Social media in the office
July 29th, 2010 by GaryTweet
Social media is so prevalent in people’s lives now, that many companies will be tempted to rely on the skills their staff have developed in their own time. While use of social media outside work does create a good basic skill set and understanding of the various technologies involved, it is not enough to implement and execute a full business strategy within the office. This is where social media training for business comes into play; but what are the main home / office differences?
Audience: Personal accounts on social media tend to be aimed at people you already know, work accounts are aimed at attracting attention, especially from your potential client base. Training can help employees adjust their social media mindset to accommodate this change of focus.
Accountability: What is appropriate to tweet as a personal opinion is not appropriate to say under the banner of a business. The lines can be easily blurred and social media training in the workplace is an excellent way to set and disseminate strong and easily followed guidelines.
Strategy: There is no real need for a strategy in personal use of social media as most people are not aiming to meet sales targets or establish reputations. Business use relies strongly on a far-sighted strategy to succeed, with all angles of social media use tied into this. Social media training can help your staff to understand this strategy and how to best work towards its goals.
Training can and should fit around your business needs, whether it’s an ongoing course in short bursts, or a condensed one – two day course. Regular refresher courses and an ongoing open dialogue within the office will also ensure that you, and your staff, get the most out of this powerful internet tool.
Tags: social media, social media at work, social media for business, social media training