Even with helpful tools and websites for managing company social media presence like Instamacro.com for Instagram, there will likely still be a need for employee participation in social media campaigns. While the use of social media as a marketing platform is more widely accepted today, some employees might not be too interested in participating in Instagram marketing or Facebook promotions. How exactly can one change this?
Take the lead
The first thing one must remember is that all projects, regardless of the objective or process, must have a leader. The process should be approached as a project, and must therefore have someone taking the lead. This does not mean all the responsibilities for the company’s social media presence will fall on the one person. Rather, the person will act as a coordinator, motivator and a mechanism for filtering the content that comes from the company and ends up on social media. Many companies already have this position, calling it the chief content officer.
Events
Many times, even with a leader or person in charge of content, there is still little or no traction as far as social media integration is concerned. This could be because of the way in which the person in charge establishes the campaign. Do not take a back seat and simply send a mass email to all employees, or an internal memo telling them about the company’s Instagram and suggesting they like it. The reason why this will likely fail is that many employees do not understand the power of social media. Unless one works in a social media marketing firm, blogs will make little or no sense tothe employees. The benefits of search engine optimization, for instance, will only sound like some fancy terms. Many only use social media for entertainment, never considering themselves part of the company’s strategy. One of the ideal ways to change this is to introduce the company and its employees to social media marketing with an event. Events remain memorable in the minds of the employee, and will go a long way in educating them on the benefits of social media to the company bottom line.
Encourage action
Employees knowing the benefits of social media still does not help them when it comes to the actual use of social media for the company. This calls for the leader to devise a plan of action. Decide on one area of social media to focus on, could be blogging or contributing to the company’s Facebook account. Even though not everyone will understand at first, starting with a single point of interest and growing, especially considering just how connected many social media platforms are, is a good way to go.
Continuity
The education of the employees and growth of the company’s social media strategy must not be a one-time thing. Continue educating the employees through newsletters and meetings. Social media is dynamic and grows fast, and this is one of the ways through which one can keep abreast of everything.
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