If social media is really your thing then why not work at a company that truly embraces it? Plenty of organizations are integrating social media into their everyday operations and reaching their target audience through it as well. But according to Mashable.com, four companies in particular have truly embraced social media in a way that shows they understand its significance and have been selected for encouraging their employees to use this medium to the fullest:
Establishing a Social Media Policy
For social media to work effectively in a company, you need to consult all stakeholders involved—HR, legal, employees, management, and customers, and come up with your goals and a policy everyone can live by. Weber Shandwick, a global public relations firm, has established a social media policy that can be summarized by: “be yourself, be transparent and be respectful.” Employees are encouraged to be savvy in both expressing themselves freely through social media as well come up with innovative social media strategies for their clients, which include flagship organizations like the U.S. Army. Employees are even encouraged to sign up for new social media services and to try the latest thing. Blogging, social media experimentation and thinking creatively are all encouraged here.
While not every company might be a fit for embracing social media to the extent that these four standouts have, every company can learn something from this medium. Growing your business or organization through social media can be done quite effectively through the strategic use of Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. Coming up with a social media initiative and an open policy to wrap it up in is a great way to start.
Areg Bagdasarian, MBA is the co-author of the 2010 GBR Student Paper Competition winning paper, Using Social Media to Grow Your Business. His interests include marketing strategy and blogging, and he is the founder of the clean technology automotive blog www.sleekandgreen.com.
