Social media exists culturally on an individual level. But this does not always successfully translate into a workplace culture where individuals can help promote the businesses they work in, through social media. Engagement at an organisational level is constrained by a lack of strategic thinking and a fear of loss of control.
The answer is to integrate social media into best practice, but in such a way that organisations empower individuals to use it.
From the Top Down
Many professional workplace cultures are hierarchical and are, in essence, closed rather than open. Such cultures can also favour outward displays of hard work over efficiency.
“Where work is valued in terms of sheer time spent on tasks, it is sometimes difficult to establish approaches that are designed to minimise effort but maximise results,” states Jowita Penkala, MD of Uniqua Brand, in Leeds.
Jowita works with businesses on social media engagement, very much from a strategic, business development viewpoint. She observes how some businesses appear to be reluctant, if not hostile, to social media, even though unintentional.
“There is often a sense of professional distance that can look a lot like arrogance. It feels like there is an expectation that sheer professionalism and sticking to a rigid hierarchical approach to customer engagement will in themselves guarantee a steady flow of customers,” Jowita explains.
Personalising Communications
Social media is people-driven, therefore, it makes sense for businesses to engage with customers and prospects on a more personal level.
“Companies can build social profiles of their employees to help engage with audiences through social channels,” Jowita observes. “Improving conversion rates comes through a strategic, systematic and efficient approach to social media, but also an understanding of how it works, and how personal it can be.”
Democratising the distribution of information through an organisation can also help with making the whole process of social media engagement more efficient, saving time and effort.
“Consistency doesn’t come from rigidly sticking to a single, corporate tone of voice when it comes to engaging with you audience. Instead, it develops from having a social media strategy that is integrated throughout a business, where everyone has a stake in making it work”
Jowita Penkala, Uniqua Brand
If you would like to discover how to use your teams to effectively engage with your audience, please call Uniqua Brand on 0113 252 0797 or visit uniquabrand.co.uk for more information.
