What started as a kid's thing is now an essential corporate tool for everyone in business.
You got it. Social Media and social networking or better known as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Myspace, and so on. Whether a buyer, provider, employee or customer - if you aren't using Facebook, Twitter, or Linked In... you can be missing some wonderful opportunities for your business and for your employees!
Further, for us as recognition providers, the phenomenon of social media has never been more important, it can be a wonderful recognition tool.
Social media can help employees connect within a company and do great things for employee engagement. It’s a way to help employee connect with each other in an open forum, which likely encourages even more recognition.
A social media platform within your recognition program can be the lubricant needed to increase incidences of interactions between employees and managers as well as between employees. This in turn becomes and immense opportunity for recognition.
Social platforms have become a conduit for people to communicate with each other immediately about their experience, about you, about anything and everything.
Because of the immediacy and the accepted value of content -- these mediums are good for both the employee and customer satisfaction, loyalty, and proactive retention plans. Check out these stats:
-- In 2009, 94% of organizations maintained or increased their investment in online communities for customers, employees and partners versus 2008, according to the “Tribalization of Business Study” a report released in October by Deloitte and Beeline Labs.
--Social communities that focus on engaging employees make up a modest 12% of those online programs, though 34% of companies have social networks in place that apply to both employees and consumers.
Externally, social media has become a way of getting to know your customers. It’s where people display their interests and thoughts, and by interacting with them through your business’s Facebook Fanpage, or some insightful tweets, you can uncover some new ways to connect and refine your services.
There is no greater way to collect real-time market intelligence and employee attitudes. Don't let your clients forget the value which is growing every day. Deploy it and maintain it and make it work!
Peter Hart is President & CEO of Rideau Recognition Solutions (www.rideau.com) and has been advising and serving the industry for over 20 years. He has been one of the driving forces in transforming Rideau from a small manufacturer of award products to one of the world’s fastest growing Recognition and Rewards providers. Rideau’s custom loyalty and performance management tools increase productivity, employee engagement, customer loyalty and ROI. He can be reached at PeterHart[at]Rideau.com