There is no question that social media plays a critical role in business development and brand awareness. At this point, all organizations should have a thoughtful social media strategy in place that outlines objectives, goals and target audiences. One critical consideration for all social media strategies, though often overlooked, is how to empower employees to engage on social media.
When set up with proper training and brand guidelines, employees can add significant value to an organization’s social media presence by amplifying content and serving as a natural brand ambassador. The benefits to having an engaged staff that are eager to promote the brand on social media are endless, however it can be a challenge to rally employees around this idea without careful consideration.
Here are some best practices for setting your employees up for success on social media.
Lunch and Learn
Who doesn’t love a good lunch and learn? This is a great way to not only get your employees together (whether virtually or in-person), but also set up a forum for discussion and Q&A around social media strategy. A lunch and learn is a great setting to go over the basics of social media and how your organization utilizes each platform. Keep in mind that social media knowledge will vary amongst employees, so starting with the basics will help those who are not familiar with social media feel less intimidated. Some topics that can be covered during the lunch and learn include:
- How to post/share content on each social media platform
- An overview of your brand’s social media strategy
- The benefits of employee engagement on social media
- How to use social media for business development
Toolkits
Developing a toolkit that can be distributed company wide is an excellent way to align your staff on your organization’s social media strategy. These toolkits can also be tailored to specific departments depending on your goals and objectives. For example, you may want your business development team to be more up to speed on LinkedIn while your creative team is active on Instagram. This is where your social media strategy will come in handy to determine where your priorities and target audiences live. Here are some items that should be included in an employee social media toolkit:
- Your company’s social media handles and hashtags
- Branding guidelines and templates that can be used by employees
- Approved messaging and language, as well as sample posts
- FAQ on best practices
Integrate Social Media into Company Culture
While it may be commonplace to discourage social media use during work hours, there are some benefits to allowing employees to do so. By giving employees the time to explore on social media, you are giving them the space to understand the platforms and also stay apprised of competitors, prospects and industry trends. Consider providing your employees with guidelines on how to effectively use social media during work so that they are not only given the time to be a brand ambassador, but also know how to be a valuable asset to your brand’s social media strategy. Additionally, integrating social media into your company culture goes beyond allowing employees to use social media during the workday. It also means incorporating your staff and culture into your content strategy. This is a great way to show your employees that they are a valuable part of the team and contribute to the everyday success of the organization. A few examples of this include:
- Highlighting employee success stories or wins on social media
- Hosting Twitter chats and encouraging employees to participate
- Engaging with employee posts about the organization through likes, shares and comments
The process of training employees on social media can be extensive and requires thoughtful planning. That said, the outcomes of taking the time to empower your staff and integrate social media into your company culture have the potential to take your business to the next level. If you’re interested in setting up a social media training for your staff, contact us to get started.
Posted In Digital Strategy & Social Media