Social Media has significant benefits

Here at Ancar B I have been tasked with developing our Social Media strategy. Following consultation with one of the experts in this field we have devised a way forward – all I need to do now is get on with!

In the meantime, I came across some research that summarised the business benefits of social networking that I thought would be of interest and that I’d like to share with our blog readers.

Marketing & PR – If Facebook were a country, it would have more inhabitants than the USA. As a result it is an attractive target for company marketing and PR. However, social networking goes beyond  traditional ‘push’ advertising by opening up a two-way channel between customers and companies. It is therefore a great source of ideas, feedback and a viable option for customer service. It can even provide a route to market for some businesses. Gartner (the independent IT research specialists) estimates that 50% of enterprises will be micro-blogging by 2012.

Employee motivation & morale – For many IT literate employees social networking tools have replaced email and the telephone as the primary means of communicating with friends. Those bright young graduates you want to recruit may not work for your company if you destroy their social lives by banning Facebook. They see access to these services as something close to a basic human right.

Recruitment – Their online relationships can have a business benefit too. For example, a vibrant social network around your company can make it attractive to new recruits and help them settle in more quickly. Similarly, it helps HR with recruitment. For many users and companies, LinkedIn is a kind of CV exchange.

Networking & support – Employees use their networks and online connections to get support for their work. It can act like an informal technical support or training system. For example, some IT people turn to online Q&A forums to solve tricky/unusual technical problems. It can also create a strong sense of community and cohesion within a company providing mutual support and exchange of ideas. I can certainly vouch for this when a client recently enquired about the possibility of wireless scanning using an Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station (you can’t by the way, only wireless print).

Brand enhancement – Companies like Microsoft encourage their staff to create blogs and interact with customers, informally mixing support, market research, PR and brand promotion.

If you would like an introduction to an expert in Social Media and help with devising a strategy, please call 0845 077 8883 and we can make an introduction.

Thanks

Richard