October 9 2012)
The last edition of The Business had an opinion piece by a local legal firm titled “Is social media an unwelcome cost to business – like drug abuse or alcoholism?”
The agitated article concluded that indeed it was and that the work-shy junior employees of the nation’s professional services companies were all out of their minds on Facebook and off their heads on Twitter.
Social media is not a drug. That‘s a silly, scare-mongering and very un-lawyerly thing to say. That’s like saying heavy metal music encourages violent Satanic murder. It is not only just plain wrong, but also misunderstands nearly everything about social media which are just forums to talk friends or to people with similar interests. They have, for many, replaced the water-cooler, canteen, pub or market square as the place to catch up with friends, to exchange news and gossip, and even to do business.
There are two angles here: what your staff are doing and what you as a company are doing, and it’s important that you don’t get them confused. Yes, if you let your staff spend all their time chatting to their friends or their fellow Morris dancers /philatelists /oenophiles, then productivity may well dip. But that’s not social media’s fault that’s down to your task and time management.
Here are two useful metaphors: Firstly, think of social media as a pub. It’s a great place to get together, to chat and to swap stories and even to network. It is, however, fair to say that it’s inappropriate to spend time in the pub when you’re being paid to work. Pop in for a shandy and a sandwich at lunchtime but be back at your desk ready to go at 2pm. You, as an employer have to educate your employees what you expect of them on your time.
As a company you must also decide if people want to hear you trying to flog your services while they’re in the social media pub with their friends. Far too many companies just sound like the pub bore, shouting their opinions regardless if anyone has asked for them or is even listening. If you are amongst friends and the chat turns to how to find great legal advice, it’s a good time to say, “well actually I work for a great firm. Have a look here…” So it is wise to be a discreet friendly drinker in your customers’ local, who can chip in when socially appropriate. It’s also a golden opportunity to listen to what your customers and staff are saying at their most unguarded and relaxed. Listen carefully and you might learn something valuable.
Secondly, think of social media as a phone. Most people under 25 see email as a dated and sluggish means of communication and prefer social media’s immediacy, and phone calls aren’t free like Twitter. So who answers the new phone in your office and are they equipped to deal with customer enquiries? Would you let you phone calls go unanswered or man the lines with untrained staff? Is a valuable customer calling your new number? Unlike the phone, social media leaves a written trail that can be very useful for training and customer services. Again, by listening in – which is perfectly acceptable on social media - you can learn an awful lot about what is important to your target market. And don’t forget that today’s idle twittering youth are tomorrow’s business leaders.
Just as it’s unthinkable to not have a web and email address on your stationary, not having an internal and external social media policy is now a rather telling sign that a company isn’t really listening to either their employees or to their customers.
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