Internal Benefits to Becoming a Social Workplace

It has become clear that social media has an undeniably large effect on business. Whether it means entertaining customers across platforms, handling customer concerns, driving sales, or establishing brand image, the importance of the consumer-facing aspect of social media is now common knowledge. However, when it comes to the effect social media has on a business internally, management has a much more negative view. What immediately jumps to mind is an employee wasting valuable work hours scrolling through their numerous social feeds instead of doing their jobs. While this is undoubtedly a concern that doesn’t have an easy answer, there is also a huge opportunity for using social media in the workplace. With an influx of new tools designed specifically for business and the role of social media expanding in everyone’s lives daily, it was an inevitable conclusion that social media would infiltrate the day-to-day operations of businesses.

Improves Company Communication

There are an endless number of social apps that have been developed that encompass all of a company’s communication and streamline the process. Instead of cluttered email inboxes stacked on top of other types communication tools, apps such as Slack have centralized communication, allowing you to send any type of file or message to the groups or individuals that need them.

With the rise in popularity and effectiveness of these apps, the more traditional social media powerhouses such as Facebook are getting in on the action as well. Facebook is currently rolling out a program called “Facebook at Work” which creates a network that resembles social media, but is private for your firm. With collaboration and effective communication as the goal, Facebook is not one to be left behind in the digital space. Their business apps will always be something to keep an eye on in the future.

Employee Advocacy

The word of mouth benefit of social media is one of the largest advantages in comparison to traditional forms of advertising. People will naturally trust humans before they trust brands. If your employees are active on social media then that is a great opportunity for your business. There are a number of software applications that make it simple for businesses to utilize their employees’ social media by posting content directly through their accounts. This exponentially increases the reach of your social media. You are no longer limited to the followers of your brand’s account because you can spread your message to numerous sets of different audiences through your employees.

Employee Loyalty

It is common knowledge that a consumer who follows a brand on social media will be a more engaged and loyal customer. Since social media is a place where someone goes to hear from their friends, family, and trusted sources, if they decide to listen to what a company has to say then it is obvious they have a special connection with that business. There is no reason to believe that the same concept would not apply to employees of the company as well. In fact, the CK Group conducted a scientific study that found social media can increase company loyalty and even employee retention rates. An employee’s job is part of their identity and allowing them to state their occupation on their own profiles as well as interact with the company in this space could yield positive results for your workforce.

(47)