By Magui Castro, partner at The Caldwell Partners in Brazil
It is not news that, over the last decade, social networks have revolutionized the way society communicates. It is rare to find someone, or any company, without a presence in at least one of these tools. People's appetite for this means of communication and interaction is a fact, but do corporate social networks follow this same reality?
Surprisingly, no. This is because, in many cases, workforces do not perceive the commitment of their superiors in using the platforms, making the efforts of leaders to lead them to productivity become a flawed process. In addition, employees are the first to identify the dislocation between what the company is in reality and what it appears to be on social media.
Social networking is real life. Bringing the true concepts of your company to these platforms will enhance the way in which these individuals relate within the company and in this context, leadership participation is extremely important and this is possible if this identification and understanding of the brand takes place.
Therefore, it's not worth offering excuses like “I don't have time for this” and “I'm afraid of losing power between me and the employees, decreasing my ability to command and control”. The leader is most responsible for the correct use of the corporate social network, which, if used effectively, offers benefits such as a better understanding of the organizational culture, innovation in the way of communicating with the rest of the company and dissemination of news in real time. . Check out some tips on how to make this medium a booster for the company’s performance:
1. Do employees know what the company thinks?
Fostering the company's positioning for some topics within social networks is an incredible gimmick for fans. List interesting topics about the company's routine and publish articles or posts about it, open a channel to see if people think the same as you. When would there be an environment for discussions of this nature? These networks can help to demonstrate in a simple way what the company thinks about politics, market, equality, sport, etc.
2. listen
After all, why should employees take the time to post on corporate social media if leaders aren't paying attention to what they're saying? The simple act of listening, and demonstrating that you understand the message, is the first step towards meaningful collaboration in times of change.
3. Share information
Some tools, like Twitter, shorten the distance between a great executive and his teams. Leaders should share their news, thoughts and ideas through these channels. This encourages proximity and generates interest in the company's discourse, bringing many more fans to the positive use of networks.
4. Offer productivity benefits
There are many employees who complain about the trivial way they are communicated about company news. The use of corporate social networks accelerates the interaction between employee and organization, which increases productivity and captures key messages.
5. Promote meetings to talk about social networks
How about promoting inviting workshops for employees? Meetings should be a space for exchanging ideas. How to improve network flows? What content caught the team's attention the most? This movement will show the company's interest in better relationships with its employees and, in a way, promote the customization of platforms.
Numerous studies prove that people like social media. So there's no reason for corporate social media to fail, as long as leaders take the necessary steps to engage employees. Executives who show their employees that they are ready to listen to them and take the time to involve them in the organization's philosophy will be positively surprised.
Surprisingly, no. This is because, in many cases, workforces do not perceive the commitment of their superiors in using the platforms, making the efforts of leaders to lead them to productivity become a flawed process. In addition, employees are the first to identify the dislocation between what the company is in reality and what it appears to be on social media.
Social networking is real life. Bringing the true concepts of your company to these platforms will enhance the way in which these individuals relate within the company and in this context, leadership participation is extremely important and this is possible if this identification and understanding of the brand takes place.
Therefore, it's not worth offering excuses like “I don't have time for this” and “I'm afraid of losing power between me and the employees, decreasing my ability to command and control”. The leader is most responsible for the correct use of the corporate social network, which, if used effectively, offers benefits such as a better understanding of the organizational culture, innovation in the way of communicating with the rest of the company and dissemination of news in real time. . Check out some tips on how to make this medium a booster for the company’s performance:
1. Do employees know what the company thinks?
Fostering the company's positioning for some topics within social networks is an incredible gimmick for fans. List interesting topics about the company's routine and publish articles or posts about it, open a channel to see if people think the same as you. When would there be an environment for discussions of this nature? These networks can help to demonstrate in a simple way what the company thinks about politics, market, equality, sport, etc.
2. listen
After all, why should employees take the time to post on corporate social media if leaders aren't paying attention to what they're saying? The simple act of listening, and demonstrating that you understand the message, is the first step towards meaningful collaboration in times of change.
3. Share information
Some tools, like Twitter, shorten the distance between a great executive and his teams. Leaders should share their news, thoughts and ideas through these channels. This encourages proximity and generates interest in the company's discourse, bringing many more fans to the positive use of networks.
4. Offer productivity benefits
There are many employees who complain about the trivial way they are communicated about company news. The use of corporate social networks accelerates the interaction between employee and organization, which increases productivity and captures key messages.
5. Promote meetings to talk about social networks
How about promoting inviting workshops for employees? Meetings should be a space for exchanging ideas. How to improve network flows? What content caught the team's attention the most? This movement will show the company's interest in better relationships with its employees and, in a way, promote the customization of platforms.
Numerous studies prove that people like social media. So there's no reason for corporate social media to fail, as long as leaders take the necessary steps to engage employees. Executives who show their employees that they are ready to listen to them and take the time to involve them in the organization's philosophy will be positively surprised.
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