Social media: An essential tool for internal communication
Social media is becoming more and more pervasive in the world we live in, and has already been entrenched as a tool for external marketing. But what about internal communication? New research shows it might be groundbreaking there as well.
Harnessing social media for business purposes has been firmly embraced by the savviest of companies. Recent research shows that lately, the country’s best employers are relying on it heavily for internal communications as well.
“Data from the CRF Institute shows that there has been 171% increase from 2011 to 2012 among certified Top Employers in South Africa in the use of social media to communicate with staff,” says Samantha Crous, CRF Institute regional director: Africa and Benelux, which undertakes corporate research and also certifies the country’s top employers on an annual basis.
“Of course, there is always the risk that social media will hinder communication as the informal nature of the medium can encourage fast and loose language use or an unprofessional tone. But for some, using social media is the only way to keep internal communication alive – language gap or no language gap,” adds Crous.
Using social media for internal communications: Case study no. 1
Technology company Avanade, a certified Top Employer, says it has had no problem with communication breakdowns or unprofessionalism with its use of social media. Rather, social media has contributed positively to the company culture.
HR manager, Carmen Short, says staff members have been self-regulating, using their discretion to create clear, readable and professional posts. “We have had no concerning Tweets,” she says.
Avanade has launched its own social media platform for internal use. “We use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for external communication, and Microsoft Lync and SharePoint for internal communication within the company,” says Short. “Social media is one of those platforms where communication, innovation and best practices are shared daily.”
Using social media for internal communications: Case study no. 2
Meanwhile, the UK-based community, Vets Now, uses a social media platform to communicate with staff because their employees work in isolation. Without the platform, there would no communication at all.
“It is no coincidence that GIBS and UCT GSB are running social media executive programmes,” writes entrepreneur, Mike Stopforth. “There is a need for education in this new arena. When technology leaps forward, find a way to harness and leverage it. Don't avoid the trend - you will regret it later.”
Writer Joel Don echoes that the technical generation gap is closing, and that companies who do not keep up will have cause for regret. “The trend is going against the laggards,” he says. “Research from the Pew Research Centre continues to showcase increasing numbers of baby boomer generation members gravitating to social networks.”
Communication specialist Amanda Laird points out that internally, social media use has far more benefits than risks:
1. You make your employees feel heard;
2. You can:
- Promote new products and services;
- Reach staff faster;
- Build relationships;
- Increase internal brand awareness; and
- Position your organisation as a group of thought leaders.
“Social media is essential to brainstorm, to educate and to share knowledge. It’s a tool for creating a positive working environment. Moreover, staff can be incentivised to use social media externally as well – competitions for who posts the most Tweets, who has the most followers, etc., - which, as a reward system, compounds staff’s positive feelings about the company,” says Crous.
It’s a good idea to use a dedicated internal platform for internal communications
This will “keep internal issues internal”. However, Crous adds that excessive content monitoring can do more harm than good. “Seeking to control the conversation can work against you in terms of your attempts to make social media work for the organisation in building authentic lines of communication,” she says. “Knowing where to draw the line between a healthy communication policy, and monitoring and control is critical.”
Read content regularly, partly for monitoring purposes and partly so that employees feel that they are being heard. Use real names to facilitate honesty and accountability, and hold workshops with communication guidelines.
In addition, encourage using plain English – not SMS-speak or jargon – and set clear rules, but not so many that people lose track. And focus on positive content.
Most importantly, take care of the company culture at ground level so that you can prevent underlying issues before they arise. “If you have sound HR policies in place and your staff are happy, it’s likely that social media comments will be positive as well,” concludes Crous. “A strong organisational culture goes a long way.”
