Social Networking 101
For many companies, the Internet can be a valuable marketing tool. The last couple of years have seen a proliferation of social networking options available on the World Wide Web. These tools, when used properly, can be a valuable and free resource you can use to market your business. Unfortunately, many of the social networking sites are prone to abuse or overuse, and the line between personal communication and genuine business networking can be difficult to draw.
Blog. Twitter. Youtube. Google. Strange as it may seem, these are the words of today’s web-integrated marketplace—and, for certain businesses, they could be the key words to your future success. In this new virtual, viral reality, your next lead could come to you after reading your blog, seeing your name on a friend of a friend’s Twitter account, or watching your video presentation on Youtube after Googling a keyword that connected them to you.
Though these terms might sound a bit shifty, there are concrete ways you can benefit from online social networking, such as:
- Gaining leads, awareness, and new customers through social networking sites like twitter, Facebook, or Myspace
- Evaluating potential hires by reviewing their online profiles on sites like LinkedIn and Facebook
- Improved customer service through online surveys such as zoomerang
- Moving your web site up in search rankings and attracting more visits to your web site through the social networking resources that reference it
However, companies hoping to benefit from the limitless opportunities and connections offered by internet social networking should keep in mind the potential for abuse or misuse of these resources. Without due caution and oversight, the strange words of the online marketplace can soon spell trouble for your business. As a business decision-maker, you need to weigh the benefits of integrating online social networking into your organization’s daily routine with the potential liabilities. Depending on how you answer the key questions below, you can develop a healthy policy that governs your staff’s internet usage.
Does online social networking fit in with my company’s overall marketing strategy?
This is a discussion you should have with your marketing staff or consultants. According to Angel Robinson, the owner of AR&Co. “Due to the interactive capabilities, message tailoring, breadth of exposure, and speed the internet affords, social networking sites can be very beneficial tools for efficiently and inexpensively succeeding in an online marketplace. It is important, however, to keep in mind the impression that an online identity sends to your potential clientele, especially if that clientele is not of the young, informal, technically-savvy niche. If your business wishes to maintain a strictly professional presentation and targets a client base that does not heavily rely on these sites, then instead of helping your marketing strategy, you could actually negatively impact your image by retaining these informal business networking identities.”
Will the time my company spends online be noticed by my client base?
If your client base generally does not use any web resources, you may realize no benefit in expanding your online presence. Better to focus your marketing efforts elsewhere.
Who is authorized to release company-specific information online?
Many companies authorize specific staff members to talk or correspond with traditional media outlets in order to ensure no contradictory or confidential information is released. In the online world of social networking, you have to assume that anything your staff says about your company will be seen or heard about by your customers and media outlets. The information released on social networking sites should be governed in accordance with your company’s policy about who is authorized to speak to the media.
What staff resources should be spent online in social networking?
While it may make a lot of sense for your sales staff to use resources like facebook and twitter to keep in touch with customers and generate a following, the same cannot be said for an engineer or person in your finance department.
How will you judge information obtained from social networking sites?
If your HR department relies on resources such as Linkedin to glean data about a prospective hire, how will they verify or corroborate what they discover? Much of what you see or read on social networking sites can be inaccurate, misleading, or false. Without a system of verification, this information should be taken with a grain of salt.
How will whatever policy we set be enforced?
A healthy office culture and work environment will reduce the risk of a disgruntled employee posting inappropriate content on a social networking site. Just as you would monitor employee interactions with traditional media outlets, it is essential you monitor what they say online about the company. In addition, your IT department or consultant may need to implement a web security program that prevents access to unauthorized web sites and internet resources.
Some general guidelines for an enforceable policy may include:
- Making employees aware of risks, forbidden information, sharing, etc.
- Only providing information that is necessary and that can not be used against you
- Setting policies and regulations for employees’ use, criticism, and disclosure
- Providing training in the rules of engagement
If you have found that internet social networking is right for your business and you are “linked in” with the proper internet etiquette, the potential for fruitful business opportunities is endless.
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