Businesses enter the social media world to benefit their company. @AskAmex, American Express' Twitter Team, was created as a customer service tool to deal with questions and complaints in an efficient and cheap manner. And in Boeing's case, they got the chance to provide a measly explanation of their cold-hearted behavior in response to Mr. Winsor's concern.
But the risk of allowing employees to control the social media of big corporations seems to outweigh any benefits. What it all comes down to: trust. Will employees intentionally or unintentionally ruin the company's reputation? Will they lose control of content being posted? Will the use of business social media lead to the use of personal social media on the job, creating a lack of productivity?
Companies used to completely ignore the social media existence by blocking them in the work environment. But now the time has come where they have to embrace the new communication technology or get left behind. In response to the risks addressed, companies need to develop risk management. They need to assign one person to the social media project. They need to learn how to control what can be said by employees, as well as visitors to the site. As for the possible lack of productivity, it's been suggested to hold training sessions on order to educate employees on social media. It's a nice thought, but will it work? Doubtful.
You make a good point, Elizabeth, on the where companies can/should draw the line when it comes to the use of social media for work vs. "play".
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree however, on your thoughts on having one person manage a social media project on his or her own. I believe these projects need to be handled as delicately as any press release would - they should involved a team effort with elements from PR departments, marketing departments, advertising departments, and company executives.
If one person is left in charge of a company's social media profile, the results could be pretty terrible. In the past, consumers often turned to their network of friends, neighbors and family to determine their purchasing intentions. I believe social media has intensified those connections, because it allows individuals to keep in touch with that network in a way that was never thought possible. Companies have to take note of that, and ensure they put forth the right image of their brand.
Definitely companies has to pay more attention to social media nowadays, but I also agree with Giancarlo on the idea of not having only one person dealing with the online interaction for a corporation.
ReplyDeleteI think it has to be a team effort due to all the implications that the online social media brings to the table for a big company. I can tell for personal experience that managing the online interaction is not easy. I work for a big telecommunication company and earlier this year they started getting into the social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter. They have made some ground for English speaking customers but they realized they were leaving behind the Hispanic market. They started putting together a group to handle the Spanish social media interaction experience for our customers but they also realized all the legal consequences that the company might get involved if something wrong is posted on one these websites. That is why apart from the group handling the interactions any posting needs to be reviewed by the legal department.
It is clear that with new technology, companies has to evolved in this new electronic era and they are doing it by interacting more with customers online, but is also clear that it is a constant learning experience due to all aspects that social networking involves.