfalls when launching your social networking marketing plan, and you’ll be able to establish your company’s web presence ethically.
1. Don’t Use Your Social Networking Profile Solely For Promotions
Picking up new followers on social networks can be a real challenge, but once you’ve managed to amass a substantial group of friends, don’t drive them away by clogging their profiles with promotional content. One of the reasons social networking is such a powerful tool is that it gives your customers an easy way to connect with you on an individual basis. Instead of spamming social network users with advertisements and information about upcoming sales, focus on crafting quality content that your followers will enjoy reading.
In one recent study from the Custom Content Council, 61% of individuals surveyed indicated that they were more likely to purchase goods and services from companies that create their own online content. Your social networking profiles are a great avenue for sharing such content, which you can either create on your own, or contract out to other individuals. Not only could sharing such content help to increase the likelihood that those you’ve connected with will purchase from your company, but it will help you to develop a stronger brand image and reputation.
2. Stay Away from Mudslinging
Some business owners use Facebook and similar networks as a means to demean their competitors. While there is no problem in promoting your company by pointing out things you offer more effectively that competitors, when you turn to belittling and criticizing another business, it reflects poorly on the character of your staff and the company as a whole. You can avoid this by simply refraining from talking about competitors, and working to direct comments from your followers back towards your product, should someone mention something negative about your competitors.
3. Stay Honest
One of the worst mistakes a business owner can make is to use their social network profile to spread lies. Whether those lies are about the products and serviced offered, other companies, or customers themselves, sharing information that is untruthful is a major ethics breach. Keep testimonials truthful, don’t puff up your company’s image with false statements, and refrain from making broad, sweeping comments on the products you have to offer. Not only could this prove to be damaging to your company in the long run, but it also wreaks of unprofessionalism, which could potentially drive customers away.
This article is written by Richard K. Decosta who likes business ethics discipline, antivirus software, French movies, pc antivirus, networking and sightseeing.
As if we don’t have enough emails charging into our inboxes already! Now we have Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. notifications haphazardly gracing that inbox, intterupting us, and adding more messages to an already crowded space.
Here’s a tip that you might find useful:
Create folders for each social media account. Or perhaps just one folder for all your social media stuff. Whatever works best for you…
Then, create an automated rule that sends any email notification directly to that folder. In other words, you might create a rule that says all messages coming from Facebook are dropped directly into your newly created Facebook folder. This emliminates another flash or ding of an interrupting email. It also eliminates your having to read, or drag and drop them to the folder. It is done automatically.
Then, view all the contents of that folder at a time that works for you. Simple – that’s all there is to it.
The benefit of this is that you’ll avoid multiple sporadic interruptions throughout the day. It also sets you up to “group like tasks” which is a time management technique that truly works.Then, when you’re in the mood to check in on your FB friends, YOU decide when you’ll view the notifications, not the other way around.
As if we don’t have enough emails charging into our inboxes already! Now we have Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. notifications haphazardly gracing that inbox, interrupting us, and adding more messages to an already crowded space.
Here’s a tip that you might find useful:
Create folders for each social media account. Or perhaps just one folder for all your social media stuff. Whatever works best for you…
Then, create an automated rule that sends any email notification directly to that folder. In other words, you might create a rule that says all messages coming from Facebook are dropped directly into your newly created Facebook folder. This eliminates another flash or ding of an interrupting email. It also eliminates your having to read, or drag and drop them to the folder. It is done automatically.
Then, view all the contents of that folder at a time that works for you.
Simple – that’s all there is to it.
The benefit of this is that you’ll avoid multiple sporadic interruptions throughout the day. It also sets you up to “group like tasks” which is a time management technique that truly works. Then, when you’re in the mood to check in on your FB friends, YOU decide when you’ll view the notifications, not the other way around.
I just saw a great post on mashable.com, “8 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Get More Out of Twitter” – where Ryan Paugh coined the phrase “Insecurity Work.”
According to Ryan, “ “Insecurity Work” is when you compulsively check your e-mail, website traffic, blog comments, etc., and it’s poison. Twitter is one of the most common causes of insecurity work that I see among young entrepreneurs. I suggest that you limit the time you spend on Twitter each day to less than a half hour. Remember: You don’t need to @Reply every single person that mentions your brand.”
I couldn’t agree with him more – just never heard it referred to as insecurity work. Does this mean that we latch onto Twitter, social media and email as a way to validate ourselves?
More about Ryan: Company URL: www.ryanpaugh.com Twitter: @paughginney
The internet can be your friend or foe. Just remember, it is public. Once it is out there, you’ve lost control of what can get forwarded, read, or copied.
This person got out of it ok, I guess you can say. Not without angst, legal fees, heartache, etc. Maybe the settlement is worth it. Pretty high price to pay… Here’s the post from Mashable.
An excerpt: The National Labor Relations Board and Dawnmarie Souza agreed yesterday to end a lawsuit over Souza’s firing, which occurred after she made some derogatory remarks about her employers on Facebook.
What’s the lesson? Don’t criticize the hand that feeds you publicly, and especially on line. Better yet, don’t criticize ‘em at all. If you don’t like your job, either work to change it so that you do, or find another job.
Facebook’s e-mail release puts me in a quandry.
While I have been working diligently to help people take control of their lives and “own” all of the electronica that flies their way, yesterday’s announcement by Facebook that they are unleashing an e-mail capability makes me say hmmmmmm.
A new e-mail platform means more e-mail. That adds to information overload. Information overload sucks time away from doing what is truly important to us. So my first impression is that this new capability is just another platform that interferes with our lives.
But the way Zuckerberg and Facebook have designed this feeds to the social aspect of electronic communication, rather than the business aspect. It is interesting to note that the platform does not allow for CC’s or BCC’s. Nor does it allow for subject lines. Additionally, readers will see all of the e-mails from the same person at one gander. Finally users can determine from whom they want to receive e-mails or not. This underscores the fact that the e-mail is designed to enhance social interaction, not business cover your butt e-mails.
The people who are on Facebook want to be there, and want to connect with friends and family. If this e-mail platform makes it more convenient, and makes life more enjoyable for those 500 million people on Facebook, who am I to judge? After all, aren’t friends and family one of our most important priorities?
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I just got back from the National Speakers’ Association convention in Orlando, where I attended Larry Chaing’s workshop – What They Don’t Teach You at NSA.
In that workshop, he asked attendees to text or email questions to him, AS HE WAS SPEAKING. Novel approach! He called it the 2 way keynote, which extends this whole social media concept of ‘conversation’ to another level. He took a break in his talk to read the questions texted to him, and he answered them. New way of keeping a record of the questions, heh?!
Another way this can be done is by having a compatriot monitor the text messages, emails and tweets, so as not to distract the speaker. Or to have them project on the screen.
Interactivity at its best! Kudos Larry.
Social media is here to stay. With social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn, we are able to stay in touch with our friends and business associates better than we have ever done before. We are also connected by a lot of groups. But what about all those notifications??? They are slamming our inboxes.
What to do? Simple.
Set up a rule to have those notifications automatically placed in a folder.
This is a great way to organize and manage your social media time. Instead of having to drag and drop social media notifications, or to be tempted by wanting to read something that looks interesting, you know exactly where to go when you are in your Social Media mood, or when you have set time in your schedule to manage your online networks.
I tried this simple solution, and it has worked fabulously for me. Let me know how it works for you!
