So, we’re finally at a point where businesses are starting to understand the value of social media. Many brands would even say that social media marketing is an essential part of their company. So, let’s get your staff involved!
It seems companies are beginning to realise that running engaging social media marketing strategies is far more consuming than simply employing a ‘Social Media Manager’. Rather, look around you, there are the perfect advocates for your brand, your entire staff!
Including more of your staff as contributors to your company’s social strategy will yield impressive growth immediately. You will notice an increase in your minimum organic reach with each employee that you include.
However, many businesses can feel uneasy about letting their staff run free on social platforms. Trust will come easily the more you prepare your staff. It is with this in mind that we have collated the following tips:
Tell I.T. to Unblock Social Media Sites
Makes sense right? Surprisingly there are still some companies these days who restrict access with the worry that staff may become unproductive.
We’re not denying how easy it can be to get distracted by all the funny cat videos out there but if you’re aiming to increase the reach of your brand message, blocking people is a bad idea!
According to a recent survey conducted by Microsoft, over 45% of office workers saw an increase in productivity when social media access was made available. Research from the University of California indicated that occasional visits to a social network acted as a ‘mental palate cleanser’ improving an employee’s mood.
Adopt a Social Media Policy
There will always be the odd team member that spends a bit too much time liking and sharing. This is easy enough to deter with the construction and implementation of a clear and accessible social media policy.
Let everyone in the company know what is allowed to be posted. Write an informal guide that is easily accessible to everyone in the company. This will also help to reassure staff members about what they can and can’t share on the company’s social platforms, as well as alleviate any issues with overly repeating content.
You want sharing content to be a quick and fun task in addition to each staff members daily workload so don’t bombard them with too many strict rules and regulations. It will only benefit the business in the long run.
Make Clear the Mutual Benefits
The more employees that are involved generates more content and this means a more active social media presence. In turn, a more active presence is going to benefit your business. With every blog post or share on Facebook generating attention, attracting potential leads and making your company more discoverable.
You should ensure that your employees are aware that this isn’t just more work but that it will also increase industry standing. An active employee on social media will help them build more relevant networks on sites like LinkedIn, for example. This will also boost their industry knowledge passively through research carried out for blog posts.
Of course, not every employee will want to be seen as a leader in their field, which is fine. Some staff will be happy simply sharing company content via their personal channels, which should be highly encouraged in an effort to increase organic reach.
Offer Social Media Training for Anyone Interested
Offering social media training sessions to your staff is a worthwhile investment and something that Image Matters is happy to provide. These can be as frequent as necessary depending on the amount of staff involved and their existing experience. It really depends on the goals you have for the company. It’s always beneficial to have employees who know what they are doing!
Likewise, every social media platform is constantly changing and evolving and so are their best practices. Try to see what has changed every 3-6 months. We have discouraged clients from certain types of posts that just a few months later we were highly encouraging.
What are You Waiting For?
If you aren’t trying to get as many employees contributing to your social then now is the time to change. With giants like Facebook making changes to their service, giving priority to individuals rather than business pages, it’s time to build your army of advocates.
Whilst it’s important to get this implemented in your social media marketing straight away but to also implement it correctly. Perhaps offer incentives to members of your ‘content team’. This could be a monthly reward for the most engaging member of staff or the best social media contributions?
Make it fun for your staff and they will want to get involved. The more invested a team member is in the process the more likely their content is to be of a high standard. This, in turn, increases engagement with the brand.
