Imagine Your Reality

Some businesses approach social media as a risky venture. They worry about how employees will use social media as well as how it will impact the reputation of their business. Ironically, by choosing not to engage in social media, they ignore the fact that customers and others can still talk about the company and impacts its reputation, especially if they are unhappy with what the company does. The reality of it is that businesses can’t afford to ignore social media. Social media is here to stay and it won’t go away.

Of course many businesses are resistant to social media. Having to learn new technology and also use it in relationship to business scares people. They may feel it is untried, and wonder if it will bring business. They want ROI without having actually used the technology, as if that will somehow guarantee them business, even when they don’t realize that the only way to really get ROI is to actually engage in the technology and learn to use it. The fact is the question of ROI in social media is a question that is asked because people want to know they’ll get business. And so they focus on social media for the wrong reason, just trying to get money, as opposed to really understanding that the true ROI isn’t how much money you make, it’s the relationships you form that create a bond of trust in belief in what you have to offer to others.

For businesses to effectively engage in social media, they must have a policy that defines how they use social media. At the base of that policy must be a recognition that the foundation of success is forming relationships. To do that a business must be honest, open, and transparent in its use of social media, as well as in how it deals with people on social media.

Social media usage must also reflect the culture of the company. In other words, social media must support both the internal culture of the company and it’s external face and relationships with its consumers. The company also needs to ensure that there isn’t a conflict of interest in its use of social media. Being honest and transparent can help avoid that conflict of interest, but it should also be considered during the formation of the strategy for using social media.

When employees use social media they need to include a disclaimer that makes it clear that their comments don’t necessarily reflect the opinion. By doing so they avoid misrepresenting the company. This can be hard however, given that the company likely lays claim to the intellectual property of the employee. If that’s the case, then actually the employee does represent the company regardless of the disclaimer in place, since all intellectual developments of that employee are owned by the company. How a company resolves that particular paradox is a challenge, as ultimately if they own the intellectual property of the employee then his/her views are representative of the company.

As businesses continue to accept that social media is here to stay they will also need to develop policies that monitor it’s use and represent them actively. One area businesses should work on more is customer service via social media, as I’ll discuss in further depth in another post.