Getting the Best Out of Social Media

Can Twitter can be used effectively as an internal comms tool? Somewhat unsurprisingly, 33% of contributers said there was already too much information overload and another social media tool would only add to the "noise", while 45% said they keep hearing about it but were yet to sign up.

This is just one example of the many social media discussions that have been taking place within the internal communication arena in the past few years. But is it all still a blur to you? Have you tried but failed to see the benefits of using blogs, social networks and Twitter within a corporate environment?

This week Alex Manchester, Melcrum's social media columnist and senior consultant at Step Two Consulting breaks down all the advice we've been hearing on the topic into five of the best social media tips he's heard over the years.

One of the most common misconceptions about social media is that once you make the channels available, employees will automatically start using them. Below are Alex Manchester's five best social media tips, and clear all the confusion that surrounds an area of comms that looks set to stick around for many years to come.

1. Know what social media isSocial media has come a long way in recent years, but with each new take there are new facets to learn. It's a communication professional's job to keep up to date with the latest tools available, and understand how they can be used to push the envelope of internal communication in an organization.
But you have to understand your blogs from your Twitter, and to do that takes time invested to learn. If you're not familiar with the way social media works, how can you expect to sell the benefits to your CEO? Use the tools available, experiment if necessary, but make the effort to get involved.

2. Participate. Genuinely.For every successful blog there are many more unsuccessful ones that die within a few months of their conception.
For every Barack Obama on Twitter, there are a dozen light-weight politicians whose updates are earth-shatteringly dull and devoid of any personality whatsoever.
That's the key with social media. Personality. Be yourself and engage and participate, genuinely, with the people you're trying to reach. Your personality, your likes and dislikes, will inevitably appear. If you're not prepared to do this, then don't get involved in the first place.

3. Understand that social media isn't right for every organizationIf, as point two suggests, your organization isn't ready to embrace social media, don't worry. While it's without question that employees are already out there, using social networks, perhaps blogging and Twittering (yes, even during the working day), rushing into a poorly conceived "official" effort is not advisable.

4. Encourage communicationAs discussed in recent newsletters, just making a new site live isn't enough. In a business environment, you have to be willing to encourage and nurture discussion, and guide people in terms of their own participation. As with developing an overall communications strategy, success with social media won't happen overnight and will take work to make it a success.

5. Don't position Web 2.0 as something completely newMy all-time favorite piece of social media advice was published in Melcrum's 2007 social media report, How to use Social Media to Engage Employees. Richard Dennison from BT said, "Don't position Web 2.0 as something completely new".

"People are instinctively fearful of radical change. We've altered our approach and positioned Web 2.0 is an evolutionary step: 'We've been doing this for years with emails, forums and so on'. This just makes it easier and faster to communicate and collaborate."

Coutesy of Alex Manchester, Melcrum's social media columnist