Social media and the workplace

My brother recently signed up for a Facebook account for marketing purposes for his company and asked me for advice on how to use it for marketing purposes, for in his eyes, I am the Facebook expert. This week's lecture also happened to talk about social media and business usage and so, I will be delving more into social media and its usage in the workplace.

Is it fit for all?
With social media and its popularity on the rise, it is no wonder that more companies are adopting the use of social media for commercial goals. This, of course, depends on the type of industry they are in and relevancy of the use of such a medium. For example, it would be more appropriate for an advertising company to use social media for business purposes as opposed to a law firm.

What are some of the benefits?
I have been a rather consistent buyer of local clothing online and noticed that many of them are increasingly using social media to increase its reach and revenue. For example, MDS Collections, a shop I used to work at, now has its own Twitter account and Facebook page in response to the trend of the rise in Twitter and Facebook usage. When I was working with them back in 2009, they did not employ the usage of these 2 forms of social media. With their Twitter and Facebook accounts now, I am pretty sure they have increased their audience reach and company revenue a great deal. I even have had friends who told me the shop was having a sale from the company's twitter and facebook updates!

How do we use it effectively?
Companies should always use social media with an objective in mind I feel. It should never be used "for the sake of it". With a goal in mind, the company can then adopt appropriate strategies for reaching its goal. Following that, they should adopt a plan of action and track its progress. If things are not working out, they should probably consider another course of action or even rethink their use of social media. Then, companies could also follow other industry players closely and work to build relationships with them. This way, they can not only be in the know of what is happening with the other industry players but also build a rapport with them for possible future partnerships.

Any basic rules?
Whichever social networking site one decides to use for work purposes, there are some basic rules that one should know regarding the usage of social media. For one, one should never disclose proprietary or confidential information belonging to the company or its clients. Also, one should always consult the human resources department if one is unsure of posting certain information online. It is also important to remember that we should use social media the same way we would use any other communication channels. For example, if one is not allowed to reveal in a conference the lastest technology the company has adopted to increase the efficiency of its manufacturing plants, one should never tweet about it.

If used appropriately and wisely, I am confident social media would benefit a company greatly. I would like to end this entry with an advice to companies as quoted from Stephen Baker and Heather Green from BusinessWeek, "Catch up... or catch you later."