Using Social Networking to Promote Your Company

Many companies today have strict rules about using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter in the workplace: sometimes access to these sites is completely blocked. Other companies have embraced social media and social networking sites as a new means to market their products and services and increase brand recognition. In fact, there are now employees or online marketing agencies retained by some companies whose sole purpose is to focus on promoting the company via social networking sites.

While it can be difficult in some cases to balance healthy social networking activities in the workplace versus those that affect productivity in a negative way, it is ultimately beneficial to a company to allow its employees to promote the company, provided certain guidelines are implemented and enforced.

As a manager or owner of a company, you’ll likely find that satisfied employees will promote the company not only in the workplace, but also during their personal time at home, via social networking and social media sites. Provided your employees are aware of and understand the social networking policies developed by your company, such promotion should be welcomed and encouraged. Today’s online marketplace is all about brand awareness and visibility – having a team of employees furthering the cause while off the clock translates to cost-effective marketing with a high ROI.

Social Networking Guidelines for Employees
Allow employees to post links to industry-related information, or announcements about upcoming specials or sales. You might even consider paying employees to do this on an ongoing basis. However, some employees might also take their own initiative and do this anyway during their own personal social networking time at home. While this is generally a good thing, there might be reasons you prefer not to have employees engage in these marketing tactics. Therefore it would be worthwhile to instruct employees as to whether or not these actions are desired, and if you would prefer them to focus on any particular method or means of promotion.

Of course, if using social networking to promote your company is permitted, then the postings or Internet discussions by employees should always be supportive and positive. Additionally, managers should make it clear as to what types of company-related information is permitted to be posted, and what is to remain private information. Posting or discussing the wrong types of information, or even worse, confidential company information, can damage a company’s reputation, not to mention an employee’s career and employment.

A refined example of a company’s social networking guidelines for employees can be found at the Oracle website. Aside from the guidelines posted there, additional suggestions for employee’s efforts to promote their company online include using social bookmarking sites to share articles, press releases, or other industry and company related information. Employees can also share videos, pictures and links, and encourage others to become friends, followers or fans of a company’s Facebook or Twitter account, if applicable.

If your company employs a copywriter or web marketer versed in SEO techniques, it may be helpful to have them instruct your employees about the usefulness of keywords. Employees that promote your company online by using specific targeted keywords when applicable will make it much easier for others to find that information and subsequently find their way to your website. Likewise, including hyperlinks in blog postings, forum postings, or other related means also serves to increase ways in which your website can be found.

For additional web marketing resources, articles, and industry-related press releases, visit the resources section of Active Web Group, Long Island’s leading online marketing solutions company. Additionally, be sure to sign up for their free email newsletter, which offers even more internet marketing tips and information.