Is Social Media a Good Idea for Internal Communications? 5 Reasons Why Companies Should Consider It.
Research tells us that there’s a positive correlation between companies who are using social media to engage the public and consumers and their bottom line. Google, Starbucks, Dell and EBay are just a few of the companies who are benefiting from this two-way communication. One study shows that companies with the greatest breadth and depth of social media engagement grew revenues 18 percent over one year, while companies that were the least engaged dropped six percent on average.
But what about social media for internal communications?
So, financial numbers are telling us that social media is a good tool for selling to consumers, but is it a good tool for communicating internally? And, is there a correlation between using social media to engage employees and the bottom line?
Many companies remain skeptical, but the fact is that how people search for, find, share and communicate information has completely changed from five years ago, and I believe that five years from now it will go through another evolution, with almost all internal communications being produced and distributed online. (As Peter Shankman of HARO pointed out during a conference: Who watches the evening news anymore as a source for information?)
Trying to communicate in print and static online sites is much like trying to shove a square into a round hole. The thing is, it’s really not the communications content that needs to change as much as the tools through which it’s distributed. As long as it’s ethical, a company’s key messages are what they are. You can dress them up a million different ways, but a goat is still a goat, even when it’s wearing a tuxedo. But, truly, I want – and employees want – to be communicated with, and I believe that despite the recent debacle on Wall Street, most of us start a conversation with the understanding that it’s going to be open, honest and good.
And, if a company is ready to begin using social media internally, or just raise the bar some more, there’s a technical tool for every need, just as there’s a lid for every pot. In some cases, it might even be as simple as enabling existing networking tools on a company’s portals or intranets, for instance.
The greatest hurdle companies face when trying to incorporate social media internally is fear from upper management that employees will post negative comments. But, companies have come up with various ways to handle this, including having a site moderator to allowing posts only if the author lists his name. I’ve yet to hear of a company being undone by comments made by employees via blogs, forums, etc.
If you’re weighing the advantages of social media internally, consider:
1 – Transparency is a beautiful thing, and social media allow companies to have real-time, authentic conversations with employees.
2 – Social media knows no rank, allowing communications to flow from the top to bottom, bottom to top and side to side. It also knows no physical boundaries and can be accessed around the world (as long as you can plug in/log on).
3 – Leadership who use social media to converse with employees are generally well liked and well read by employees. Employees like to know that leadership cares enough to have a venue for conversing with them.
4 – Gen Y and younger Gen Xers are so used to two-way communications that they don’t really pay attention to anything else. They give the most credit to the friends they text for information.
5 – Viable and robust social media at a company is a fantastic recruiting tool. As a matter of fact, companies way far behind in this area are at a distinct disadvantage.
On a final note, it also takes employees some courage to engage in social media with their employers. Most of them, sometimes not wrongly so, believe they are giving up a certain amount of privacy in regards to their personal information and life in order to be a part of the dialogue. So, they’re invested in the process, too.
(If you liked this post, take a look at the follow-up: Is Social Media Good for Internal Communications? 5 More Reasons Why Companies Should Consider It)
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Great post. I would add that if you give employees a vehicle internally to share their complaints they will be less likely to air their dirty laundry using external social networks.
charming post. due one unimportant where I bicker with it. I am emailing you in detail.
Great post, my role sits in the middle of Gen X and Gen Y people so helpful thanks
Great headline. If your cookie has a bite-sized action and your reader completes the action, I think two things happen. Their self-confidence goes up (which feels good) and their trust in you increases.
Interesting, Jennifer. Two comments.
1. be careful with extrapolating the results of the research you cited. The methodology wasn’t transparent, and the findings could be coincidence.
2. There are risks to allowing unfettered electronic communication. Depending on the industry, the social media posts could be classed as discoverable — if, for example, there is discussion about a product that later is the target of a lawsuit, the conversation can be subpoenaed. The openness and transparency that seemed great can be a detriment to the company.
We need more research (unbiased) into the longer term effects of social media on productivity, and on business outcomes before I’ll declare victory!
Thanks for the post!
Sean
@commammo
[...] few months ago, I posted five reasons to consider using social media for engaging employees. Here are an additional five reasons to consider leveraging this tool for internal [...]
Great post, although there are certain reasons to have a moderator, I think that it ultimately prohibits open communication. Employees will be careful with what they say, knowing that they are being held accountable. With proper IT integration and buy in, there is no real anonymous commenting.
Amy had a great point that it gives them an outlet to speak up and potentially stops, or at least makes employees think twice about, airing their dirty laundry on external – non monitored and non-accountable forums.
Thanks for the great thoughts, Jennifer! My biggest concern isn’t with execs who are worried about inappropriate comments, though. I’m more concerned with those that either just don’t understand it or get it, but don’t see the value. I have heard way too many comments from execs that social media is just about people talking about what they had for breakfast. In some cases, they’re more interested in talking about how to block employee access to social media sites than they are in leveraging its power.
It’ll be interesting to see whether the social media creates a new “digital divide” between companies that use it and those that don’t….
–Sean
@seanrnicholson
Social media is a great tool for internal communications, but in many companies it cannot replace print. In manufacturing companies and hospitals, for example, many employees don’t have access to online communication (even mobile).
I’ve seen social media effectively used for internal communications at my current company, thanks to executives who are good communicators and who understand the importance. I’ve also lobbied for an internal blog at another company and found that if one was created, the internal comm team would be writing it. Which, of course, completely misses the point.
Good, honest communication is what employees want. The vehicle is secondary.
I agree with AJ Teachout, moderation on internal forums is a bad thing and will stifle any real discussion, making people reluctant to post. If people are aware that their comments are attributed to them they (i.e. no anonymous posting)will self police.
I’m grappling with issues around information governance for internal social content in my latest blog post so I’d be interested in your thoughts on that
Thanks for the post! Beth
The same happens with email regarding the law.
Wonderful post – I was thinking about a similar article which I will probably still take a shot at, but from a slightly different angle. Thanks for sharing this with your readers…Obviously a lot of others appreciate it too!
Deborah,
I’d love to see your article when you’re done with it. It’s always interesting to see things from another perspective.